Message Map

Communication/Media From the BP oil spill and the Egyptian revolution to the Haitian earthquake and the Australian floods, social media has proven its power to unite, coalesce, support, champion, and save lives. Presenting cutting-edge media communication solutions, The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management explains how to choose the appropriate language and media outlet to properly convey your message during and after a crisis.

Unveiling the secrets of how to manage the media in a crisis, the book examines how rapidly evolving social media and Web 2.0 technologies have changed the crisis management landscape. It illustrates the four distinct stages of media reporting during a crisis and details the information that must be provided. The author provides readers with a wealth of helpful tips and tools—including guidelines, checklists, and case studies that illustrate best practices in crisis media management. Divided into five sections, the book:

• Examines how the kingdom of news has changed and considers the new hybrid model that is emerging • Identifies the four distinct stages in which both old and new media report a crisis • Addresses the use of spokespeople according to the four stages, as well as when to use the chief executive officer • Discusses media interviews, including how to handle news conferences, bloggers, and the importance of media training • Considers the communication aspects of crisis management—including how to harness the power of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, Wikipedia, Flickr, and social media releases The book’s resource-rich appendices include a checklist for briefing a spokesperson, sample media release, a step-by-step flowchart for creating a crisis communication plan, and social media policy guidelines. Complete with a detailed guide on what tools to use and when to use them, this book provides the techniques and understanding required to communicate effectively and avoid any potential bad press and embarrassment that could result from information mismanagement. About the Author:

Jane Jordan-Meier is a former journalist with more than 25 years of experience in the media and communication management. Working at the forefront of media training developing powerful methodologies in crisis media management, she has worked at the highest level in strategic planning and communication including the Australian bicentennial celebrations and the Sydney Olympic Games. Visit www.crisismanagementbook.com for more information. ISBN: 978-1-4398-5373-3 9 781439 853733 90000 K12481 w w w . c r c p r e s s . c o m w w w. c r c p r e s s . c o m The Four Stages of Highly Effe�ftive Crisis Ma��ageme��t Jordan-Meier K12481 cvr mech.indd 1 2/15/11 3:09 PM The Four Stages of Highly Effe�ftive Crisis Ma��ageme��t How to Manage the Media in the Digital Age Jane Jordan-Meier © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b This book is dedicated to my late parents\f Joyce and Leigh \beccombe\f wonderful country parents from the bush in North West N\bW\f Australia.

Without my mother’s dedication\f commitment to\f and encouragement of my education\f I’m not sure that this book would have been possible. Thanks Mum for the determination!

My father’s steadfast belief that women could achieve anything in life was both inspirational and supportive—I took that belief and support to heart and followed my dreams. This book is also a by-product of those dreams and his love. Thanks Dad! vii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b CONTENTS Preface xv Ackno\fledg\bents xix A uthor xxi ii Section i Media, crisis, and new Re\forting\b tool s Overvie\f 1 1 What Is a Crisis? 5 Unfolding Crisis 5 Crisis Is Triggered 6 A Crisis Stops the Sho\f 8 Case in Point: Virginia Tech 9 2 The Role of Media in a Crisis 11 3 Social, Interactive, and Every\fhere All the Ti\be 15 Today’s Ne\fs fro\b Multiple Platfor\bs 16 Old Media Play a Role in the Social Media Revolution: Social or Leave 16 Po\fer to the People: The Rise of Hyperlocal Ne\fs 19 Mainstrea\b Media Are Still a Factor 20 4 Social Media’s Role in Crisis 23 5 Media Ethics: What Drives Traditional Media Behavior? 27 6 T\fitter: Is It a Fad or the “8-Bazillion Pound Gorilla?” 31 Overvie\f 31 Background 32 Contents viii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Pointless Babble: A Critic’s Take 34 Saving Lives, Saving Reputations 35 Breaking Ne\fs: T\fitter and the Media 37 The Po\fer of 140 Characters 38 Rules of Engage\bent 39 Section I Su\b\bary 42 Section ii Stages of a cris is 7 Stage One—Fact-Finding Stage 47 Stage One Characteristics 50 8 Be\fare the ST Factor: Re\be\bber the Context 53 Re\be\bber the Context 56 9 Stage T\fo—The Unfolding Dra\ba 59 Stage T\fo Characteristics 63 10 Stage Three—Finger-Pointing Stage = Bla\be Ga\be 67 Stage Three Characteristics 69 11 Stage Four—Resolution and Fallout 75 Stage Four Characteristics 78 Section II Su\b\bary 80 Section iii S\fokes\feo\fle—S\feed Matters and Perce\ftion is ever ything 12 Who? 85 Golden Rules 87 Co\b\bunication Style 87 Contents ix © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 13 To CEO or Not? 91 To CEO or Not? 93 CEOs and Social Media 95 Spokespeople and Social Media 96 14 Head and Heart 99 15 Role of the Frontline 103 Guidelines Please! 105 Training Please! 106 Su\b\bary 107 16 Policy Guidelines for Social Media 109 Can You Facebook at Work? Policy First Defense against Risk 109 Guide— Don’t Stop—Social Media Use 111 Section III Su\b\bary 116 Section iV Media interviews— Rules of engagement in a cris is 17 Understanding Journalists’ Questions 121 18 Techniques to Get Your Message Across 125 Bridging Technique 126 When You Do Not Kno\f the Ans\fer 128 Getting behind the Question 129 Question the Questioner 130 Give-and-Take in an Intervie\f 130 19 Dealing \fith Difficult Questions 133 Q = Hypothetical 133 Q = Loaded 134 Contents x © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Q = Leading 135 Q = Either/Or 135 Q = Closed 136 Q = Multiple 136 Q = Guarantee 137 Q = Question fro\b Hell 138 Handling Silence 138 Handling Interruptions 138 20 Never Repeat the Poison: Avoid Negative Language 141 21 Ho\f the Ne\f Media Are Changing the Rules for Intervie\fs 143 Cro\fdsourcing 143 Li\biting Direct Access to Mainstrea\b Media 144 E-\bail and Blogs 145 22 Lights, Ca\bera, Action—The Intervie\f 147 Before the Intervie\f 147 Kno\f Your Audience 147 Kno\f Your Key Message 148 Practice Your Message 149 Kno\f Your Media 149 Kno\f Your Dress 149 During the Intervie\f 149 After the Intervie\f 154 Television Intervie\fs 154 Dress for the Part 155 Face-to-Face Intervie\fs 156 Ani\bation and Gestures 156 Sound Good 157 Speak in Stand-Alone, Whole Sentences 157 Phone Intervie\fs 157 Radio Intervie\fs 159 Print Intervie\fs 160 E-\bail and T\fitter Intervie\fs 162 Contents xi © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Dealing \fith Bloggers 163 Ne\fs Conferences 166 Managing a Ne\fs Conference 167 23 Media Training 171 Who Should Be Media Trained? 173 Stage One 173 Stage T\fo 174 Stage Three 176 Stage Four 176 Group or Individual Training? 177 Ho\f Often, Ho\f Much? 177 Section IV Su\b\bary 179 Section V communication— Rules and tool s 24 Why Co\b\bunicate in a Crisis? 183 Key Questions 185 25 What to Co\b\bunicate? 187 Standby State\bent 192 26 To Apologize or Not—The Role of the Apology in a Crisis 193 27 Language in a Crisis—Fall in Love \fith We : No Toxic Language, Please 197 Positive Language, Please! 198 28 Ho\f to Get Your Message Across 201 Contents xii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 29 Where? Ne\f Media Tools 203 Overvie\f 203 Web Messages: Content Brutal and to the Point 206 T\fitter 206 Media Relations 208 Protect Your Brand 209 Hash Tags (#) 209 Facebook 210 Facebook Dark Groups 212 Facebook: The Future 214 Univision: An Alternative to Facebook— Useful for the U.S. Ar\by 214 Video and YouTube 215 Blogging 220 Blogs Are a Must Have in Your Crisis Media Toolkit 223 LinkedIn 225 Digg 226 Fl ickr 226 W ikipedia 227 Social Media Release 228 Social Media Ne\fsroo\b 228 Social Media War Roo\b 229 What Tool to Choose When? 230 Integrate Social Media into Planning 232 30 Monitoring: Your Best Defense in a Crisis 235 Section V Su\b\bary 241 Appendix A: Guidelines for Briefing Spokespeople 245 Appendix B: Sa\bple Media Contact Infor\bation Log 247 Appendix C: Sa\bple Ne\fs Release 249 Appendix D: Nine Steps to a Crisis Co\b\bunication Plan 253 Appendix E: Useful Resources 255 Appendix F: Social Media Policy Resources 259 Appendix G: Social Media Resources for Crisis Co\b\bunicators 265 Contents xiii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Appendix H: 30 Things You Should Not Share on Social Media 267 Appendix I: Wordpress State\bent 269 Appendix J: Social Media E\bbracing the Opportunities, Averting the Risks 271 xv © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b PREFACE J\fst five years ago when the idea of this book was first mooted, Twitter did not exist, Facebook was barely a year old, and Yo\fT\fbe was in its infancy.

Most crisis comm\fnication was managed thro\fgh the traditional main- stream media. Press releases, news conferences, and reg\flar \fpdates were the mainstay of crisis media management. Blogs were the biggest player on the social media scene. Now? Twitter has revol\ftionized how crises are managed since citizen jo\frnalists armed with smartphones and Flip cameras—all tools in o\fr pockets—break news. The microblogging service has become an inval\f - able fire hose of information. Facebook has over half a billion (and co\fnt - ing) registered \fsers creating a virt\fal news channel with fans galore from every nation, race, and creed. The social media powerho\fse has also cemented its infl\fence among mainstream media. Facebook is now the n\fmber one so\frce for jo\frnalists to research their stories. According to the “2010 Jo\frnalist S\frvey on Media Relations Practices,” * a staggering 73.4% of jo\frnalists \fsed Facebook for s\fch research! Yo\fT\fbe? Now part of “Lord” Google’s empire, Yo\fT\fbe is local - ized across 22 co\fntries in 24 different lang\fages. It has almost do\fble the prime-time a\fdience of all three major U.S. broadcast networks com - bined! It is simply a fact that social media can disseminate information faster than any newsroom ever co\fld. We have moved from the power-of-one to the power-of-many. And look at \fs, “we the people.” We own the news. We have little, if any, loyalty to any one media o\ftlet; and we s\frf, swap, and share from m\fl - tiple platforms. Billions of ears and eyes watching and, in some cases, waiting like the powerf\fl Mommy bloggers to j\fmp to the defense of the ca\fse. The a\fdience has taken control. They are the tr\fth filters. No longer can yo\f claim how they have (the old media) “b\ftchered this story.” Secrets are o\fsted—typically they always were, b\ft now any citizen can pick \fp a phone, send a message, and be heard, almost instantaneo\fsly. Whistle- blowing legislation enables and protects s\fch candor, and beca\fse that * “2010 Jo\frnalist S\frvey on Media Relations Practices,” Bulldog Reporter, TEKGROUP International, October 2010. PRe\fa Ce xvi © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b has not always worked, there is now WikiLeaks, which constantly shares secrets posted anonymo\fsly for the world.The challenges for the crisis media manager are immense—how does one act\fally cover all this territory? It seems so overwhelming. B\ft there are pioneering brave so\fls, social media warriors, and many conservative organizations looking for the proverbial 100-year flood to make the big leap. They have embraced the challenges and have seen that policy and good training really does “drive the train.” They have been genero\fs with their stories and case st\fdies, many of which are presented in this text. This book is an example of m\fch of what happens today—how m\fch we aggregate, monitor, and share \bhatever we want, \bhenever we want, and \bherever the spirit takes \fs.

In writing this book, I have been both c\frator and aggregator—select - ing case st\fdies, examples, and articles to present the best of the best and the worst of the worst, and p\flling together principles, trends, and g\fidelines. Today, there is little original reporting—typically still the domain of the traditional newspaper. Secondary so\frces abo\fnd. These second - ary so\frces have been credited and so\frced to the best of my ability. Yo\f will find many references in this book to articles, research papers, and white papers from E\frope, the United States, and A\fstralia, to name a few. Also, like any good newspaper reporter, I have so\fght o\ft original so\frces. I have interviewed working jo\frnalists, professors, and cons\fl - tants alike to present their views and insights regarding this brave new world, bringing crisis media management into the digital age. I have taken the new media principles of engagement, speed, tr\fst, and acco\fntability and applied them to the prevailing norms of how tra - ditional mainstream media report a crisis. While I was the managing director of the leading media training company in A\fstralia, we devel - oped a methodology for crisis media training and planning based on years of observation and research on the patterns of reporting in a crisis.

This methodology and framework applies j\fst as m\fch to the new as it does to the old. My aim is to give yo\f some confidence that yo\f can predict and plan, and indeed to convince yo\f that the old principles apply and are even more important today. Yes, yo\f do need to take responsibility and act fast:

Tell it all and tell it fast. Yes, yo\f need to be open and honest; yes, train, ed\fcate, and exercise yo\fr plans. And did I say fast? PRe\fa Ce xvii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b THE BOOK In the five sections of this book, yo\f will learn or have validated the best practices in crisis media management and what this means in the Web 2.0 era.In Section I, we will look at the role of the media in reporting a cri - sis, the trends in reportage, and how the roles of the new and the old are enmeshed. A crisis is defined and disc\fssed. And I take an in-depth look at Twitter’s role in a crisis. Media ethics are also examined. In Section II, yo\f will learn abo\ft the fo\fr stages that the media report in a crisis, the characteristics of each stage, and what this means for deci - sion making in a crisis. Section III deals with spokespeople, according to the fo\fr stages, pl\fs the vexed q\festion of whether and when to \fse the chief exec\ftive officer (\bEO). I also disc\fss the \bEO’s interaction with social media and intro - d\fce yo\f to the role of the frontline staff as well as policy g\fidelines. Media interviews are disc\fssed in detail in Section IV—everything from phone interviews to e-mail and print, and how to stage and manage a news conference, to dealing with bloggers. Media training, incl\fding who to train for which stage, is also disc\fssed. And finally, yo\f will find g\fidelines for social media policy. Section V covers the comm\fnication aspects of crisis media manage - ment and how to get yo\fr message across. A comprehensive g\fide to the new media tools is presented—from Facebook, Twitter, and Yo\fT\fbe to Digg, Wikipedia, Flickr, and social media releases (SMRs), pl\fs a g\fide on what tools to \fse and when. The appendices provide some \fsef\fl reso\frces, incl\fding a checklist for briefing a spokesperson, a sample form that shows how to log a media inq\firy, a sample media release, a step-by-step flowchart for creating a cri- sis comm\fnication plan, a sample social media release, social media pol - icy g\fidelines, and a list of things to avoid sharing in SocialMediaLand. xix © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I first and foremost want to thank my h\fsband, Norm Meier, a g\fr\f in the world of b\fsiness contin\fity. This book co\fld not have been written witho\ft his \fnwavering s\fpport, enco\fragement, and loving patience.

He has p\ft \fp with late nights, early starts, and general \fpheaval as the book spread from room to room! I have appreciated his val\fable insights, s\fggestions, and edits. His extensive experience in disaster recovery and emergency and crisis management, not to mention b\fsiness contin\fity, pl\fs o\fr many disc\fssions abo\ft the all-too-freq\fent crises, have been inval\fable in helping to shape this book.This book wo\fld not have been possible witho\ft the 15-year s\fpport of my b\fsiness partner, S\fsan Templeman, as we forged a solid media train - ing b\fsiness partnership. The rigor of the Media Skills’ training methods, combined with the tools and techniq\fes that we teach o\fr clients, form the basis of this book. I am gratef\fl too for the insights that I have gained from my many clients in many different ind\fstries and in different co\fn - tries d\fring my career in p\fblic relations and crisis media training and coaching. I thank them all for their tr\fst and high-stakes candor as we shared many a sit\fation together. They have been an inspiration. Templeman and my h\fsband have read almost every word I have written and taken the time to provide feedback and comments. I am enor - mo\fsly gratef\fl. What a jo\frney! Acknowledgment m\fst also go to my Media Skills colleag\fes—both past and present, partic\flarly Fiona Van der Plaat and Sonia Zavesky for reading, editing, and making val\fable s\fggestions to early drafts of Section II. Not to mention their role in the development of the crisis skills methodology. A big thank yo\f for all that yo\f have done over the years, not only for Media Skills b\ft in the development of the crisis comm\fnica - tion practice. I appreciate and thank all the co\fntless comm\fnications professionals who have provided information, inval\fable insight, and wisdom as they shared their stories and allowed me to \fse their research. Their generosity is m\fch appreciated, and I hope that I have done j\fstice to their information. It has been an international jo\frney with inp\ft from E\frope, the United Kingdom, A\fstralia, and the United States. Look for Swiss Mike Schwede’s excellent analysis of monitoring tools; Jonas Nielsen, of the aC knowledgments xx © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Danish-based Mindj\fmpers, for case st\fdies; Scotland’s \braig McGill for blogging tips; A\fstralians Jeff B\fllas, for many excellent tips and tools, and Robyn Sefiani, for her Q\feenwood case st\fdy; pl\fs U.S. cons\fltants Erik Deckers, Gerard Bra\fd, and Pa\fl Gillin among others for their wis- dom, tips, and analyses. I have enjoyed and appreciated Sefiani’s friend - ship and professional s\fpport for many years. Thank yo\f to yo\f all. Thanks also to Kris Olson from Innovis for her story abo\ft \fsing social media d\fring the North Dakota floods, and Mediascape for research and the Victorian b\fshfire case st\fdy. \braig Pearce back in my home co\fntry of A\fstralia was also very helpf\fl with comments, contacts, and an excel - lent paper on social media and crisis comm\fnication. And thanks also to st\fdent Matthew Kaskavitch at the University of Wisconsin, Sto\ft. His interview and information on Facebook dark gro\fps was excellent. The many jo\frnalists with whom I have worked over the years have been an inspiration with their reporting skills and insights into the pat - terns of reporting—so predictable in so many ways. My thanks to all of yo\f, and in partic\flar, to those interviewed whose views yo\f will see in this book. \bhris O’Brien, Brian Stelter, and J\flio Ojeda-Zapata are b\ft three to be mentioned. Thanks to Bernard O’Riordan, a favorite jo\frnalist in A\fstralia, for his enco\fragement and s\fpport with articles and com - ments; and to Neil McMahon for the Macq\farie Bank case st\fdy and paper on social media and crises in A\fstralia. There have been many academics whose time, knowledge, and insights I have val\fed. Thank yo\f to Kirsten Mogensen, Associate Professor at Roskilde University in Denmark. Mogensen was an enlight - ening interview s\fbject and genero\fs with her research. Professors and lect\frers at Pennsylvania State University, too; Shyam S\fndar and Renae Nichols, whose early interviews provided a f\fndamental framework and basis. Thanks to Liz Meier-King for helping make that possible. Thanks to Dr. Fiona Martin, former jo\frnalist and now lect\frer in online media at the University of Sydney, A\fstralia, for her insightf\fl interview and for reviewing copy. Many other fine academics are q\foted and cited—thank yo\f all for yo\fr contrib\ftions to the book. To all my colleag\fes and friends in the International Association of B\fsiness \bomm\fnicators (IAB\b), partic\flarly the San Francisco chap - ter, thank yo\f for all yo\fr s\fpport and enco\fragement, especially in my moments of do\fbt and panic! Molly Walker is a gem and has the best contacts! Margaret O’Hanlon, for yo\fr insights and reading an early draft, thank yo\f. I am indebted to Michaela Hayes for reading the book o\ftline and Section I. Her comments were inval\fable. Thanks also to Elizabeth aC knowledgments xxi © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Williams for taking the time to read a late section draft, and to Terry Peckham and the board, thank yo\f for yo\fr enco\fragement; it has meant a lot. And to Bianca Smith, a fellow A\fstralian and IAB\ber who took the time to read Section V in its raw state, I owe a big thanks. My acknowledg- ments to Nigel Glennie of \bisco Systems, a fellow IAB\b board member who provided case st\fdies and interesting information on social media by e-mail. To everyone who has gracio\fsly given me permission to q\fote them and \fse bits of white papers, a very big thank yo\f. Yo\f will find them refer - enced thro\fgho\ft the book. Look also for white papers in the appendices. IAB\b also provided me with incredible reso\frces in the form of copy editing and all-aro\fnd writing s\fpport and advice. A h\fge thank yo\f goes to Marc\fs Gonzales, a San Francisco–based writer and editor, for his mammoth efforts in not only editing the final man\fscript b\ft for keeping me on track. Another big thank yo\f to Sally Salay, whose initial edits and feedback p\ft me on the right path of this jo\frney. Their patience and skill were only too evident and enormo\fsly helpf\fl for this novice a\fthor. My acknowledgments also to Adrian Granzella Larssen for helping with a few last-min\fte efforts. Don Karecki from K&M P\fblishers is the reason that this book got off the gro\fnd. After being a keynote speaker and cond\fcting a “Managing the Media in a \brisis” workshop at the B\fsiness \bontin\fity \bonference in New Orleans d\fring my first year of living in the United States, when I was overwhelmed by everything and everyone, he s\fg - gested that I p\ft the content of my workshop into a book. His patience and \fnderstanding when life took a sharp U-t\frn is appreciated. I hope that I have done j\fstice to the \fnswerving confidence and faith that he has demonstrated toward this book. Thank yo\f for all yo\fr s\fpport and enco\fragement. To my family, in partic\flar my da\fghter, Gemma, whose opinion on social media was instr\fctional and is feat\fred in this book; my son Nicholas for his contin\fo\fs enco\fragement and s\fpport; and my sister, Pammie, for reading some early raw copy. Thanks also to my friends who have been enco\fraging with e-mails, Facebook messages, and more.

Thank yo\f for yo\fr \fnwavering friendship, love, and s\fpport. And finally the team at Taylor & Francis/\bR\b Press, especially Mark Listewnik, for taking this book and making it all happen. xxiii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b AUTHOR A former jo\frnalist, Jane Jordan-Meier has been at the forefront of media train- ing for 15 years, developing \fniq\fe and powerf\fl methodologies in crisis media management. From her base in the United States, she works with corporations, government depart - ments, and nonprofit agencies in North America , A\fstralia, and New Zealand.

She is recognized as one of the world’s top media and crisis management experts. Thro\fgho\ft her career, Jordan- Meier has worked at the highest level of strategic planning and comm\fnica - tion, incl\fding the A\fstralian bicentennial celebrations and the Sydney Olympic Games. Her clients range from experienced chief exec\ftive offi - cers (\bEOs) of global corporations to those doing their first media inter - views. She works with organizations in crisis as well as those wishing to raise their profile with positive media interviews. Many of her programs and training have won awards from her peers in the p\fblic relations and comm\fnication professions. In the 1990s, recognizing the need for exec\ftives to be highly skilled in handling the media, Jordan-Meier co-established Media Skills, a media training cons\fltancy. With former jo\frnalist S\fsan Templeman, she cre - ated a s\fite of methods for developing and delivering strategic media messages. This led to the development of a \fniq\fe approach to managing crisis comm\fnication. The methodology has been licensed and \fsed by a network of trainers aro\fnd the globe. Jordan-Meier is a freq\fent g\fest speaker on crisis comm\fnication and media management at conferences in A\fstralia, New Zealand, and North America. A licensed and accredited media trainer and coach, she holds a master’s degree in comm\fnication management. She has also ta\fght com - m\fnication, at both \fndergrad\fate and postgrad\fate levels in A\fstralia’s © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Section I Media, c risis , and n ew Re\for ting t ool s In a crisis there is a relentless and \fnforgiving trend towards an ever-greater information transparency … h\fndreds of millions of electronic eyes and ears are creating a capacity and new demands for acco\fntability. * —nik go\bing OVERVIEW In this digital age, news is everywhere, 24/7—m\fltiple platforms, m\fl - tiple channels, m\fltiple choices. O\fr appetite for news has increased. We have control, and it has become an important social act. News is personalized—we share, we swap, we s\frf; we comment, we link, we witness; we report, we create, and we p\fblish o\fr Daily Me. No longer is news a one-way street in the hands of a few: Instead of “King” R\fpert, we have “Dame” Arianna and “Lord” Google. We have jo\frnalists galore—social jo\frnalists, citizen–jo\frnalists, and yes, still an Army of professional, trained jo\frnalists. They are all armed with a diz - zying array of social tools to report a crisis—and fast.

* Nik Gowing, Re\fters Instit\fte for the St\fdy of Jo\frnalism, “‘Skyf\fl of Lies’ & Black Swans,” 2009 , p. 1. seCtIon I 2 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b We have speed and scale at \fnprecedented levels. Aggregation is the name of the game: Indeed it’s the very DNA of Web 2.0. The Internet is at the heart of the change. It’s where the action is. In a crisis—read big ne\bs —that’s where we congregate—online. We’ll swap links in e-mails; post news stories onto o\fr Facebook pages; we’ll tweet o\fr horror, o\fr s\fpport, o\fr eyewitness acco\fnts, and retweet others’ sto - ries; and we’ll highlight and spread news stories that matter to \fs wher - ever and whenever we can. We’ll haggle over the meaning of events in blogs, disc\fssion gro\fps, and for\fms. No s\frprise then that every @tom, @dick, and @harry has an opin - ion today and has the means to express it anywhere, anytime. As noted Internet expert, writer, and a\fthor, \blay Shirky, who is also Adj\fnct Professor at New York University, says, we are experiencing “the largest increase in expressive capability in the history of the h\fman race.” * It is also no s\frprise that yo\f are j\fst as likely to be interviewed on Twitter or Skype as yo\f are by a TV reporter with a video camera or a radio reporter with a microphone in yo\fr face. How do yo\f—the crisis media manager—s\frvive and help yo\fr orga - nization s\frvive in this digital age? Very simply, yo\fr organization’s crisis plan is incomplete witho\ft a comprehensive digital strategy.

Yo\f must incorporate social media into yo\fr plans. People are get - ting their news in m\fltiple formats, on m\fltiple platforms, from a myriad of devices, so yo\fr crisis plan m\fst adapt to this new reality. Yo\fr plan will need to accommodate this “golden age” for news cons\fmers who can access—at will—the best (or worst) stories from aro\fnd the world when- ever the spirit moves them. They have that capacity at their fingertips.

What capacity and capability do yo\f have at yo\fr fingertips in a crisis? In this section, we will examine the following:

• The habits of today’s news cons\fmer • The trends in news cons\fmption • How the new media—read social media—are impacting news gathering, partic\flarly in a crisis • How the traditional mainstream media—read old media —are pl\fnging into social media territory • The role of the media in a crisis and whether it has changed • The role of citizen jo\frnalists * \blay Shirky, Here Comes ever ybody: the P o\ber of orga nizing \bithout orga nizations (London:

Peng\fin Press), 2008, p. 106. seCtIon I 3 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • The rise of the hyperlocal news sites • Some jo\frnalists’ code of ethics and how that might help \fs get into their psyche B\ft first things first: I am a firm believer in context. This means we need to delve into the meaning of crisis so that we have a shared \fnder - standing of what it is. Then we will t\frn o\fr hearts and minds to the media and find o\ft more abo\ft the “golden age” or “Red B\fll,” as one cons\fltant I interviewed characterized today’s crisis media. 5 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 1 What Is a Crisis? An iss\fe ignored is a crisis invited. * —dr. Henry kiss inger How does a company get into crisis mode in the first place? Mostly beca\fse it does something wrong, illegal, \fnethical, or immoral and tries to hide it. Think Enron, Toyota, and q\fite possibly BP, which at the time of writ - ing was managing potentially the worst oil spill in world history, rivaling the infamo\fs 1989 Exxon disaster. \bertainly Tiger Woods, seemingly “Mr.

Nice G\fy” with a caref\flly crafted family image, fell into this category when news broke of the sordid tale of his m\fltiple affairs. U\fFOLDI\f\b CRISIS A crisis \fnfolds something like this: • An iss\fe has been brewing for a while, say a bad or shady deal that had been swept \fnder the carpet some months or years before (a smoldering iss\fe). • A disgr\fntled employee leaks compromising details of said bad deal to the media—big names, big players, big dollars = big news story (the trigger). • Front-page news ens\fes, immediately attracting attention of local and federal officials, reg\flators, and vario\fs law enforcement agencies = bigger news story. * Dr. Henry Kissinger as q\foted in Peter R\fff and Khalid Aziz, managing Communications in a Crisis (England/United States: Gower P\fblishing England), 2003, p. xii. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 6 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Crisis Is Triggered all crises have triggering events . Something happens that brings yo\f to yo\fr knees; the media spotlight is pointing right at yo\f. The co\frt (of p\fblic opinion) has been raised o\ft of its passive state and is voicing its opinions.

Yo\fr crisis has been triggered beca\fse, to paraphrase Dr. Henry Kissinger, yo\f have ignited a “smoldering” iss\fe. Noted p\fblic relations theorist James Gr\fnig, * who completed a 15-year st\fdy of best practices in comm\fnication management for the International Association of B\fsiness \bomm\fnicators (IAB\b) Research Fo\fndation, strongly states that yo\f have a crisis when yo\f fail to engage in iss\fes management. Indeed, 75 percent of all crises can be described as “smoldering” iss\fes. If they had been taken care of and dealt with swiftly and appropriately in the first place, they wo\fld not have t\frned into f\fll- blown crises. Often, sadly, it’s the bottom line that keeps the iss\fe hidden or \fnfixed. Take Toyota or BP. As Ian I. Mitroff, professor at Alliant International University, San Francisco, and a senior investigator in the \benter for \batastrophic Risk Management at University of \balifornia, Berkeley, says, “The costs of prevention pale in comparison to the f\fll costs of a crisis.” † If Toyota and BP had spent the necessary monies—a tiny fraction of the cost of the recall and clean\fp, not to mention profits—then we co\fld save lives, inflict less environmental damage to o\fr fragile planet, and gener - ally have less stress on already stretched government b\fdgets. United Airlines and Sigg, the Swiss-based makers of re\fsable water bottles, are two other examples that ignored smoldering iss\fes. Both expe - rienced very p\fblic and pointed lessons on how not to handle a crisis. Sigg, which pro\fdly marketed itself as eco-friendly, knew the warn- ings abo\ft the \fse of bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic chemical, in the lining of its trendy and expensive re\fsable water bottles. Despite the warning, Sigg waited three years before disclosing that its liner contained BPA. Their c\fstomers were o\ftraged at what they saw as deception. After a torrent of online anger and o\ftrage, the chief exec\ftive officer was forced into mak - ing an apology. United Airlines had a very p\fblic o\fting of wanton baggage mis - handling that res\flted in more than 8 million views on Yo\fT\fbe and a newfo\fnd fame for \banadian singer–songwriter Dave \barroll, who now * James Gr\fnig, Ph.D., Professor Emerit\fs, University of Wisconsin.† “Open For\fm,” san \francisco Chronicle (www.SFGate.com), May 28, 2010. wH at Is a C RIsIs? 7 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b lect\fres on c\fstomer service! \barroll’s song abo\ft how United smashed his $3,500 Taylor g\fitar * when he was flying from Nova Scotia to Nebraska became an overnight sensation. Media—new and old—had a field day: a compelling news story and negative p\fblicity triggered by \barroll’s song on Yo\fT\fbe. \barroll and his band, sons of max\bell , told their woef\fl tale with rhythm, harmony, rhyme, not to mention some wicked h\fmor, and their 4-min\fte, 37-second complaint, “United Breaks G\fitars,” racking \fp more than 8.3 million views (as of May 26, 2010) on Yo\fT\fbe. That’s more than twice the pop\flation of New Zealand or Ireland. CASE STUDY 1.1 The Boy and Boeing Here is how Boeing averted a crisis, or at least some very negative p\fblic - ity, with some good old-fashioned, honest, and speedy comm\fnication. In early May 2010, eight-year-old Harry Winsor (son of John Winsor, \bhief Exec\ftive Officer of the U.S. ad agency Victors and Spoils) decided to send Boeing one of his concept designs for a new plane, done in crayon. The res\flt was a crash co\frse in social media for the plane man\ffact\frer. Boeing sent a standard rejection letter to Harry. Dad posted comments on his blog. Twitter fired \fp and blasted Boeing with a how co\fld yo\f (treat “a creative and engaged child like that”). For a s\fited-\fp type of company, Boeing learned their lesson well and q\fickly. Instead of defending their position, they acted fast with a very personal to\fch. A Boeing engineer sent Harry a long and per - sonal letter, and Boeing’s \bomm\fnications Director also responded personally, inviting Harry to get a to\fr of Boeing’s factory. A happy ending. How wo\fld have yo\fr company reacted?

The lessons? Act swiftly and transparently or beware the billions of electronic eyes and ears, which can and will do their best to embarrass yo\f into action. Better still, plan, rather than react. If yo\f have the proper crisis management plans in place before a crisis, then yo\f have val\fable time to limit the damage. * Dave \barroll, Dave \barroll M\fsic, htt p://www.davecarrollm\fsic.com/\fbg/story/, J\fly 6, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 8 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b A Crisis Stops the Show P\ft simply, in the words of veteran crisis comm\fnication cons\fltant Jim L\fkaszewski, a crisis stops the show.

A crisis is always a significant disruption to a b\fsiness, social environment, or organization. It res\flts in national news media coverage and is, inevitably, a sit\fation where the p\fblic needs information to make better decisions. A crisis is a single point in time that is a show-stopping, company-stop - ping, people-stopping, co\fntry-stopping event. It is a triggering event that stops b\fsiness, alarms or threatens people, and p\fts yo\fr rep\ftation at risk. The Instit\fte for \brisis Management defines a crisis as “a significant b\fsiness disr\fption which stim\flates extensive news media coverage.

The res\flting p\fblic scr\ftiny will affect the organization’s normal b\fsi - ness operations and co\fld also have a political, legal, financial, and gov - ernment impact on b\fsiness.” * A crisis will most certainly ca\fse people to panic, taking them o\ft of their “passive state” and propelling them into action, as seen in the violent aftermath of the deadly officer-involved shooting at a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in northern \balifornia in early 2009, when tho\fsands took to the streets protesting and rioting: \fnintended con - seq\fences certainly for BART—b\ft clearly smoldering racial iss\fes for northern \balifornia and many other parts of the United States and aro\fnd the world, all of which foc\fsed on BART. Whatever the crisis, yo\f will feel the heat of p\fblic opinion, increas - ingly online as well as with the traditional legacy media like \bNN, the BB\b, usa today , the economist , the wall street Journal , or the \financial times . The San Francisco Zoo felt s\fch heat when a tiger escaped her cage and attacked and killed a man on \bhristmas Day 2007. By any definition, the New Year’s shooting at the Oakland BART sta - tion and the tiger ma\fling at the San Francisco Zoo were b\fsiness inter - r\fptions—tr\fe crises that will scar rep\ftations for years to come, if not forever. Take the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. The mishandling of that oil spill—considered one of the most devastating h\fman-ca\fsed environ - mental disasters ever—is forever etched into o\fr minds and into the pages of textbooks, speeches, and presentations on how not to handle a crisis. As Shel Holtz describes crises, they are “rep\ftation killers.” I like Shel Holtz’s airline example for defining a crisis. Holtz, a vet - eran comm\fnication cons\fltant specializing in the \fse of online and social * Instit\fte of \brisis Management, “\brisis Definitions,” www.crisisexperts.com. wH at Is a C RIsIs? 9 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b comm\fnication, says that the crash of an airplane is not a crisis for an air- line company. It is certainly an emergency. It is definitely a tragedy. B\ft, Holtz explains, a crash, as devastating as it is, does not meet the criteria for a crisis beca\fse an airline can anticipate the possibility that a plane may go down and plan its comm\fnication. “A railroad can establish proced\fres for a derailment, and an oil company can expect that an accident can lead to an oil spill from a tanker.” * How well an airline or transportation com - pany responds to an emergency will determine how long they will be in the p\fblic spotlight and exactly how m\fch damage will be inflicted on their rep\ftation. One can only wonder whether the \fnlikely and dist\frbing incident where two Northwest Airlines pilots were too distracted debating iss\fes and b\fsy on their laptops that they missed their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles was planned for in the crisis man\fal! No wonder we have s\fch crises. Sadly, the majority of companies fail to plan. According to Geibel Sol\ftions Marketing, fewer than 20 percent of b\fsinesses have crisis comm\fnication plans, or if they do have a plan, they fail to effectively exercise and drill that plan. † Case in Point: Virginia Tech M\fch has been written abo\ft what happened at the Virginia Polytechnic Instit\fte and State University (Virginia Tech) camp\fs and what the school co\fld have done differently to prevent the 2007 shooting tragedy. They had a plan and yo\f can still find that plan on the Internet! Their biggest problem was that they did not have a step-by-step process that adeq\fately addressed what to do. Nor did they appreciate the impact of social media on their st\fdent pop\flation. \brisis comm\fnication expert Gerard Bra\fd, said that Virginia Tech’s lack of preparedness made him “very angry” and that a good comm\fni - cation plan co\fld have saved lives. ‡ The comm\fnication vac\f\fm and lack of prompt action res\flted in 32 lives being lost. The story was etched forever in o\fr memories by the chill - ing vision and so\fnd that was broadcast seemingly ad infinit\fm on \bNN * Shel Holtz and John \b. Havens, “B\fsiness & Economics,” tactical transparency: Ho\b leaders Can leve rage soci al medi a to maxi mize valu e and Build their Brand (New York: John Wiley and Sons), 2008. † Jeffrey Geibel, GEIBEL Sol\ftions Marketing, “\brisis \bomm\fnication: Some Tips for When It Is Yo\fr T\frn to Bat,” http:www.geibelpr.com/crisis.thm/, December 10, 2010.

‡ Gerard Bra\fd, interview with a\fthor, J\fly 9, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 10 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b (no do\fbt in the absence of any other first-hand footage). Lesson: If yo\f fail to be fast with yo\fr footage, the “bad” images will forever symbolize and taint yo\fr image and rep\ftation.

A witness who was too close to the shooting sent \bNN some video in which g\fnshots co\fld distinctively be heard. \bNN ran that clip every 8 to 12 min\ftes. With good planning and testing, that wo\fld not have happened.

People wo\fld have been safe and nowhere near the area, said Bra\fd. As the saying goes, if yo\f fail to plan, then yo\f are essentially plan - ning to fail! That has always been the case. B\ft one co\fld arg\fe that social media have driven \fs into a new era where planning is not an option.

Still, planning is a req\firement in this era of increasing scr\ftiny, demand for transparency, and 24/7 interactivity, all of which are characterized by great expectations of speed. Indeed, it is more important than ever to adhere to the “old” models of crisis comm\fnication: Take responsibility, tell it all, and tell it fast. 11 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 2 The Role of Media in a Crisis The p\fblic is the only opinion worth anything at all. —mark t\bain The media are the reporters of the high court of public opinion. That role has not changed; if anything it has been amplified in o\fr wired, connected world, where we, the news cons\fmers, are more and more active in the news process. What is changing is who the reporters are—they are more likely to come from the jo\frnalist citizenry than they are to come from the trained pool of jo\frnalists in the traditional media of radio, TV, and newspapers. What is also changing is where and how they so\frce and report the stories of disasters, crises, and emergencies, and how the stories are aggregated and shared. And, above all, the speed of reporting has increased exponentially. As veteran broadcaster Jim Lehrer says, all jo\frnalism is abo\ft how events impact people. It is still “Johnny and Jane chasing the amb\flance.” B\ft it is where and how the Johnnies and Janes are chasing stories that have changed. Instead of paved streets and roads, the amb\flance chase is more likely to take place on social networks, the Internet s\fperhighway. Social media, Internet talk, and partic\flarly Facebook and Twitter, are increasingly \fsed by the traditional mainstream media (MSM) as their first indication of events to cover. The M\fmbai massacre 2008, \bhina earthq\fake 2008, Indonesia bombings 2009, Iran elections 2009, the deadly Victorian b\fshfires 2009, the fatal shootings at Fort Hood in 2009, and of co\frse the famo\fs miracle landing on the H\fdson of US Airways Flight 1549 are j\fst some of the bigger events that propelled the MSM into social media. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 12 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b CASE STUDY 2.1 The Victorian Bushfires of 2009 Social media came into their own in A\fstralia with the reporting and sharing of information abo\ft the deadly b\fshfires in Victoria in Febr\fary 2009. Within ho\frs of the story breaking abo\ft the worst b\fshfire in A\fstralia’s history, individ\fals were comment - ing on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Flickr with condolences and horrific firsthand acco\fnts. Mainstream media battled to pro - vide comprehensive coverage of the tragedy and incorporated the acco\fnts into their reporting, j\fst as their co\fnterparts aro\fnd the world had done d\fring the M\fmbai massacre and the Iranian elections. Google also created a real-time map with the latest \fp-to-date information abo\ft the fire locations and their stat\fses based on data provided by Victoria’s \bo\fntry Fire A\fthority (\bFA). A\fstralia’s then Prime Minster Kevin R\fdd \fsed his Twitter acco\fnt not only to give messages of hope and sympathy b\ft to tell his 7,000-pl\fs followers how to make cash and blood donations and how to seek emergency government assistance. According to media analysis firm Mediascape, who eval\fated the media coverage, there were more than 18 billion media impressions on the b\fshfires. There were more than 500 gro\fps related to “Black Sat\frday,” the day that the deadly fires’ first hit became known, on Facebook and 400 more related to the b\fshfires. More than 5,000 vid - eos were on Yo\fT\fbe and 18,000 pict\fres on Flickr. The \bFA, which is responsible for fighting the fires in that so\fth- ern state, had p\fblished more than 9,000 messages on Twitter by Febr\fary 9 (j\fst two days after the first fires devastated the pristine Victorian b\fsh). The \bFA also \fsed Yo\fT\fbe to \fpload special briefing messages from \bhief Officer R\fssell Rees and to thank all vol\fnteers and staff d\fring Black Sat\frday and the aftermath. The Victorian government has since anno\fnced plans to \fse social media Web sites like Twitter and Facebook, alongside tradi - tional warning mechanisms, to “improve the q\fality and timeliness of b\fshfire warnings.” A\fstralia ranks in the top 10 co\fntries with the highest n\fmber of Facebook and Twitter \fsers. Indeed this co\fntry with nearly the physical size of the United States, and also with 22 million people, is one of the most networked of all developed co\fntries.

Twitter’s role in those crises and emergencies leaves no do\fbt abo\ft its power as a global, real-time, citizen–jo\frnalist style news wire service. tH e Role o\f med Ia In a C RIsIs 13 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b It also highlights its place as a platform and content generator for tradi- tional media o\ftlets in a crisis, where the immediacy of getting news o\ft fast is the driving factor. That immediacy, that imperative to be first with the news, is as m\fch driving change as the platforms that enable the speed. Twitter (and other social media tools) has “warped” the sense of news reporting. Brian Stelter, media reporter at the ne\b york time s , says that the “heartbeat” is faster online. Fiona Martin, ex-broadcaster and now lect\frer in online media at the University of Sydney, says that m\fch online news is no longer jo\frnalism b\ft “ch\frnalism.” In an interview for the book, Martin cited the example of the venerable AB\b (A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation), which since 1947 has prided itself on the independence and acc\fracy of its news reporting. Now, she says, in order to constantly \fpdate its online and 24-ho\fr television news services, the AB\b has started p\fblishing stories direct from AAP (Agence France Press), and other wire services. AB\b radio jo\frnalists, who once provided the b\flk of daily broadcast \fpdates, “cannot prod\fce eno\fgh news fast eno\fgh” for the Web. * Speed is one thing, credibility of so\frces another. The lifeblood for any reporter, so\frces are fo\fnd everywhere at almost any time b\ft come with varying degrees of credibility—all very critical factors to consider in a crisis. What do we believe? Whom do we tr\fst? The news of Michael Jackson’s death is one recent example and also demonstrates the dichotomy of reporting the big news stories in today’s news-obsessed world. Brian Stelter explains how Michael Jackson was being reported as dead online b\ft alive in the MSM. He says the ne\b york times was criticized for not reporting the death online, with Stelter himself, a voracio\fs commentator and writer on media and pop c\flt\fre, getting lots of negative comments and q\festions on his blog. \belebrity news Web site TMZ reported the pop icon’s death a f\fll ho\fr before it was confirmed on MSM. \bNN was reporting the news in the old-fashioned way—checking and verifying so\frces—and wo\fld not confirm the death \fntil they had heard from official so\frces. The dilemma for news reporters of verifying so\frces vers\fs breaking news is the same dilemma that crisis comm\fnicators and managers face today: what to release when, who to say what, considering the greater expectations for speed, as well as transparency and acc\fracy. * Fiona Martin, A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation (AB\b), interview with a\fthor, A\fg\fst 10, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 14 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Whatever the medi\fm, all jo\frnalists, professional or citizen, will have the same basic q\festions. All crisis stories have three distinct elements: 1. What happened? 2. What does it mean? 3. What sho\fld I think (analysis)? And there will always be plenty of hypothetical \bhat if q\festions asked in a crisis. Jo\frnalists, who always write with their a\fdiences in mind, will also want to know \bhy something happened in the first place. (\borporate America, A\fstralia, and Great Britain, can expect that the media will almost always point the finger at them.) Blame is never far from their minds when lives have been lost or there is some hint of a corporate crime, misdemeanor, or as we have seen with Toyota and BP, very serio\fs and dangero\fs practices. The media—old and new alike—will p\fnish any - one who is perceived to be behaving badly. As we travel farther into this book together we will look at the stages of a crisis and how the media report them. We will also look at the q\festions that are inevitably asked at each of those fo\fr stages and what they mean for spokespeople, messaging, and general crisis com - m\fnication planning. For now, let \fs settle on this: In a crisis, it is the communication that affects the public’s opinion. Also, the news media play a cr\fcial role in the co\frt of p\fblic opinion. They are infl\fential in shaping how comm\fnities act, think, and feel abo\ft an organization’s rep\ftation, its val\fes, and its actions—they can assist yo\f in a crisis. Think abo\ft how yo\f can partner with the media. One thing is for s\fre: Ho\b the media are managed can hurt or help you in a crisis . 15 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 3 \bocial\f Interactive\f and Ever ywhere All the Time Let’s look at some trends that impact how we plan and think abo\ft man - aging the media in a crisis in today’s digital age. • News is social. • News comes from m\fltiple platforms. • Old media are being forced to \fse new media. • Hyperlocal news is on the rise.

News is social, says the “Grand Dame,” Arianna H\fffington, that is, of H\fffington Post fame. Arg\fably one of the most infl\fential people in U.S.

media today, H\fffington says that “we now engage with news, react to news, and share news,” * and we will become increasingly empowered. News is no longer a passive, one-way street in the hands of a few. We own it! It is o\fr conversations, o\fr opinions, and o\fr reactions that determine, to a great extent, the news today. We participate in the news, if not by con - trib\ftion, by sharing and linking. The death of pop icon Michael Jackson and the indiscretions of Tiger Woods showed j\fst how m\fch we care and haggle over opinions. Twitter went into a meltdown when the King of Pop left this earthly plane. The big disasters will also get o\fr attention and drive o\fr comments. Any big brand in tro\fble will be dissected, as we saw with BP, United Airlines, and Dominos. * From Arianna H\fffington’s (H\fffington Post) testimony to the U.S. Senate \bommerce \bomm\fnications S\fbcommittee on the f\ft\fre of jo\frnalism and newspapers, May 5, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 16 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b TODAY’S \fEWS FROM MULTIPLE PLATFORMS Another major trend that crisis comm\fnicators need to consider is how we access o\fr news. It seems we have no loyalty anymore, at least in the United States, where recent research by the Pew Internet and American Life Project st\fdy, showed that a massive 92 percent of Americans use mul- tiple platforms to get their news on a typical day, incl\fding national and local TV, the Internet, local and national newspapers, and radio. According to the Pew st\fdy, Americans say that they “get news from fo\fr to six media platforms on a typical day. J\fst 7 percent get their news from a single media platform on a typical day.” * On the other side of the Pacific, the story seems m\fch the same.

A\fstralians are \fsing vario\fs platforms, often sim\fltaneo\fsly. According to Nielsen’s 2010 Internet and Technology Report, almost half of Internet \fsers (49 percent) s\frveyed m\fltitask television and the Internet at the same time, and 39 percent m\fltitask radio and the Internet. † And despite the rise in Internet \fsage, the traditional media s\fch as TV, newspapers, and radio all saw a rise in cons\fmption. \bons\fmers have choices—there simply has been an explosion of channels, and everything and anything can get rep\fblished, partic\flarly with the ease of access from one channel and platform to another. As Pa\fl Gillin, American writer, speaker, and social media strategist says: “Many people cross-post with Facebook and Twitter. The fire j\fmps the tree line very q\fickly (in a crisis).” ‡ OLD MEDIA PLAY A ROLE I\f THE SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTIO\f: SOCIAL OR LEAVE For the old media, it has become an imperative to be part of the social media revolution . If they are not part of the action, they will miss o\ft. So they follow each other voracio\fsly—it has always been so. The media have always been competitive, b\ft it is more evident today with the speed and acceleration of news. The old media simply cannot afford to miss that breaking news * Pew Research \benter’s Internet and American Life Project Report “Understanding the Participatory News \bons\fmer,” March 1, 2010.

† As q\foted on M\fmbrella, an A\fstralian marketing and media news Web site (mUmBRELLA), http://m\fmbrella.com.a\f/nielsen-traditional-media-cons\fmption-rises- with-the-Internet-19346, March 1, 2010.

‡ Pa\fl Gillin, interview with a\fthor, J\fne 30, 2009. soCIal, Inte RaCtIve, a nd eve Ryw HeRe all t He tIme 17 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b story on Twitter or BNO (Breaking News on Twitter), which has broken n\fmero\fs stories.

One of the Old G\fard has drawn a line in the sand and told its jo\fr - nalists to \fse social media as a primary so\frce—or leave. Peter Horrocks, director of BB\b Global News, said it was important for editorial staff to make better \fse of social media and become more col - laborative in prod\fcing stories. “This isn’t j\fst a kind of fad from someone who’s an enth\fsiast of technology. I’m afraid yo\f’re not doing yo\fr job if yo\f can’t do those things. It’s not discretionary,” * he is q\foted as saying in ariel , the BB\b in-ho\fse weekly newspaper.

\bitizen–jo\frnalists abo\fnd and are increasingly a major force in the news-gathering process. \bNN has its “iReporters,” and the majority of the major mainstream media (MSM) enco\frages some form of jo\frnalist citi - zenry or at least the sharing of their news. For example, one of A\fstralia’s leading daily newspapers, the sydney morning Herald , enco\frages sharing on Facebook from its online version. the wall street Journal has an active Facebook presence, as does the BB\b. Nearly all MSN news Web sites are m\fltimedia, and many have some presence on Twitter. To ill\fstrate j\fst how m\fch the new media is part of the old media is the ne\b york time s interview in May 2010 with Facebook’s p\fblic pol - icy exec\ftive, Elliott Schrage, amid the privacy controversy. The Times crowdso\frced the interview q\festions thro\fgh their original blog post and their Facebook page. They collected ro\fghly 300 q\festions, which they then presented to Schrage. In another interesting, if not alarming trend for crisis managers, the veritable wall street Journal (ws J) now \fses the freq\fency of readers’ daily key-word searches on its Web site as one determinant for f\ft\fre ws J coverage. As E\fgene Donati, a col - leag\fe, remarked to me, it certainly is an interesting concept “dripping with peril” for crisis managers, “with jo\frnalists s\frrendering the role of gatekeeper in this way.” † That is the new reality: a hybrid melting pot of ideas, platforms, chan - nels, and so\frces; technology-enabled savvy news cons\fmers to collabo - rate to prod\fce the news; the old and the new working together. Table 3.1 o\ftlines key differences and similarities between new and old media. * Posted by Mercedes B\fnz, “BB\b Tells News Staff to Embrace Social Media,” PDA: The Digital Media Blog, www.g\fardian.co.\fk, Febr\fary 10, 2010.

† E\fgene Donati, Adj\fnct Professor, New York University, e-mail with a\fthor, September 6, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 18 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Table 3.1 \bomparing Old and New Media Social/\few Media Old/MSM Media Active participants—No control, b\ft infl\fence. Ownership not clear, b\ft the power belongs to the comm\fnity. The reach of key infl\fencers is phenomenal. Passive a\fdience—Yo\f have some control. Media perform the role of gatekeeper. They select and package the news.

Targeted comm\fnication—Target niches. Yo\f are engaging with “real” people. It matters far more what the comm\fnity does with yo\fr content than what yo\f do with yo\fr content. We are all news prod\fcers today. Two-way: M\fltiple conversations occ\fr sim\fltaneo\fsly. Mass comm\fnication—One message fits all. Very linear, very predictable, homogeno\fs as yo\f switch from channel to channel.

One-way: Broadcast.

\bonversation—They talk. Yo\f listen. Yo\f talk. They listen! Dialog\fe as important if not more important than message delivery. One-way comm\fnication—Yo\f talk. They listen (yo\f hope!).

Earn attention and tr\fst—They can leave anytime. Yo\f’d better add val\fe to the conversation. They have choices; they can and do exercise their ability to choose. Demand for hypertransparency. B\fy attention—Yo\fr advertising pays for the media, so they’d better listen! The lack of choice almost forces people to listen.

Easy to \fse, q\fick, affordable, accessible. \ban be time-cons\fming, not easy to navigate, need time to c\fltivate relationships with key reporters.

Everyone’s a jo\frnalist (treat them that way); fewer barriers to access, b\ft many more jo\frnalists to consider when developing relationships. Very reso\frcef\fl. Trained, experienced reporters with areas of specialty/special interest.

Barriers to access.

Available 24/7, no deadlines. Everything happens at lightning speed. Deadline driven: Under increased press\fre to get stories o\ft q\fickly.

Trending to “ch\frnalism.” Very powerf\fl medi\fm to channel emotion, context, and experience.

Potential of bias high. “P\frists” tend to hang in the social media space. Potential for inacc\fracy and r\fmor. Provides independent, third-party view: Newspapers can provide context and offer analysis. Infl\fential newspapers and b\fsiness magazines can provide “moral” a\fthority.

\ban help yo\f organize people based on location, b\fsiness, and interests— trending to hyperlocal and/or hyperspecial interests. Broader reach: Local newspapers reflect and highlight comm\fnity concerns. soCIal, Inte RaCtIve, a nd eve Ryw HeRe all t He tIme 19 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b POWER TO THE PEOPLE: THE RISE OF HYPERLOCAL \fEWS It won’t tell \fs m\fch abo\ft the catastrophe in Haiti, b\ft when a store closes on Lincoln Aven\fe a hyperlocal Web site can be all over it. As far as viable new media models go, for the time being hyperlocalism might be the best one we’ve got. —macmillan dict ionary, Chicago Reader (Jan\fary 2010) From Nova Scotia in \banada to Fitzroy in Melbo\frne, A\fstralia, and from Bakersfield in \balifornia to Devon in the United Kingdom, yo\f will find a thriving and growing band of hyperlocal news sites delivering news and content relevant to small comm\fnities or neighborhoods that have been overlooked by the traditional media. While the b\fsiness models are still evolving, most have jo\frnalists of some kind tracking the school board meetings, local government initia - tives, and even neighborhood sq\fabbles. Sports news is also big. Some are tiny labors of love and read and look more like blogs. Others are more sophisticated with strip and banner ads on the home page. Some are linked to the traditional mainstream newspapers like Yo\frh\fb.com which is part of the denver Post . The best of the online content is typically p\fblished into its reg\flar print p\fblication. Patch is one of the more sophisticated examples. According to the ne\b york times , Patch was conceived and bankrolled by Tim Armstrong from AOL after he fo\fnd a dearth of information online abo\ft where he lives. * Patch has created n\fmero\fs sites for comm\fnities across the United States, incl\fding ones in New Jersey, \balifornia, and New York. Manhattan Beach Patch is one s\fch site with plenty of sports and government news on the home page. † \bollaboration is the name of the game for most hyperlocal sites, and many have great names! One site I love is The People’s Rep\fblic of So\fth Devon in Great Britain. Like many of the hyperlocal sites, they enco\frage participation: “Anyone can join in. In fact we actively enco\fr - age it on o\fr q\fest to take reporting and comm\fnity reporting \fp to the next level (whatever that means).” ‡ Local content and news that wo\fld not otherwise get p\fblished are the lifeblood of the hyperlocal. Their very existence is f\frther evidence of * Henry Blodget, “Tim Armstrong’s ‘Patch’ To \bash In On Death Of Newspapers?” the ne\b york times , http://www.b\fsinessinsider.com/tim-armstrongs-patch-to-cash-in-on-death- of-local-news-2009-2, Febr\fary 22, 2009. † ManhattanBeachPatch, http://manhattanbeach.patch.com, J\fn\fary 14, 2011.‡ The People’s Rep\fblic of So\fth Devon (Great Britain), www.peoplesrep\fblicofso\fthdevon.

co.\fk, May 16, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 20 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b the shift in the media landscape from cons\fmers of news to participants in news. They will only grow more as we the people take back o\fr news, and the big jo\frnalism heavy hitters like the Knight Fo\fndation (www.

kcnn.org) s\fpport citizen news networks.

Hyperlocal news sites are worth noting for crisis media manage - ment beca\fse: • They are staffed and/or owned by professional jo\frnalists, many of whom are ref\fgees from the MSM. • Many are local investigative reporting projects. • They are part of the linked economy—linking to their bigger MSM co\fsins or infl\fential bloggers, incl\fding neighborhood blogs with clo\ft and/or s\fpplement from other so\frces like government. • They care passionately abo\ft what is happening in their local neighborhood.

If yo\f are a b\fsiness with a large comm\fnity presence, s\fch as a com - m\fnity bank, then yo\f need to be participating in the hyperlocal news scene. It is as important as the big, scary MSM when it comes to a crisis, if not more so. MAI\fSTREAM MEDIA ARE STILL A FACTOR The traditional MSM are digitized. They enable sharing and aggregating and enco\frage commentary. So what? Do they still have the power to swing p\fb - lic opinion in a crisis? The answer is yes and no, somewhat b\ft diminishing. As \fs\fal, the statistics tell the story. In the United States, for example, according to the 2010 Pew Internet and American Life Project st\fdies: • 78 percent of Americans say they get their news from a local TV station. • 73 percent get their news from cable stations like \bNN or Fox. • 54 percent listen to radio at home or in the car. • 50 percent say they get their news from their local newspaper.

The report, iss\fed in March 2010, also shows that 61 percent of americans get at least some of their ne\bs online. * * “Understanding the Participatory News \bons\fmer,” Pew Research \benter’s Internet and American Life Project, http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Online-News.aspx, March 1, 2010. soCIal, Inte RaCtIve, a nd eve Ryw HeRe all t He tIme 21 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The problem is that circ\flation of newspapers in most major news mar - kets aro\fnd the world, with the possible exception of India, is in decline and newsrooms are shrinking. Some look like ghost towns. While the statistics above seem to point to the MSM as the main so\frce of news, the reality is that if yo\f are relying on the traditional MSM to get yo\fr message o\ft in a crisis, yo\f will be missing o\ft. I am gratef\fl to Erik Deckers, whose analysis of the Pew 2010 Internet and American Life Project st\fdy amplifies this critical point: While 78% of American citizens may be getting their news from a local TV station, the local TV stations do not have the time to devote more than 1–3 min\ftes to any partic\flar news story. If 50% of the people get their news from a local newspaper, 50% are not.

54% of the people listen to the news on the radio, b\ft we don’t know if it’s national or local, NPR, or conservative. * The bottom line is that if yo\f are relying on the traditional MSM to reach as many people as possible in a crisis, then yo\f are, to q\fote Deckers, “missing \fp to half of yo\fr a\fdience and yo\f are not getting eno\fgh time devoted to yo\fr story.” In a sit\fation like the H1N1 vir\fs, Decker says, “Yo\f need more than 1 to 3 min\ftes devoted to the iss\fe, and all the facts that people need to know.” † Yo\f will need more than the traditional media release and news conference to get yo\fr message o\ft q\fickly to all the affected stakeholders. Simple fact: Yo\f need social media to help yo\f reach them—and fast. * Erik Deckers, Crisis Communication and soci al medi a for gove rnment Crisis Communicators (E-book: http://problogservice.com/crisis_comm\fnication_ebook/Social%20Media%20 and%20\brisis%20\bomm\fnication%20for%20Government%20\bomm\fnicators.pdf), 2010, p. 5. † Ibid. 23 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 4 \bocial Media’s Role in Crisis There is news, there is insight, and then there is Twitter.

It’s my feed to the second by second p\flse of life. * Social media tools are shaping how crises are comm\fnicated, and social media tools are shaping the way the media report news. The new and accessible comm\fnication platforms and technologies, s\fch as blogs, social networking sites, Really Simply Syndication (RSS) feeds, and other formats, have had a dramatic effect on the collection and dissemination of news, partic\flarly in a crisis.Professional jo\frnalists—new and old alike—are \fsing Twitter to enhance and a\fgment traditional reporting practices. It is another tool in their kit, and many jo\frnalists, like A\fstralian radio prod\fcer Andrew Davies with the A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation, are now logged on to Twitter thro\fgho\ft their working day. “I try and start my day by look - ing at what people are saying and talking abo\ft on Twitter,” he said. “I love being able to read all the fantastic links to interesting Web sites, ideas, and news that people have sent o\ft.” † Davies’s daily habits are echoed by many of the jo\frnalists I interviewed and researched for this book. Danny Shea, media writer with the highly infl\fential H\fffington Post, says that he gets the news faster and more * Posted by Jemima Kiss, “What Do Yo\f Use Twitter For?” PDA: The Digital Media Blog, www.g\fardian.co.\fk, Febr\fary 23, 2009. See the following—@j\fliansa\fnders: “There is news, there is insight, there is opinion, and then there is Twitter. It’s my feed to the second by second p\flse of life.” † Posted by J\flie Posetti, “How Jo\frnalists Are Using Twitter,” MediaShift Blog, www.pbs.

org/mediashift, May 27, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 24 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b efficiently with the microblogging site Twitter. Danny checks Twitter first thing in the morning and several times a day. Brian Stelter, media reporter at the ne\b york times , checks his Twitter acco\fnt every 20 to 30 min\ftes. Jo\frnalists have become heavily reliant on social media tools. Acco - rding to a s\frvey in September 2009 from Middleberg \bomm\fnications and the Society for New \bomm\fnications Research, the \fse of social media tools among jo\frnalists has increased significantly. * In j\fst one year their \fse of social media networks to assist in reporting has increased almost 30 percent, \fp to 70 percent from 41 percent in the previo\fs year. And a whop - ping 90 percent agree that social media are enhancing jo\frnalism. They \fse blogs to keep \fp to date with their beats, they \fse their Twitter followers for story ideas and chasing down leads and so\frces, and almost 40 percent say they visit a social media site once a week for research. Blogs are pop\flar as is Wikipedia, and jo\frnalists’ \fse of online vid - eos has do\fbled. RSS feeds are also pop\flar, with almost 20 percent of jo\frnalists receiving five or more feeds every week, and a f\frther 44 per - cent receiving at least one reg\flar RSS feed. As Jeremy Porter says on the Jo\frnalistics Blog, “Jo\frnalists have no choice b\ft to \fse these tools to find so\frces fast (an instant), crowdso\frce s\fggestions, tips, and interviews.” † Two jo\frnalists I spoke with, saw Twitter as the new police scanner. Many newsrooms had police scanners and moni - tored the networks to ascertain what stories to cover—the scanner was a so\frce for news. Now it is Twitter acting as a siren for reporters. Twitter became big news once jo\frnalists realized its power as a tool for breaking stories d\fring the M\fmbai, India, massacre in 2008. In the aftermath of the microblogging platform hitting the headlines, there was an explosion of professional jo\frnalists in the Twittersphere. J\flie Posetti, who has been st\fdying the shift, says: This growth has been f\feled by increasing mainstream awareness of the importance of social media to the f\ft\fre of a crisis-ridden ind\fstry and the elevation of Twitter as a platform for news dissemination, citizen jo\frnalism, and a\fdience interaction. ‡ * “2nd Ann\fal Middleberg/SN\bR S\frvey of Media in the Wired World,” Middleberg \bomm\fnications and the Society for New \bomm\fnications (S\bNR), http://sncr.

org/2010/02/19/jo\fr nalists-\fse-of-social-media-is-s\frgi ng-accordi ng-to-2nd-an n\fal- middlebergsncr-s\frvey-of-media-in-the-wired-world/, Febr\fary 19, 2010.

† Posted by Jeremy Porter, “70 Percent of Jo\frnalists Use Social Networks to Assist in Reporting,” Jo\frnalistics Blog, http://blog.jo\frnalistics.com/2009/70-percent-of-jo\frnal - ists-\fse-social-networks-to-assist-in-reporting/, September 23, 2009.

‡ Posted by J\flie Posetti, “How Jo\frnalists Are Using Twitter,” MediaShift Blog, www.pbs.

org/mediashift, May 27, 2009. soCIal med Ia’s R ole In C RIsIs 25 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The platform was \fsed extensively d\fring the deadly A\fstralian b\fshfires in the State of Victoria in Febr\fary 2009 when mainstream media (MSM) incorporated Twitter into their coverage. The A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation, where Posetti \fsed to work, was partic\flarly impressive in its \fse of Twitter. Leigh Sales, anchor of the corporation’s respected nightly news program lateline , told Posetti: “I’m giving Twitter a red-hot go.” * So too are most MSM media jo\frnalists.

Posetti says that she is convinced that Twitter is now a “vital jo\frnal - istic tool for both reporting events and breaking down barriers between legacy media and its a\fdiences.” † Jo\frnalists are \fsing the platform to “broadcast” links to content they or their news o\ftlets have prod\fced in an effort to b\fild a new a\fdience. She comments that Twitter is also \fsed as a live reporting platform by a few and some share images, a\fdio, and links to “other online content they find interesting.” ‡ Many are \fsing social media to cro\bdsource: to find so\frces and con - tacts for stories, story angles, backgro\fnd, and case st\fdies. J\flio Ojeda- Zapata, cons\fmer technology reporter and col\fmnist for the st. Paul Pioneer Press , says that Twitter is an “inval\fable fire hose of information.” § He val\fes the \fse of hash tags for following the thread of a story, critical in a crisis. For example: #BP oil spill, #Tiger Woods, or #Red \bross. The majority of the jo\frnalists I spoke with echoed the findings of the vario\fs research, saying that they \fse the company Web site or blog in a crisis. \bhris O’Brien of the san Jose merc ury ne\bs was partic\flarly impressed with Google’s response when their Gmail site went down.

They had a statement \fp in 15 min\ftes. That is evidence, he says, of the s\fperaccelerated world we live and work in. ¶ Brian Stelter, media reporter at the ne\b york time s , was “amazed” at how q\fickly the story of the airplane landing on the H\fdson \fnfolded and how q\fickly Mayor Bloomberg held a news conference. ** Others, nota - bly Martin and O’Brien, said they wo\fld a\ftomatically go to Facebook in a big story to see what stories were emerging and what information they co\fld ferret o\ft. * Posted by J\flie Posetti, “How Jo\frnalists Are Using Twitter,” MediaShift Blog, www.pbs.

org/mediashift, May 27, 2009.

† Posted by J\flie Posetti, “R\fles of Engagement on Twitter,” MediaShift Blog, www.pbs.

org/mediashift, J\fne 19, 2009.

‡ Ibid.§ J\flio Ojeda-Zapata, st. Paul Pioneer Press , interview with a\fthor, A\fg\fst 28, 2009. ¶ \bhris O’Brien, san Jose merc ury ne\bs , interview with a\fthor, September 4, 2009. ** Brain Stelter, the ne\b york time s , interview with a\fthor, J\fly 17, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 26 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Blogs and bloggers were also seen as “very infl\fential” and have had a tremendo\fs impact on news. They can drill down m\fch farther, they can “own” a story, and they can be obsessive. The 2010 P\fblic Relations Ind\fstry Research Report of United Kingdom p\fblic rela - tions cons\fltants showed that digital media of one sort or another played a key role in igniting crises, with bloggers being the most com - mon ca\fse. * J\fst as yo\f wo\fld be monitoring the trending topics on Twitter, setting \fp Google Alerts, or having a good old-fashioned media morning with real- time reports, so are the jo\frnalists themselves. Everyone is searching and looking at each other. “While I’m looking in this mirror, I see that yo\f are looking at me.” What will they see? What will they report? Have they con - nected with a range of disgr\fntled people on Twitter? What’s on Facebook; what’s on LinkedIn? What will the media find on yo\fr Web site? Face the facts: Social media are not going anywhere anytime soon.

The media landscape has changed forever, so to q\fote “Dame” Arianna H\fffington, “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” † * Dynamic Markets Limited, “P\fblic Relations in a Dynamic Era Independent Report,” April 2010, p. 3.

† From Arianna H\fffington’s (H\fffington Post) testimony to the U.S. Senate \bommerce \bomm\fnications S\fbcommittee on the f\ft\fre of jo\frnalism and newspapers, May 5, 2010. 27 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 5 Media Ethics: What Drives Traditional Media Behavior? I am constantly asked by clients in crisis media training sessions abo\ft jo\frnalistic ethics. Most people characterize those in the profession as either cynical dirtbags or opport\fnists who will do almost anything to get a story, and they q\festion whether jo\frnalists have any ethics at all.

In a crisis, people see jo\frnalists as invading personal privacy, over - stepping the bo\fndaries of decent h\fman behavior. They see victims being exploited. Q\fite often the people whose stories bring \fs—the view - ers, readers, and listeners—the h\fman face of the crisis feel exploited, that they have had a rotten experience with the media. However, others are thankf\fl that their stories may help p\ft the bad boys behind bars. So, what drives jo\frnalistic behavior? Are there norms, ethics, and codes that they work by? Jo\frnalists have long claimed to be the watchdogs for democracy.

They will be hypercritical and skeptical; they will point o\ft flaws in order to protect society. Kirsten Mogensen, associate professor at Roskilde University , Denmark, whom I interviewed for this book, says that it wo\fld be a mistake to \fnderestimate that role when dealing with jo\frnalists. Mogensen, a visiting scholar at Stanford University at the time of o\fr interview, is an ex-broadcast and print jo\frnalist and has st\fdied the norms of jo\frnalists for many years. She strongly advocates that jo\frnal - ists are driven by democratic and h\fman rights val\fes. As Mogensen stated, “Several st\fdies have s\fggested that leading jo\fr - nalists across different types of news media in elective democracies have tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 28 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b similar norms and val\fes in relation to their role as jo\frnalists.” * Mogensen arg\fes that we need good, reliable information (from jo\frnalists) as a basis for o\fr actions (in a democratic society). We need to know we can tr\fst that basic democratic rights and norms are being \fpheld. She and others strongly believe that as the American jo\frnalistic code says, “P\fblic enlightenment is the forer\fnner of j\fstice and the fo\fndation of democracy.” † Those norms that \fnderpin the reporting of professional jo\frnalists, as opposed to “shock jocks” (more likely to be paid personalities than trained reporters), are very similar aro\fnd the world. The codes of ethics, which g\fide their mod\fs operandi, are dominated by phrases like seek truth, scrutinize po\ber , defend free speech , protect confidential sources , and freedom of expression . ‡ The International Federation of Jo\frnalists, which represents 600,000 jo\frnalists in 200 co\fntries, promotes “h\fman rights, democracy and pl\fralism.” § This principle is the very \fnderpinning of professional jo\fr - nalistic reporting. Lofty ideals yo\f might say, b\ft what abo\ft day-to-day jo\frnalism?

\bertainly jo\frnalists want to get the best story, the hot story, the story that might get them a raise, earn them an award, or garner them recogni - tion by their peers. Editors and exec\ftive prod\fcers want to beat their competitors; there are ratings to consider. And in a crisis, they know ratings will spike, cir - c\flation will go \fp. \brises and disasters are big news. The media are very motivated to get the best coverage they can. Sometimes this means that they will pool reso\frces and agree to cer - tain types of coverage in the interest of protecting the ideals of democracy and h\fman rights, as was the case with many recent disasters like 9/11, where jo\frnalists saw that they really co\fld act in the p\fblic interest. In an ac\fte state of crisis, like 9/11, deadly b\fshfires, or devastating earthq\fakes, the media, says Mogensen, act like a form of “first aid” that wo\fld normally be \fnacceptable. The media feel it is their d\fty to serve society d\fring a crisis. B\ft never \fnderestimate the basic motivation of most jo\frnalists in a crisis—to get to the bottom of an iss\fe, a crisis, and find o\ft what really happened and \bho has responsibility and can be blamed. As the \banadian, A\fstralian, * Kirsten Mogensen (Associate Professor, Rodkilde University, Denmark), interview with a\fthor, May 5, 2010.

† Ibid.‡ Society of Professional Jo\frnalists, www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp. (Retrieved Jan\fary 14, 2011.)§ International Federation of Jo\frnalists, www.ifj.org/en/pages/abo\ft-ifj. (Retrieved Jan\fary 14, 2011.) med Ia etHIC s: wH at dR I ves tR ad ItIona l med Ia Be Hav IoR? 29 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b and British codes all s\fggest, jo\frnalists are motivated to make the world a better place, and they fiercely defend their right to adhere to this lofty principle.

So, yo\f can expect jo\frnalists to be dogged in their search for the tr\fth, partic\flarly if they think there has been wrongdoing. They will work (on society’s behalf) to expose and investigate ab\fses of power and protect the p\fblic’s health and safety in as many ways as they can, and sometimes this may lead to overexpos\fre of the horror that they have witnessed firsthand. 31 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 6 Twitter: Is It a Fad or the “8 - Bazillion Pound Gorilla?” Twitter is q\fickly becoming the lens into all that moves \fs as individ\fals and also as a global society. * OVERVIEW A few weeks ago, when it was safe and sane to go for dinner in the mid - dle of Bangkok, some colleag\fes and I were in the middle of dinner at a Japanese resta\frant when a lo\fd boom was heard in the distance. All three of \fs reached immediately for o\fr BlackBerries. A year ago, we might have e-mailed o\fr editors to see what the news wires were reporting, or checked a television set for an \fpdate. B\ft in Thailand’s fast-moving and violent political crisis, there was no time to wait for those “old media” to tell \fs what was going on. What we needed to know was: What were people tweeting? † This acco\fnt from Mark MacKinnon, which appeared in the globe and mail, really says it all. This is the new reality in crisis media management. * Posted by Brian Solis, “I Tweet Therefore I Am,” BrianSolis Blog, www.brainsolis.com, May 14, 2010.

† Mark MacKinnon, “Twitter’s Role in Bangkok \bonflict Unprecedented,” Bangkok—From saturday’s glob e and mail (the globe and mail), www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world, May 21, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 32 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b We have seen in previo\fs chapters how m\fch the mainstream media are \fsing Twitter when reporting a crisis. The microblog is a power - f\fl, real-time reporting tool for citizen–jo\frnalists, first responders, and organizations alike. It has become the online circ\flatory system for news, p\fmping information between media organizations, cons\fmers, and b\fsinesses thro\fgho\ft the world. Twitter, like its social-networking co\fsins, is all-pervasive. As Brian Solis, a globally recognized digital analyst, sociologist, and f\ft\frist, says, social media is “an extension of who we are.” These sites form “val\fable social h\fbs that connect people,” * and we see this time and time again in a crisis: from M\fmbai to Iran, A\fstralia to Haiti, and \bhina to Bangkok; not to mention the Icelandic volcano er\fption, the disastro\fs oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico, Tiger Woods’s dirty little scandal, and Toyota’s recall woes. Indeed, Twitter has proven to be a significant player in incident media. B\ft Twitter has its detractors, who q\festion its long-term fea - sibility. Is it a fad, as many still claim, or will it gain f\frther strength and stability and become the mainstay for emergency and crisis com - m\fnication? Will it become the motherboard on a comp\fter, the gateway for stat\fs \fpdates across all social media platforms, with entire teams in corporations devoted to tweeting, as some f\ft\frists and technology p\fndits predict? Will it grow to the size, stat\fre, and omnipresence of an “8-bazillion po\fnd gorilla,” † to coin b\fsiness comm\fnicator and lead - ing social media commentator Shel Holtz? Or will it go the way of once pop\flar sites s\fch as Second Life, as technology analyst firms s\fch as Gartner have s\fggested? In this chapter, we will f\frther explore Twitter and see what we can learn from its history and, more importantly, how, when, and by whom it is being \fsed in a crisis.

BACK\bROU\fD For anyone who has not yet been exposed to Twitter, we’d better not get ahead of o\frselves with some enticing case st\fdies witho\ft a proper definition.

* Posted by Brian Solis, “We Are the \bhampions,” BrianSolis Blog, www.briansolis.com, May 27, 2010.

† Shel Holtz, “\bomm\fnication Applications from \brisis \bomm\fnication and Social Media,” Webinar: Lect\fre Three, http://www.shelholtzwebinars.com, May 4, 2009. twItte R: Is It a \fad o R tHe “8- Baz IllIon Pou nd goRIlla ?” 33 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Twitter’s home page, at the time of this writing (2010), describes itself as follows:

Twitter is a rich so\frce of instant information. Stay \fpdated. Keep others \fpdated. It’s a whole thing. * Wikipedia defines t\bitter as follows: A social networking and microblogging service that enables its \fsers to send and read messages known as t\beets. Tweets are text-based posts of \fp to 140 characters displayed on the a\fthor’s profile page and deliv - ered to the a\fthor’s s\fbscribers who are known as follo\bers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by defa\flt, allow open access. † To me, Twitter is part library, part news service, and part gossip—a modern-day town crier. Others have called it the Post-it note of social net- \borks . At the very minim\fm, Twitter is a barometer for fascination, ed\fca - tion, and obsession. It is real-time, so in a crisis, raw emotion is as freq\fent as real news. Twitter information will always be someone’s perception of what they witnessed, what they have seen, what they have experienced. It is the voice of the people. Twitter began its life in 2006 as a res\flt of an attempt to break a cre - ative sl\fmp in a brainstorming session. Q\fite the brain wave! According to Wikipedia, ‡ American software architect and b\fsi - nessman Jack Dorsey introd\fced the idea of an individ\fal \fsing a Short Message Service (SMS) to comm\fnicate with a small gro\fp. Dorsey and software engineer Biz Stone decided that SMS text s\fited the stat\fs mes - sage idea and b\filt a prototype of Twitter in abo\ft two weeks. Investor and entreprene\fr Evan Williams, formerly of Google, joined the creative pair, and Twitter was on its way to making history. Its growth and overall awareness have been staggering. At the time of writing, Twitter had more than 105 million registered acco\fnts with the average age of \fsers hovering aro\fnd 39. While Facebook has more registered \fsers (500 million and co\fnting at the time of writing), the * Twitter Home Page, www.twitter.com, May 15, 2010.† Wikipedia, “Twitter,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter, May 15, 2010.‡ Mark Glaser, “Twitter Fo\fnders Thrive on Micro-Blogging \bonstraints,” P\fblic Broadcasting Service (PBS), http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/05/twitter-fo\fnders- thrive-on-micro-blogging-constraints137.html, May 17, 2007. (Retrieved November 5, 2008.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 34 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b pop\flar microblog is catching \fp in terms of awareness. According to the American research firm, Edison Research, Twitter’s awareness exploded from 5 percent in 2008 to 26 percent in 2009 to near \fbiq\fity at 87 percent in 2010, only 1 percentage point less than Facebook. * While growth has slowed, after increases of \fp to 1382 percent in one year (2008–2009), Twitter’s power is \fndeniable. It is a sign of mainstream acceptance when “Lord” Google comes a-co\frting, in this case with dol - lars. According to Brian Solis, Google paid to receive the f\fll real-time Twitter “fire hose” in December 2009, with feeds in 40 lang\fages and a linking feat\fre to help \fsers find the most relevant content shared. † The n\fmbers tell the story and show the growing trend of searching within networks (no do\fbt one reason why Google is taking real-time feeds from Twitter). In May 2010, Twitter was predicting that it wo\fld reach a billion searches per day! POI\fTLESS BABBLE: A CRITIC’S TAKE While Twitter has many fans, there are many who still q\festion its feasibil - ity for long-term \fse and infl\fence. In its September 2009 cover story, the Ragan Report claimed that “comm\fnicators think it’s a fad.” ‡ Their case:

Users are tired of the pointless babble, s\fch as “I’m eating a ham sand - wich,” says Gerald Baron in his September 28, 2009, \brisisblogger entry, “Where Does Twitter Go from Here?” § Ragan and PollStream polled pro - fessional comm\fnicators and fo\fnd that 54 percent of responders claim that it will platea\f. Of those polled, 40 percent do not have a microblog - ging plan, for reasons s\fch as “fearf\fl managers, lack of time and staff, or simply not believing it wo\fld benefit the company.” ¶ Gerard Bra\fd, crisis comm\fnication expert, points o\ft three of Twitter’s key shortcomings. For one, at the time of o\fr interview in late * Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and M\fltimedia Series, “Twitter Usage in America:

2010 Report,” April 29, 2010.

† Posted by Brian Solis, “The State and F\ft\fre of Twitter 2010: Part Three,” BrianSolis Blog, http://www.briansolis.com/2010/04/the-state-and-f\ft\fre-of-twitter-2010-part-three, April 23, 2010.

‡ Lindsey Miller, “Is Twitter J\fst a Fad? \borporate \bomm\fnicators Say ‘Yes,’” the Ragan Report , September 2009, pp. 17–18. (Note: This article is based on an IE Twitter poll con - d\fcted by Ragan \bomm\fnications and PollStream.) § Posted by Gerald Baron, “Where Does Twitter Go from Here?” \brisisblogger Blog, www.

crisisblogger.com, September 28, 2009.

¶ Lindsey Miller, “Is Twitter J\fst a Fad? \borporate \bomm\fnicators Say ‘Yes,’” the Ragan Report , September 2009, pp. 17–18. (Note: This article is based on an IE Twitter poll con - d\fcted by Ragan \bomm\fnications and PollStream.) twItte R: Is It a \fad o R tHe “8- Baz IllIon Pou nd goRIlla ?” 35 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 2009, Bra\fd thinks that Twitter fits the “shiny new object syndrome.” * Users are excited by its novelty, b\ft will soon p\fsh it aside for the next great thing. Next, he q\festions its viability as an ongoing comm\fnication tool beca\fse of the time it takes to monitor Twitter. Yo\f can only s\fccessf\flly monitor and \fpdate if yo\f have the “l\fx\fry of warm bodies,” † he said. Finally, Bra\fd is concerned abo\ft Twitter’s stability. It can be easily overloaded: The fl\frry of tweets s\frro\fnding Michael Jackson’s death bro\fght Twitter to its knees.

In s\fch cases, \fsing Twitter as yo\fr main comm\fnication vehicle is like relying on cell phones: convenient, yes, b\ft when the networks are over - loaded and do not work in a crisis? Fr\fstrating and potentially disastro\fs. My 20-something da\fghter, in addition, does not \fnderstand how Twitter can match the power of connection and growing infl\fence of Facebook. She cites the recent Facebook fan cl\fb activity that has advo - cated s\fccessf\flly for the res\frrection of Hey Hey saturday , a very pop\flar A\fstralian TV variety show from the 1990s. Facebook’s power is that peo - ple, once powerless individ\fals, can \fnite to become a force that compels an organization—in this case a TV network—to act in their best interest.

Does Twitter, for all of its benefits, have this power? she q\festions. SAVI\f\b LIVES, SAVI\f\b REPUTATIO\fS Never before has a social media website played the kind of role in a con - flict that Twitter has played in Thailand’s nine-week-old anti-government \fprising, keeping people informed even as it amplified the hate on both sides of the co\fntry’s divide. Some say Twitter—or rather its \fsers—may have even saved lives as fighting cons\fmed the streets of Bangkok. ‡ —mark mackinn on, The Globe and Mail, may 21, 2010 Debate abo\ft Twitter’s f\ft\fre remains; however, one thing is certain: the absol\fte need to incl\fde Twitter into yo\fr monitoring and listening plan for both iss\fes and crisis management.

Here, its infl\fence is ill\fstrated in the 2010 Thailand riots. The pat - terns of coverage were similar in the Haitian earthq\fake, the elections in Iran, and the deadly b\fshfires in A\fstralia in Febr\fary 2009. \bitizen– jo\frnalists, concerned bystanders, the inj\fred and h\frt, mainstream * Gerard Bra\fd, interview with a\fthor, J\fly 9, 2009.† Ibid.‡ Mark MacKinnon, “Twitter’s Role in Bangkok \bonflict Unprecedented,” Bangkok—From saturday’s glob e and mail (the globe and mail), www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world, May 21, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 36 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b reporters, first responders, protesters, government agencies, and relief workers all tweeted, becoming, to paraphrase London-based jo\frnalist Andrew Spooner, o\fr own news wire service, breaking stories and events instantly. * For emergency responders and relief organizations, Twitter has become an essential tool in crisis media management. American Red \bross, for example, has \fsed the micromessaging blog to get information o\ft ever since the \balifornia wildfires in 2007. Since H\frricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which had more than 12,000 followers at the time of writing, has also effectively \fsed Twitter. The organization has held news conferences with Director David Pa\flison on the site with a f\fll transcript and a\fdio/ video from the session posted online. FEMA has also been smart to real - ize Twitter’s leveraging power. For example, d\fring the Bo\flder, \bolorado, wildfires in early 2009, one of the most active tweeters was a grad\fate st\f - dent doing extensive individ\fal research. FEMA worked with the st\fdent to engage and interact with her network of followers to amplify messages abo\ft the federal response to the fires. Probably the best and most consistent example of how organizations effectively \fse Twitter in a crisis is the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). M\fch has been written abo\ft its early adoption of Twitter, which it has \fsed almost since inception. The department has m\fltiple acco\fnts b\ft \fses its main page (@LAFD) to foc\fs on breaking news stories, alerts, and advisories. As of May 2010, @LAFD had nearly 8,000 followers and even higher spikes d\fring emergency sit\fations. Like many responsible for managing emergency comm\fnication, LAFD’s goal is to keep people from being c\ft off from information in a crisis like they were d\fring H\frricane Katrina. Keith H\fmphrey, LAFD’s p\fblic service officer, explains that the people ho\fsed at the S\fperdome d\fring the disaster “were darn h\fngry. They were darn thirsty, b\ft they were not dying from h\fnger or thirst. What they were dying from a little bit at a time was a lack of information. We were dying from a lack of infor - mation as well. We didn’t know what was going on. It was a two-way lack of conversing.” † * Andrew Spooner, cited in “Twitter’s Role in Bangkok \bonflict Unprecedented,” UpdatedNews, http://\fpdatednews.ca/?p=20734, May 22, 2010.

† Hilton \bollins (LAFD), “Emergency Managers and First Responders Use Twitter and Facebook to Update \bomm\fnities,” www.emergencymgmt.com/safety/, J\fly 27, 2009. twItte R: Is It a \fad o R tHe “8- Baz IllIon Pou nd goRIlla ?” 37 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Twitter can also help control r\fmors and misinformation that co\fld, if left \fnto\fched, p\ft yo\fr rep\ftation at risk. Take the example of the U.S. Air Force. According to Government 2.0 \bl\fb, an American organiza - tion that leverages social media to improve government, a witness falsely reported a crash of an Air Force \b-17; b\ft moments thereafter, the story was appearing as breaking news on \bNN. Within 17 min\ftes, the Air Force \fsed Twitter to co\fnter the reports, res\flting in \bNN’s retraction of the story less than an ho\fr later. The Air Force’s ability to respond was phenomenal in that they immediately took control of the r\fmor at light - ning speed. * UK High Court Serves First Writ on \fwitter Twitter’s legitimacy has gone beyon\f the corri\fors of power to the hallowe\f halls of j\bstice. High co\br ts have been getting in on the action, too. In late 2009, Britain’s High Co\br t or\fere\f its first inj\bnction via Twitter. Accor\fing to Re\bters UK , the High Co\br t \fi\f so as that “was the best way to reach an anonymo\bs Tweeter who ha\f been impersonating someone.” Solicitors from Griffin Law so\bght the inj\bnction against @blaneysblarney, arg\bing that it was impersonating right- wing blogger Donal Blaney. (Inci\fentally, when I searche\f for that Twitter han\fle, there was no one of that name in the res\blts. The inj\bnction obvio\bsly worke\f!) As Re\bters wrote, “the legal first co\bl\f have wi\fesprea\f implications for blogosphere.” Twitter has recog - nize\f the iss\be, however, an\f la\bnche\f a system to verify the a\bthenticity of tweets. For example, Bill Gates, Presi\fent Obama, an\f the Dalai Lama all have “verifie\f” acco\bnts, marke\f by a bl\be tick on their home pages. † BREAKI\f\b \fEWS: TWITTER A\fD THE MEDIA As seen in \bhapter 3, Twitter has also transformed the media, making the traditional mainstream stations and p\fblications virt\fally reliant on its \fsers and technology. With millions of eyes and ears armed with Flip cameras, netbooks, and smartphones, tweeters can disseminate informa - tion faster with their eyewitness acco\fnts than any newsroom has ever had the ability to do. News o\ftlets have responded to this trend by incorporating Twitter in their broadcasts. Fox News reg\flarly reaches o\ft to its viewers for instant \fpdates d\fring severe weather conditions. \bNN c\fltivates, actively enco\fr - ages, and reg\flarly incorporates Twitter feeds into news stories as eyewit - ness acco\fnts. Instead of reaching for the phone or sending news crews * Posted by “lkthrockclose” (Lisa Throckmorton), “Twitter in \brisis \bomm\fnications with the Air Force,” Government 2.0 \bl\fb Blog, www.government20cl\fb.org, March 28, 2009.

† Matthew Jones, “UK High \bo\frt Serves First Writ on Twitter,” Re\fters, http://www.

re\fters.com/article/idUSTRE5904H\b20091001, posted 5:29 PM EDT, October 1, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 38 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b to the scene, the network receives instant news, images, and video from viewers via their mobile Twitter acco\fnts. What a boom for mainstream media, as they str\fggle with dwindling a\fdiences, to have s\fch connec - tions to their viewers, not to mention the leads and so\frces. The media can cherry-pick their way thro\fgh the information, partic\flarly if they have a large following like \bNN. (At the time of writing, \bNN had more than a million followers; BB\b more than 400,000; and Fox News over 200,000.) Probably the most famo\fs breaking news story on Twitter was US Airways’ mirac\flo\fs H\fdson River landing on Jan\fary 15, 2009. Broken on TwitPic by US Airways passenger Janis Kl\fm, the news of the incident was reported all over Twitter before any mainstream news o\ftlet even knew abo\ft it. By the time the TwitPic server crashed from a s\frge of \fsers trying to access the photo, more than 7,000 people had seen it and many had copied it on their blogs or distrib\fted it thro\fgh many other channels, incl\fding mainstream media. As I am writing, millions of people are tweeting madly abo\ft BP and the massive oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico. H\fgh Hefner (of Playboy fame) tweets, “Man can walk on the moon b\ft can’t fix an oil spill destroying the environment? What the f…!” * Indeed! THE POWER OF 140 CHARACTERS For crisis comm\fnicators, Twitter and its principle of short, instantaneo\fs \fpdates has tremendo\fs strengths and depth as a tool to q\fickly dissemi - nate news, messages, and information. It’s hard to dismiss Twitter’s flex - ibility and speed in a crisis. Yo\f can \fpdate freq\fently, yo\f can make short anno\fncements that link to more in-depth information, and yo\f can answer q\festions and get immediate feedback. These are cr\fcial attrib\ftes in a crisis when people want to see and hear that yo\f are engaged and, more importantly, doing something q\fickly abo\ft the problem. \brisis p\fndits, jo\frnalists, and I all agree: there is no faster channel than Twitter to get a message to yo\fr a\fdiences. Twitter also offers the capacity for, and nearly req\fires, a\fthentic - ity and transparency—both vital ingredients for a well-managed crisis.

People respond well to gen\fine emotion, a\fthentic tone, and immediate dialog\fe—and the format and tone \fsed in Twitter-talk req\fire all of these components. It’s for this reason that many governments and state and fed - eral organizations aro\fnd the world have officially adopted Twitter into * t\bitter post by: H\fgh Hefner, May 2010. twItte R: Is It a \fad o R tHe “8- Baz IllIon Pou nd goRIlla ?” 39 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b their emergency management programs. For example, the former Prime Minister Kevin R\fdd \fsed Twitter extensively d\fring the devastating b\fshfires in Victoria, A\fstralia, to express his s\fpport, to extend condo - lences, and to tell affected people where and how to access government assistance. RULES OF E\f\bA\bEME\fT We can no longer ignore or minimize the changes \fnfolding before \fs.

Everything begins witho\ft f\flly knowing what to do, why it’s important and whether or not we’re doing everything the right way. B\ft it is in the process of engagement that we learn and mat\fre. * —Brian solis, “ we are t he Champions,” may 27 , 2010 Hopef\flly, these examples will have demonstrated the compelling rea - sons for \fsing Twitter in a crisis. As a comm\fnicator for yo\fr organiza - tion or brand, if yo\f are not \fsing Twitter, yo\f are likely being ignored by a h\fge contingency of yo\fr a\fdience. Today, cons\fmers and mainstream media are heavily reliant on the microblog for their news and informa - tion. Nothing is hidden from Twitter. And when the online conversation is abo\ft yo\f, not only do yo\f want to be part of it, b\ft yo\f want to serve as the “official” Twitter voice of yo\fr brand. Now, we m\fst look at exactly how to incorporate this tool in yo\fr cri - sis media strategy. Remember the good old days when we \fsed templates for o\fr crisis media releases and stand-by statements so that they co\fld move q\fickly? It is act\fally j\fst the same in Twitterville. Apply that same principle to Twitter (and other social media). Not only will it save yo\f val\fable time (and yo\f need that in today’s lightning-fast age of comm\f - nication), b\ft it lets management know that yo\f are prepared to operate in that space d\fring a crisis. The words that yo\f \fse will be similar to what yo\f have \fsed in the old days—j\fst red\fced to 140 characters. For example: Aware of incident XXX. More information as soon as possible. Follow @ XYZ for latest news and \fpdates. (104 characters) If yo\f’re not yet Twitter-fl\fent, my advice is to do whatever it takes to get \fp to speed with the tool, immediately. Make s\fre that Twitter (and * Posted by Brian Solis, “We Are the \bhampions,” BrianSolis Blog, www.briansolis.com, May 27, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 40 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b other key social networks like Facebook) is part of yo\fr drills, exercises, and crisis media training, and explain to the exec\ftive team how it can and will all work in a crisis. Give them examples that ill\fstrate the power of these tools, s\fch as showing them the n\fmber of tweets there were in the first 24 ho\frs of Domino’s Pizza’s online drama with its two rog\fe employees, the BP oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico, the Toyota recall, or the Icelandic volcano er\fption (in Box  6.1 yo\f will see j\fst how the airlines \fsed Twitter to get their messages o\ft in that crisis). Whatever yo\fr ind\fstry, a variety of inci - dents can serve as excellent examples of Twitter’s power and infl\fence. Yo\f m\fst also decide far in advance of a crisis how and when the technology will be \ftilized, as well as who will serve as the official Twitter “voice.” When an incident occ\frs, yo\f have precio\fs moments to act, and these decisions m\fst be made ahead of time. Twitter is a powerf\fl news channel, sometimes a m\fch-needed co\fn - selor and s\fpport as we saw in the deadly b\fshfires in the A\fstralia, and a direct comm\fnication link between organizations and their a\fdi - ences. It also empowers individ\fals when others want to silence those voices. We saw this power magnificently and bravely represented in the Iranian elections. Time will tell whether Twitter does indeed become the 8-bazillion- po\fnd gorilla of crisis comm\fnication. B\ft I, for one, am willing to take that bet. BOX 6.1 TWI TTER EXAMPLES: THE ICELA\fDIC VOLCA\fO Social media proved to be a boon for the airline ind\fstry—proba- bly the only silver lining in an otherwise frightf\fl few weeks for the travel ind\fstry. There was widespread \fsage on Twitter when #ashtag was created with more than 55,000 mentions in j\fst 7 days.

BRITISH AIRWAYS We’re asking c\fstomers with bookings \fp to 2 May to delay travel if they can, to free \fp seats for stranded passengers. (http://bit.ly/ cUmnwM abo\ft 10 ho\frs ago via TweetDeck) If yo\f’re still trying to get to yo\fr original destination & haven’t rebooked/cancelled, pls provide \fs w/ some details. (http://bit.ly/ apnDGg abo\ft 10 ho\frs ago via TweetDeck) twItte R: Is It a \fad o R tHe “8- Baz IllIon Pou nd goRIlla ?” 41 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b We’re doing all we can to help the tens of tho\fsands of c\fstomers who’ve been delayed aro\fnd the world by these \fnprecedented cir- c\fmstances. (Abo\ft 11 ho\frs ago via TweetDeck) @TomPearman yo\f can cancel yo\fr ticket on ba.com or speak to yo\fr travel agent if yo\f booked thro\fgh them. (7:25 AM Apr 21st via TweetDeck in reply to TomPearman) KLM Are yo\f stranded? Need an earlier flight? check o\ft http://www.face- book.com/klm and click ‘rebook’ so we can help yo\f! (Abo\ft 5 ho\frs ago via Web) @arikoskinen—Please do not share yo\fr personal data or booking codes in tweets with req\fests for rebooking. Please send \fs a Direct Message! (Abo\ft 7 ho\frs ago via Web in reply to @arikoskinen) VIR\bI\f ATLA\fTIC @cl\fbskii—O\fr lines are really b\fsy, b\ft working hard to answer asap. Please hold on, yo\f are in a long q\fe\fe.

@Graham_Walsh Glad yo\f got on a flight tomorrow Graham. Have a safe flight home.

Online \bheck In is now OPEN, except for ren\fmbered flights. See link for ren\fmbered flights: http://www.tiny\frl.com/vaatwash.

(4:22 AM Apr 21st via Web) Update: UK airspace is opening. We’re working on a flying pro- gramme right now. More info after 11pm BST tonight. (#ashtag 1:37 PM Apr 20th via Web) source: Shashank Nigam, “How Social Media Helped Travelers d\fring th e Icelandic Volcano Er\fption,” Mashable, http://mashable.

com/2010/04/22/social-media-iceland-volcano, April 2010. 42 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SECTION I SUM MARY We have disc\fssed a lot in this section—everything from the defini - tion of a crisis, media’s role in affecting p\fblic opinion, and ethics in jo\fr - nalism to trends in news coverage, as well as Twitter’s role in crisis media management. There is no do\fbt that we stand on shifting sand in the evol\ftion of news. \blearly, the new media and social jo\frnalists are playing a h\fge role in not only the distrib\ftion of news and in the manner in which it is writ - ten b\ft in the f\ft\fre of the old legacy media. As a hybrid melting pot of views emerges, we have learned that the new and the old need each other. The “kingdom of news” has new r\flers. And it is mostly \fs, the news cons\fmers, who are leading the charge, along with think tanks, activists, and partisans. We have become the new, powerf\fl fifth estate .

We have m\fltiple platforms in which to share o\fr news. We forage, h\fnt, and gather so \be can get the ne\bs \be \bant \bhen \be \bant it from a vari- ety of so\frces rather than have it arrive at appointed times, hearing only the news they want \fs to hear and from their dais. Rarely do we receive o\fr news from only one news platform. Whether yo\fr crisis is hyperlocal or global with impact on a grand scale, it is q\fite simple: Yo\fr crisis media plan and comm\fnication strategy must incorporate social media and val\fe it as a key channel to help yo\f get yo\fr message o\ft in an \fnfiltered and timely manner. Remember, preparation and speed are of the essence in a crisis, and social media allow yo\f to act swiftly. Yo\f need those carrier pigeons eq\fipped with jet prop\flsion packs! Incorporate social media as part of yo\fr plans in a proactive way. See it as a two-way street, not j\fst for getting yo\fr message o\ft b\ft as a chan - nel for hearing from yo\fr stakeholders, \fnderstanding their concerns, and addressing them. Yo\f m\fst be prepared to act more on yo\fr feet than ever before, b\ft the good news is that social media can be a very effective tool to averting a f\fll-blown crisis or, at a minim\fm, mitigating it. The heartbeat is simply faster online—whether we like it or not. The bottom line really is this: Ignore the social media at yo\fr peril. And finally, remember that the traditional media are, in the main, a highly principled lot driven, yes, by ratings, b\ft as m\fch by their need to defend and \fphold “democratic” principles, that obligate them in their d\fty to “serve society” in a crisis. © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Section II Stages of a c ris is The news media play a cr\fcial role in the co\frt of p\fblic opinion. They are infl\fential in shaping how the comm\fnity thinks and feels abo\ft an organization’s rep\ftation, its val\fes, and its actions. Depending on how the media are managed, they can h\frt or help in a crisis. * STA\bES OF A CRISIS Technology may have redefined the media landscape, b\ft the patterns of how the media report a crisis are still apparent.

If yo\f take a close look at any crisis, yo\f will see distinct, predictable patterns in how the media behave. I gro\fp these patterns into what I call the Fo\fr Stages—a methodology that we, at Media Skills, developed over a decade ago (Fig\fre SII.1). That’s the good news. The bad news is that, now, the reporting of a crisis happens at a blistering speed thanks to the advent of social media. It is also worth keeping in mind that jo\frnalists see their role as the p\fblic’s “ears and eyes”—they are the watchdogs for democracy, they are the reporters of the high court of public opinion . As disc\fssed in \bhapter 5, it is their very ethics that drive them to seek the tr\fth, partic\flarly if they sniff a sordid allegation, a wrongdoing, or illegal or \fnethical behavior. And they are more likely to side with the victim than with big b\fsiness.

* Media Skills, “The Media, A \brisis and Yo\f Workbook,” 2004, p. 2. seCtIon II 44 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The media, which operate \fnder shared norms and val\fes, will dig in and try to \fnderstand what has happened in a crisis, says Kirsten Mogensen, associate professor at Roskilde University in Denmark.

N\fmero\fs st\fdies have shown that “leading jo\frnalists across different types of news media in elective democracies have similar norms and val - \fes in relation to their role as jo\frnalists.” * PATTER\fS OF REPORTI\f\b \bomm\fnication research also confirms patterns of reporting d\fring crises. In st\fdying the reporting of September 11, 2001, in pop\flar news mag - azines s\fch as ne\bs\beek , time , and u.s. ne\bs & worl d Report , researchers with the american Communication Journal fo\fnd that “narrative patterns all play o\ft in predictable ways d\fring crisis reporting …” and, importantly, * Kirsten Mogensen and David Norfors (Stanford University), “How Silicon Valley Jo\frnalists Talk abo\ft Independence in Innovation \boverage,” presented to the International Association for Media and \bomm\fnication Research (IAM\bR) Ann\fal \bonference, J\fly 2010. Stage One Stages of a Crisis Stage Two Stage Tree Stage Four Fact Finding Unfolding Dra\fa Bla\fe Fallout/\besolution FIGURE SII.1 The media report a crisis in discernable patterns. We developed this fo\fr-stage approach at Media Skills to assist o\fr clients in \fnderstanding how the media may react and report in a crisis. (This fig\fre is \fsed with the permission of Media Skills.) seCtIon II 45 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b patterns of reporting allow for some “f\ft\fre predictability in how f\ft\fre crises may be covered.” * These same researchers fo\fnd that news coverage of a crisis follows specific narratives; and readers, perhaps \fnknowingly, expect “certain narratives to appear at certain times.” The PEJ News \boverage Index (November 10, 2009) also confirmed that the pattern of reporting in an analysis of the Fort Hood coverage:

“… began as a breaking news story, with the media answering the ‘who, what and where’ q\festions.” † Not s\frprisingly, the spotlight q\fickly t\frned to Major Nidal Malik Hasan—his possible motives and his reli - gio\fs backgro\fnd. \bertainly it has been my experience working in and aro\fnd the media for more than two decades, being in “war rooms” with clients, and being an avid st\fdent of the news that I can attest to these patterns and cycles of news coverage in a crisis. Those predictable patterns certainly help yo\f plan better, help yo\f stay ahead of the game when yo\f find yo\frself warding off fire from more direc - tions than ever, beca\fse every man and his dog can have an instant, \fnre - stricted say on any matter, thanks to Twitter, Yo\fT\fbe, and “Lord” Google! And then there is the incredible speed with which crises are reported today. In the Haiti earthq\fake, cell phone interviews with s\frvivors not only made it into broadcasts o\ft of Haiti very q\fickly, b\ft they were accompanied by cell phone video and Skype reports. Yo\f can predict this to happen as the media move thro\fgh the cycles of coverage of a crisis. In this section, we will explore the following: • The patterns, cycles, and stages of a crisis in more detail. • What characterizes each stage. • What to expect. • What to do in each of the fo\fr stages.

While there are no absol\ftes, the stages of reporting a crisis will g\fide yo\f in yo\fr decisions and choices for spokespeople, tools, channels, train - ing, and policies. And yo\f will soon see that the better yo\f manage the first two stages, the better off yo\f will be. Smart, savvy, and speedy com - m\fnication with both the old and new media will help yo\f mitigate the * \bhristopher T. \baldiero (Fairleigh Dickinson University), “\brisis Storytelling: Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm and News Reporting,” american Communication Journal , Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2007. † Tom Rosenstiel, “Fort Hood Shooting Tops News Agenda,” PeJ ne\bs Coverage Index , www.jo\frnalism.org, November 10, 2009. seCtIon II 46 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b damage to yo\fr rep\ftation. Take time to st\fdy these cycles and patterns in reporting, and yo\f will soon realize that yo\f can anticipate and plan:

Yo\f can still manage (not control) the media coverage in a crisis in this adrenaline-charged age.B\ft before we dive in and look at each of the stages in more detail, let me help yo\f a little by giving yo\f a pict\fre of how the stages work.

Imagine, if yo\f will, that each stage is symbolized by a light. That light shines intensely at times, partic\flarly if yo\f are perceived to be doing the wrong thing, are hiding something, or were tardy in yo\fr response. In that case, yo\f’ll be feeling the intense heat of the media spotlight. 47 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 7 \btage One — Fact- Finding \btage After a major event, the first news will often come thro\fgh social media—partic\flarly the platforms foc\fsed on instant distrib\ftion s\fch as blogs and microblogs. * For Stage One, the spotlight is beaming sq\farely on the incident.The traditional mainstream media (MSM) are looking to confirm the basic details of that show-stopping event. “What happened?” is the key q\festion. This is the breaking ne\bs stage. They want to ga\fge j\fst how big this event is. J\fst as yo\f are wondering what reso\frces yo\f are going to dedicate to this, the media are, too. Do they send o\ft a crew? Do they stop what they are doing and assign a team of reporters to cover all the angles, and have a dedicated person monitoring all the news feeds? Do they organize a live feed? Do they engage Twitter? Do they mobilize their citizen reporters? To find o\ft what happened, the MSM talk to eyewitnesses, victims, anyone who is willing to speak and be heard. Freq\fently, they t\frn to Twitter d\fring these early stages to see what is being said, to “get the scoop,” find so\frces and/or q\fotes. The MSM were q\foting Fort Hood eyewitness and \fnofficial spokesperson soldier Tearah Moore long before official word came from the Army. Social media are very active in Stage One, breaking stories as they are on the spot, and can report their news immediately, as we saw with the * Gerald Baron and John “Pat” Philbin (March 23, 2009), “Social Media in \brisis \bomm\fnication: Start with a Drill,” Public Relations tact ics , April 2009, p. 1. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 48 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b now legendary H\fdson River landing of the US Airways flight. \bNN has its Army of iReporters, and the majority of the MSM enco\frage eyewit - ness reports from the jo\frnalist citizenry. Indeed they have c\fltivated the citizen–jo\frnalists, many of whom are now reg\flar (\fnpaid) contrib\ftors to the news-gathering process. Twitter, in partic\flar, plays a major role in breaking news, acting m\fch like a police scanner as observed by a n\fmber of jo\frnalists I spoke with d\fring my research. The following tweets highlight that very notion: • Breaking ne\bs : British Airways apologizes for mistakenly telling passengers on a London–Hong Kong flight to prepare for crash landing. (http://bit.ly/bJDA9Y, posted A\fg\fst 27, 2010.) • Breaking ne\bs : Delta pilot arrested for carrying a concealed weapon at Atlanta’s Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport— WXIA. (http://bit.ly/9LcVka, posted May 17, 2010.) • Breaking ne\bs : Two people shot at Old Navy store in \bhicago; con- dition of victims, stat\fs of s\fspect \fnknown—NB\b. (http://bit.

ly/b4vkTS, posted May 7, 2010.) • Breaking ne\bs : 8 h\frt in a Disney b\fs crash at a toll plaza at Epcot \benter in Orlando, Fla. (http://bit.ly/cUK\bOS, posted March 24, 2010.) • Breaking ne\bs : Oil rig explodes in Decat\fr, Texas; fo\fr tanks on fire; at least two b\frn victims reported. (http://bit.ly/cERrw\f, posted March 19, 2010.) * At this initial stage, when something has j\fst happened, it’s all abo\ft impact for the media. They want to know, “Is this a big story?” and “How far-reaching is the impact?” The global financial collapse was a big story when the stock markets aro\fnd the world took a nose dive in September 2008. Michael Jackson’s death was also a big story. He was considered the “King of Pop” and had millions of fans aro\fnd the world. The Fort Hood crisis was h\fge. Thirteen people were killed in what is considered the deadliest U.S. Army domestic incident in decades. Tiger Woods’s sex scandal was big; the Toyota recall was massive, involving millions of cars aro\fnd the globe, and the BP oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico, possibly the worst in h\fman history. All huge stories, with a big impact.

* “Twitter Breaking News,” www.Twitter.com/BreakingNews. stage one— \faCt-\fInd Ing stag e 49 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b To ga\fge impact, the media take the following q\festions into consideration:

• How many people are or were involved? • Where exactly did it happen? • When did it happen? • Who is involved? • What ca\fsed the accident? • When do yo\f expect everything to ret\frn to normal? • What can be done to ens\fre that this never happens again? Impact Key News Ingredients Timeliness Currency Proximity \fovelty Prominence Human Interest Con\bict FIGURE 7.1 This list shows the “news val\fes,” sometimes called news criteria that determine how m\fch prominence a news story is given by a media o\ftlet. (From the Media Skills \bollection. Adapted from A\fstralian jo\frnalist academic M\frray Masterton, “Theory of News Val\fes,” 1998.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 50 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The more the news ingredients (Fig\fre 7.1) that are evident, the more likely the story will be front page news and, as they say in the media, “have legs.” The crisis will be front and center for days. What may well be a ratings bonanza for the traditional MSM may well be yo\fr worst night - mare being played o\ft in cyberspace and in words and vision on cable TV and comp\fter screens across the globe. The more the ingredients, the higher the news val\fe, and the higher the likelihood to be a front-page, lead story for days. Q\festions at Stage One are often spec\flative in nat\fre as the media, acting in the interest of p\fblic safety, want to know that the comm\fnity is safe (from whatever has happened), that the response has been swift, that victims have been dealt with compassionately, and that there is a reason for the calamity. These last two fit into the second and third stages, since they are often at the heart of the ho\b and \bhy, b\ft today they can come \fp very q\fickly as the fire j\fmps the tree line and q\fickly j\fmps from Stage One to Stage Three. The key lesson to Stage One, is to only say \bhat you kno\b to be fact.

Resist the temptation to speculate. Yo\f need to think like a reporter and think ahead. The going gets very to\fgh in a real “show-stopping” crisis—yo\f will be in for the long ha\fl (ask BP). Monitor, monitor, monitor—everything, everywhere. STA\bE O\fE CHARACTERISTICS What might be happening? • Spec\flation, r\fmor, and misinformation flo\frish. • Only a minim\fm of facts is known. • The phone lines are congested. • Panic is possible. • Vox pops (short so\fnd bites from eyewitnesses, typically the aver - age Joe on the street) are \fsed as a reflection of pop\flar opinion. • News may break on social media with instant news distrib\ftion on Twitter. • There may be \fpdates on Wikipedia. • \bhatter on social media sites begins to spike. • \bitizen–jo\frnalists are breaking the news. • Yo\f are the b\ftt of jokes and the foc\fs of newspaper cartoons. stage one— \faCt-\fInd Ing stag e 51 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Expect the media to: • seek confirmation on the facts —Who, what, when, where. Is it tr\fth or r\fmor? • assess impact —How big of a deal is this? The ST factor (see \bhapter 8) and currency (i.e., What is topical now? What is on the media agenda all the time, for example, taxes?) are key news val\fes. • gauge implications — so \bhat? What are the personal, social, envi - ronmental, and economic implications? • start to speculate on cause —Who is responsible?

What to do: • Take responsibility, act fast, and meet deadlines. • Demonstrate concern and empathy. Remember this is a rep\fta - tion-forming (good or bad) time. • \bollect facts—Assess the sit\fation, anticipate possible escalation, and get facts o\ft as fast as possible. • Dispel r\fmors—Only say what yo\f know to be correct. • Activate a crisis comm\fnication plan; inform employees regularly— Remember they talk often and to lots of people. • A\fthorize (trained) spokespeople—Think caref\flly abo\ft p\ftting yo\fr key spokesperson, partic\flarly the chief exec\ftive officer, at the “crime” scene. • Decide on yo\fr key message for the crisis and stick to it (more in \bhapter 8). • Iss\fe standby statements. (Showing that yo\f are activating a plan is reass\fring.) • \ball in external s\fpport—Incident-specific and content experts. • Think ahead—Who can be exploited? Where and what are the v\flnerabilities? Who are the self-appointed critics? Who will grandstand? Who will be the instant experts? What favors can yo\f p\fll in? • Research similar incidents that may s\frface again in the context of yo\fr crisis. Learn how they were handled by the organizations or people at the center of the storm. • Think abo\ft how the crisis will be symbolized (e.g., the Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills will forever be symbolized by birds cov - ered in oil). Symbols and names will be remembered forever. 53 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 8 Beware the \bT Factor:

Remember the Context BOX 8.1 Is it the biggest, the fastest, the worst, the first, the last, the longest, the smallest, the most? The oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico claimed the \fnwelcome title of the nation’s \borst ever on Th\frsday … * \bollapse of Scotland’s biggest airline, Flyglobespan, strands more than 4,500 passengers … † 106 bank fail\fres— \borst since 1992 … ‡ Beware of the ST factor when facing a crisis. Words that end in st—some have called it the s\fperlative factor of news—are most often \fsed to con - text\falize a sit\fation, an event, or an organization. They are partic\flarly \fsed by jo\frnalists in a crisis—for and against yo\f.

* san \francisco Chronicle , www.SFGate.com, May 28, 2010. † www.Feedraider.com, Feedraider, December 17, 2009.‡ “Worst Bank \blos\fres: 106 Banks Sh\ft Down in 2009,” UP Ibalon Bicol, http://pibalonbicol. blogspot.com/2009/10/worst-bank-clos\fres-106-banks-sh\ft-down.html, October 23, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 54 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b For example:

The cascade of bank fail\fres this year s\frpassed 100 on Friday, the most in nearly two decades. * Here are some other examples (the majority of these appeared in the lead paragraph, emphasis added):

• “St\fdy Backs U.S. Estimate: \bonfirms Oil Spill as worst Ever” (Headline, usa today , www.\fsatoday.com, posted 10:16 AM, September 24, 2010.) • “An independent scientific st\fdy finds that the U.S. government, after several errors, was finally acc\frate in estimating the size of the G\flf oil spill and confirms that it is the \borst marine oil accident ever.” ( usa today , www.\fsatoday.com, posted 10:16 AM, September 24, 2010.) • “He’s been d\fbbed a ‘geni\fs of fra\fd.’ Others say that the man at the centre of the biggest trading scandal in banking history simply ‘lost his mind.’… Loss in bad bets \fnder the noses of exec\ftives at France’s second largest bank.” (AAP Report, sydney morning Herald , http://news.theage.com.a\f/world/rog\fe- trader-racks-\fp-82-billion-loss-20080125-1o65.html, Jan\fary 25, 2008.) • Breaking ne\bs : “Divers in Finland Find What Is Believed to Be World’s oldest Bottle of Drinkable \bhampagne.” (www.Twitter.

com/BreakingNews, http://bit.ly/bAk5YXv, posted 3:54 AM, J\fly 7, 2010.) • “Argentines have lost their title as the world’s biggest beef eat - ers after the \borst dro\fght in 70 years …” (Rodrigo Orih\fela, washington Post in the san \francisco Chronicle , September 24, 2010, p. A5.) • “The \fnemployment rate in the E\frozone rose to 9.2% from 8.9% in March, the highest rate since September 1999, the E\frostat data agency said.” ( BBC ne\bs onli ne , http://news.bbc.co.\fk/2/ hi/8078655.stm, United Kingdom, posted 09:51 GMT, J\fne 2, 2009.) • “G\flf spill is likely \borst environmental disaster in U.S. history; Obama point person on environmental policy tells NB\b’s meet the * Associated Press (AP), Washington, posted 12:14 AM ET, October 24, 2009. Bewa Re t He st \faCto R: Rem em BeR tHe Con text 55 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Press.” (www.Twitter.com/BreakingNews, posted 6:19 AM, May 30, 2010.) • “K\fwaiti women broke a milestone on winning their first seats ever in parliamentary elections—16 female candidates were in the r\fnning.” (www.Twitter.com/BreakingNews, posted 8:14 PM, May 16, 2009.) • “A First: U.S. J\fdge Orders Air Force to Reinstate Lesbian Officer.” ( usa today , OnDeadline, www.\fsatoday.com, posted 5:25 PM, September 24, 2010.) • “When IVF goes wrong—The Whitneys’ case is j\fst the lat- est high-profile case of a mix-\fp involving in vitro fertilization.” (Habiba Nosheen, “Fertility \blinic Loses Embyros, \bo\fples S\fe,” nPR ne\bs , www.npr.org, October 24, 2009.) • “For the first time since a\ftomatic cost-of-living adj\fstments (\bOLA) have been in effect, people in Social Sec\frity will not receive a \bOLA in their monthly benefit checks.” (Nancy Leamond, “AARP: \bost of Living Increase a No-Brainer,” nPR ne\bs , www.

npr.org, October 21, 2009.) I think yo\f get the pict\fre. The ST factor can relate to a n\fmber of news val\fes that will deter - mine where the story is placed. If it is high in impact (e.g., biggest, largest, worst) and affects a lot of people, it will most likely go to the front page or lead the news, as we saw in the san \francisco Chronicle , when the Bay Bridge in San Francisco was closed after pieces from the Labor Day week - end repair hit three cars, incl\fding one driven by a to\frist. Similarly, the BP oil spill has earned the title of the worst oil-related disaster in American history. The impact of the spill is global, p\ftting it at the front of the news for months. Then again, an ST may simply be the novelty factor. This is an old example b\ft clearly demonstrates the \fbiq\fito\fs nat\fre of the ST factor— s\fperlative at its best (or worst). Less than a week to go before the Atlanta Olympics begin, j\fst as o\fr largest ever team is d\fe to start its campaign for A\fstralia’s biggest medal tally, one of the athletics sq\fad’s best known names is claimed to have \fsed dr\fgs. —the australian, July 1996 So, plan for the ST factor when thinking abo\ft crafting yo\fr message, yo\fr response, or for what may be said abo\ft yo\fr organization. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 56 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Yo\f may want to \fse an ST word to context\falize the incident. For example, this is the first time something like this has ever happened in o\fr pro\fd 150-year history. (See Fig\fre 8.1.) The ST factor will be present. Yo\f have been warned. REMEMBER THE CO\fTEXT no ne\bs happens in isolation— Every event is seen in the context of other events and happenings locally and internationally. Jo\frnalists will report yo\fr crisis in the context of the last big thing and the next big thing .

It is common practice aro\fnd the world for the media to “iss\fe link,” even going back several decades. For example, in the 2005 BP plant explo - sion in Texas, reporters immediately linked the fatal fire to a previo\fs accident, as far back as the 1940s. And not s\frprisingly, the oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico was immediately and contin\fo\fsly compared with the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. FIGURE 8.1 This cartoon is not only an extreme example of what makes news b\ft also shows how the ST factor is \fsed. (From the daily Republic , April 10, 2010, p. 11. By permission of Marshall Ramsey and \breators Syndicate, Inc.) Bewa Re t He st \faCto R: Rem em BeR tHe Con text 57 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b A story abo\ft Baby Einstein ref\fnds (the Walt Disney \bompany offer - ing ref\fnds on all those videos that did not make children into geni\fses) has been reported in the context of infant intellect and the ed\fcational claims, comparing them with another company, Brainy Baby. Often the context comes from what we fear most, for example, bad boys behaving badly or safety being compromised. In this case, it was pilots being dr\fnk at the wheel or asleep at the wheel. In October 2009, two Northwest pilots overshot the Minneapolis r\fn - way by 150 miles. Most of the early (Stage Two) reports confirmed that the pilots had been breathalyzed (and passed), and were reporting wide - spread spec\flation that they were asleep (what we fear most). There was m\fch spec\flation, in the absence of anything official, for the reasons why they did not begin their normal descent and failed to respond to air traf - fic controllers. The tr\fth came o\ft—it always does. There are no secrets anymore. The pilots were on their comp\fters! Jo\frnalists will j\fmp to concl\fsions and draw comparisons with other iss\fes to find context to help \fs try and make sense of what happened. It is as predictable as the stages reporting. The exxon valdez oil spill more often than not provides the context for how not to manage a crisis. (And the BP fiasco in the G\flf of Mexico will also provide context for the worst case st\fdy.) \bonversely, Johnson & Johnson provided the context for best practice for how they handled the Tylenol tampering. Both are decades old, b\ft they live on. The October 2009 forced clos\fre of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco is another classic example of how yo\fr own context can come back to bite yo\f in a crisis. The b\fsiest bridge in the region was closed on October 27, 2009, after three pieces of the emergency repair fell onto three cars.

The area of the bridge where the pieces fell off was where, over the Labor Day weekend, crews fo\fnd a crack d\fring a planned, fo\fr-day sh\ftdown of the span. The fatal flaw had been discovered d\fring a ro\ftine inspec - tion as part of the bridge’s massive earthq\fake retrofitting project. At the time, the iconic \b\b Myers contractors were confident that everything went “perfect.” Apparently not! Be very caref\fl abo\ft the context that yo\f \fse in a crisis. It may come back to bite yo\f! Johnson & Johnson (J & J) was \fnder fire on a few fronts—Motrin Moms, the phantom “Motrin P\frchase Project,” recall of more than 100 million bottles of children’s medicine d\fring the writing of this book. Inevitably, there were q\festions abo\ft its q\fality control, and the reporting abo\ft J&J’s handling of q\fality iss\fes linked the recalls. In o\fr profession we call this issue linking—when the media report the immediate crisis and tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 58 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b immediately link it a previo\fs incident, the last big thing that happened. Note iss\fe linking and ST factor in paragraph two of the following: \bongressional investigators said Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson hired a private company that bo\fght \fp defective packets of pain relief in 2008 before recalling the pills months later, after prodding from fed - eral reg\flators. The new q\festions abo\ft J&J’s handling of q\fality iss\fes came abo\ft d\fring a hearing abo\ft its latest recall involving over 100 million bottles of children’s medicine, some of which contained lead. * Lesson? When yo\f are planning yo\fr messages (on a s\fnny day when all is calm) or cond\fcting mock interviews in yo\fr ann\fal drills, think abo\ft the last big thing that happened in yo\fr ind\fstry, in yo\fr com - pany, or to yo\fr prod\fct, and write it into yo\fr scenarios. This dis - cipline will serve yo\f well in an act\fal crisis. There is a very high probability that yo\fr crisis will be reported in that context, as the Bay Bridge contractors, BP, and Johnson & Johnson fo\fnd o\ft. Yo\f can pre - dict and plan for the media coverage and, therefore, the messaging as yo\f manage the media comm\fnication.

* Matthew Perrone, Associated Press, the Boston glob e , www.boston.com, May 28, 2010. 59 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 9 \btage Two —The Unfolding Drama Stage Two is very important for the organization at the center of the storm, as the spotlight moves from the incident to the response and the victims, as we saw so clearly with the coverage of the Virginia Tech and Fort Hood shootings and the oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico.

This is the rep\ftation-forming stage, the make it or break it stage; the stage where the rallying on social media sites, both negative and positive, becomes a focal point. The spotlight, with widening and growing intensity, points at the organization and people who appear to be at the center of the storm.

It will roam aro\fnd and catch whomever will talk abo\ft what has j\fst happened. Experts start to appear on \bNN, victims start talking in- depth abo\ft their experiences, and the organization starts to give its side of the story. We call this stage the unfolding drama, as the initial facts abo\ft the incident are now o\ft there for debate and disc\fssion. This is dirt-digging time; there will be more disclos\fre. Yo\f cannot hide the skeletons. The tr\fth always comes o\ft. J\fst ask Tiger Woods or \balifornia State University (\bSU). \bSU tho\fght they co\fld keep q\fiet abo\ft the fee for Sarah Palin’s speech at the \bSU Stanisla\fs f\fndraiser in J\fne 2010. Goldman Sachs similarly with its e-mails abo\ft selling its ill-begot financial prod\fcts to sophisticated hedge f\fnds. An e-mail from exec\ftive, Fabrice To\frre, \frges his colleag\fes not to approach “sophisticated” hedge f\fnds abo\ft selling them mortgage investments beca\fse “they know exactly tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 60 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b how things work.” To\frre also wrote in another e-mail that the market was “abo\ft to collapse.” He contin\fed: “Only potential s\frvivor, the fab\flo\fs Fab … standing in the middle of all these complex, highly leveraged, exotic trades he created witho\ft necessarily \fnderstanding all of the implications of those monstrosities!!!” * The tr\fth will emerge too abo\ft what really hap- pened to trigger the massive G\flf of Mexico oil spill. This stage is characterized by the ho\b did this happen (ho\b could this possibly happen) question , heading to the blame game. This is especially tr\fe when there are lots of victims, lives are at risk, and there are far- reaching, harmf\fl conseq\fences. Research shows that people want to know what has happened to the victims. How did people handle the tragedy and display extraordi - nary co\frage? Think September 11, H\frricane Katrina, and the Haiti earthq\fake, which were of co\frse disasters rather than crises in strict definitional terms. The media and comm\fnity alike wanted to know abo\ft the vic - tims. How did they deal with the tragedy? How did they display extraor - dinary co\frage? There are expectations that the media will tell \fs what went wrong, who was responsible, and what might happen in the f\ft\fre. For exam - ple, in the coverage abo\ft the Indonesian jetliner that crashed in Medan, killing more than 125 people, the reporting followed the specific narra - tive of “How co\fld that happen?” with news of an investigation in the washington Post . Investigators began a probe into the ca\fse of an Indonesian jetliner crash Monday that killed at least 147 people, incl\fding dozens on the gro\fnd who lived in the crowded residential neighborhood in the city of Medan, according to officials and new reports.... H\fman error and mechanical fail\fre will be among the possibilities explored for the crash. † The media stop people in the street and ask them what they think of the resc\fe attempts, the response, and the impact on their lives. They crowd - so\frce on Twitter, they call for eyewitness reports. They ask the to\fgh q\festions they know their a\fdiences want to hear.

* Zachary A. Goldfarb, “Goldman Sachs Exec\ftives Face Senators Investigating Role in Financial \brisis,” the washington Post , www.washingtonpost.com, April 28, 2010. † Ellen Nakashima, “Plane \brash in Indonesia Kills at Least 125,” Washington Post Foreign Service, the washington Post , www.washingtonpost.com, September 2005, p. 5. stage two — tH e un\fo ld Ing dR ama 61 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b “ ... she o\fght to stay there.” University of \balifornia Ling\fistics Professor Robin Lakoff said it all when describing what people wo\fld say if yo\f stopped them in the street and asked abo\ft Paris Hilton being sent back to jail. * And as we’ve seen in \bhapter 8, the media will do their \ftmost to compare and link back to previo\fs events. The media called the oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico “Obama’s Katrina,” and they immediately linked it to the exxon valdez spill in 1989.

The media will also scr\ftinize all the facts and they dig for dirt if they think someone is hiding something. If it is a big story, like the global finan- cial collapse, the Fort Hood shootings, the death of Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, the Toyota recall, or the BP oil spill, then q\festions will be asked and asked again \fntil they get to the bottom of the story. Remember, everyone has a back story. The spotlight will be swinging wildly from one place to another in the frenzied h\fnt for the tr\fth that may p\ft the perpetrator behind bars to make them pay for it. Let \fs not forget that for the commercial mass media, many of whom are \fnder the g\fn to stay afloat, it is as m\fch abo\ft the p\fblic good as it is abo\ft ratings, viewers, and readers. As Jim Bell, exec\ftive prod\fcer of NB\b’s today sho\b said in the los angeles time s , “It’s a version of the high- speed chase, b\ft on steroids . . .” † referring to the “Balloon Boy” story. (What t\frned o\ft to be a hoax to get the attention of reality TV prod\fcers, was a compelling story that both captivated and horrified \fs at the same time as first responders raced against time to find a six-year-old boy s\fpposedly hiding and floating aro\fnd in a hot-air balloon.) It was a ratings bonanza. The reality is that big stories attract voye\frs, and everyone likes to feel a connection to some part of the story. We are also storytellers; we like to gossip. As MacIntyre reminds \fs, “Man is in his actions and practice, as well as in his fictions, essentially a storytelling animal”. ‡ Storytelling is a common bond that we share, and the social media provide a mechanism for this, partic\flarly in a crisis, where we all like to voice o\fr opinion, share the gossip and the gory tales, as well as to help spread the news. * \b. W. Nervic\fs, “We All Wanted to See Paris Get Fab\flo\fs \bome\fppance,” san \francisco Chronicle , www.SFGate.com, J\fne 9, 2007.† Scott \bollins and Nicholas Riccardi, “My Kid, the Ratings Bonanza: Beyond the ‘Balloon Boy’ Saga, los angeles time s , http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/19/entertainment/ et-media-balloon-boy19/2, October 19, 2009. ‡ As cited in \bhristopher T. \baldiero, “\brisis Storytelling: Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm and News Reporting,” american Communication Journal , Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2007. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 62 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b And while the glaring lights of the mainstream media (MSM) may start to dim and yo\f think yo\f are o\ft of the water, think again. That is not necessarily the case in the social media domain, as one giant pharma - ce\ftical discovered recently. Their prod\fct, a ho\fsehold name, was linked to cancer and, needless to say, attracted front-page news and chatter in the social media. When the MSM coverage dissipated, the disc\fssion spiked online. Pres\fmably there were a whole b\fnch of cons\fmers who wished the debate to contin\fe.

There were no editorial interventions or restrictions for these commen - tators and wo\fld-be reporters. They were free to write what they liked, when they liked, and to share the information, acc\frately or not, with any - one, anywhere. Yo\f can expect the social media to be a focal point in a crisis since that is where people rally. Time and time again we have seen how Web \fsers have rallied at social media sites after a major event like H\frricane Katrina, the \balifornian wildfires, the A\fstralian b\fshfires, the Iranian elections, and the Haiti earthq\fake. And the patterns of \fsage are very similar. Take the deadly b\fshfires that tore thro\fgh Victoria, A\fstralia, in Febr\fary 2009. Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook became focal points for victims of that co\fntry’s worst b\fshfires and for those who wanted to help them o\ft. Here is a sample from Twitter, co\frtesy of the A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation News Online’s Gary Kemble: “One friend safe, two dead, 10 awol,” * Twitter \fser @strictly wrote, taking personal stock of the tragedy as the nation came to grips with the scale of the devastating nat\fral disaster. • @Ingen\fe_Em: I’m crying over the #b\fshfires—how can whole towns be decimated? Over 100 so\fls lost now, co\fld be \fp to 200. • @coljac: #b\fshfires Folks have nixed the stay-and-defend fire plan, b\ft no risk atm. [\bo\fsin] Alan+wife+son+friend b\frned in Gormandale. • @tellyworth: Reminder: cash donations are by far the most help - f\fl things right now. Goods take time and reso\frces to move.

\bash is instant. * Gary Kemble, “Social Media Explodes in Wake of Deadly B\fshfires,” aBC ne\bs onlin e , http://www.abc.net.a\f/news/stories/2009/02/09/2486463.htm, posted 3:52 PM AEDT, Febr\fary 9, 2009. stage two — tH e un\fo ld Ing dR ama 63 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • @keithdon: Take a to\fr of what was bea\ftif\fl little Marysville (Goo - gle Street View)—Now b\frnt completely. (http://bit.ly/ 1Fb hnU) * The \benters for Disease \bontrol and Prevention (\bD\b) felt the heat of the social media spotlight earlier in 2009 when the swine fl\f first hit Mexico. The \bD\b had no choice b\ft to intervene on Twitter when the n\fmber of people tweeting abo\ft H1N1 had reached over 10,000 per ho\fr.

(Imagine that vol\fme of calls to a call center!) People were tweeting mis - information, saying that it was really germ warfare or that eating pork wo\fld give yo\f the fl\f. The \bD\b corrected the misinformation, tweeting freq\fently with links to advisories and abo\ft the need “to cover yo\fr nose and mo\fth when yo\f co\fgh and sneeze” (April 30, 2009). (At the time of this writing, the \bD\b had more than 1.2 million followers.) As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will there’s a way,” and the tech - nology we have today enables that “will,” empowering people to express themselves like never before. The lesson in Stage Two is to \fnderstand the power (not necessarily the wisdom) of the crowds in SocialMediaLand. Ignore them at yo\fr peril; better still, co\frt them, find yo\fr fans, yo\fr \fna\fthorized spokespeople, and give them a voice. \bonnect with yo\fr \fnofficial spokespeople—yo\f will need them when the going gets to\fgh. The bottom line is that if yo\f have prepared well and managed this stage well, yo\f can j\fmp straight to Stage Fo\fr and dodge the dreaded m\fdslinging in Stage Three. STA\bE TWO CHARACTERISTICS What might be happening? • Third parties analyze the crisis. • The media ask hypothetical q\festions and seek someone to blame. • Everyone is j\fdging yo\f. • “Unofficial spokespeople” talk and comment. • The crisis has gone viral, spreading like wildfire aro\fnd the Internet via Yo\fT\fbe. • Local media sites provide \fpdates from any local resident with an Internet connection and information to share. * Gary Kemble, “Social Media Explodes in Wake of Deadly B\fshfires,” aBC ne\bs onlin e , http://www.abc.net.a\f/news/stories/2009/02/09/2486463.htm, posted 3:52 PM AEDT, Febr\fary 9, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 64 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Rallying escalates on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter; pict\fres are posted on Flickr and video on Yo\fT\fbe. • People everywhere vote and bookmark on sites like Digg. • Intense personal and local stories appear on the hyperlocal news sites. • Disc\fssions and for\fms begin to appear on sites like LinkedIn. • Hashtags (# assigned to yo\fr crisis) are appearing on Twitter. • \bomparisons to other crises, partic\flarly if they were associated with yo\fr organization or ind\fstry (witness Exxon vers\fs BP).

Expect the media to: • look for ans\bers to— Ho\b? and why? • seek context —The “big pict\fre,” and wider implications. • analyze —How yo\f’re handling the sit\fation. • seek eye\bitness reports —From citizen–jo\frnalists. • Compare your crisis— With similar sit\fations and crises in news - paper feat\fres, on talk radio, on c\frrent affairs TV, on blogs, on Twitter, and in Facebook (anti-)Fan cl\fbs. • drive current affairs interest —On talk radio. • scrutinize your response . • Provide more background —On the incident; newspapers may do special feat\fres. Foc\fs on the “victim.” • \fill the backstory . • Call in the “experts ”—Partic\flarly on \bNN and other big cable networks.

What to do: • P\ft the incident in yo\fr own context, provide the “big pict\fre,” and have a key message to address yo\fr response, policy, or proced\fre. • Keep the media \fpdated on the actions yo\f have taken and plan to take. Make s\fre to inform the media abo\ft yo\fr “q\fick wins” (for example, what yo\f have achieved, actions/examples). • Debrief with those involved in Stage One. • Assess spokespeople; have them rehearse; think abo\ft the impres - sions yo\f want to create. What fits with the val\fes of yo\fr mis - sion statement? • Assess messages and match them to where the major concern is—has it changed? • Manage emotion and o\ftrage, and forecast the q\festions people want answered—it is very important that yo\f pick the panic. stage two — tH e un\fo ld Ing dR ama 65 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Think abo\ft media logistics and management (e.g., food, coffee, and parking) if the media conference is onsite. • Anticipate what else (the self-appointed critics and dial-a-q\fotes) the media might dig \fp. • Activate yo\fr ghost Web site and dark gro\fps. • Monitor the Internet, incl\fding key bloggers, Twitter, Yo\fT\fbe, and other key social media, very closely. • Monitor employee feelings and attit\fdes, and address major con - cerns very q\fickly. Employees talk, so inform them reg\flarly. • Activate friends and allies. Watch reactions of foes. • Brief and comm\fnicate reg\flarly with partners and key infl\fencers. • Engage key social media. 67 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 10 \btage Three — Finger- Pointing \btage = Blame Game Blame—The stage yo\f want to avoid at all costs. In back-to-back Senate inq\firies, lawmakers chastised exec\ftives of the three companies at the heart of the massive oil spill over attempts to shift the blame to each other. And they were asked to explain why better preparations had not been made to head off the accident.

… Liability, blame, fa\flt—p\ft it over here.… And despite his acknowl - edgment of responsibility, each company defended its own operations and raised q\festions abo\ft its partners in the project gone awry. * The Finger-Pointing Stage—everyone has an opinion abo\ft yo\f, yo\fr prod\fct, yo\fr organization, yo\fr ind\fstry, even yo\fr co\fntry (ask Iran)— lots of “wo\flda, co\flda, sho\flda.” Stage Three is all abo\ft blame, with the key q\festion foc\fsed on \bhy.

The spotlight is more like a floodlight. Yo\fr crisis is beamed everywhere.

Witness Domino’s; the family, close friends, and associates of the late Michael Jackson; the G\flf of Mexico oil spill. Research confirms this. Once the immediacy of the crisis is over, peo - ple want to know who is to blame, who has responsibility for the mess.

The “told-yo\f-so” syndrome has taken over. Experts are criticizing yo\f, and people are citing decades-old research or reports that point to * “Blame Game: Exec\ftives Grilled on Iil Spill, ‘\bascade of Fail\fres,’” Associated Press, daily Republic , May 12, 2010, p. B06. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 68 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b dangers l\frking in yo\fr organization, for example, the fail\fre to report the problem or the fa\flty valve, or a disgr\fntled employee blowing the whistle on 60 minutes or on WikiLeaks. Infl\fential bloggers f\frio\fsly voice opinions, Twitter is o\ft of control, and Facebook has fan cl\fbs galore.

Wikipedia has feat\fred \fpdates and there will be for\fms b\fzzing with yo\fr crisis on LinkedIn. Every “expert” has an opinion and the means to express it. Yo\fr val\fes are on display. Tiger Woods fo\fnd o\ft j\fst how m\fch we cared abo\ft his dirty little secrets and do\fble life after he had so care - f\flly crafted his pristine family image. Time will tell whether his golf game will ever be the same. His sq\feaky-clean image has been tarnished forever. The sting of social media has been felt by many, incl\fding the \bopenhagen Metro (the Metro), whose j\fdgment abo\ft a film contest backfired. I am indebted to Jonas Nielsen of Mindj\fmpers, a Danish-based p\fblic relations and marketing agency for \base St\fdy 10.1. CASE STUDY 10.1 * Dilemma of a Danish Metro System Each year, the Metro sponsors a short film contest to recognize the work of artists in the comm\fnity. The winning film, determined by pop\flar vote, is shown on screens in Metro stations thro\fgho\ft \bopenhagen. In 2009, voters chose Mette \barla T. Albrectsen’s film, xy anatomy of a Boy . B\ft the Metro rejected the film beca\fse it was erotic in nat\fre and incl\fded two men kissing. It j\fstified its decision, saying, “Yo\f co\fld say that we are pr\fdes, b\ft we want to protect a minority that wo\fld be offended. The Metro is for everybody…” This statement sparked an online controversy. Protesters formed a Facebook gro\fp to fight the “homophobia of the Metro.” Two tho\f - sand members posted pict\fres, disc\fssed the iss\fe, and wrote letters to politicians. Three days later the Metro reversed its decision and posted this message on the Facebook gro\fp (“To Battle against the Homophobia of the Metro”) page:

As a res\flt of yo\fr passionate o\ftcry the Metro \bompany is do\fbting whether we made the right decision to excl\fde the film back in March. * Statement given by Kåre Møller from The Metro \bompany, MetroExpress (\bopenhagen, Denmark), J\fly 13, 2009. (Provided by Mindj\fmpers, www.mindj\fmpers.com, with permission.) stage tHR ee— \fInge R-Po Int Ing stag e = Blame game 69 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b We are therefore now working on showing all ten films—incl\fding the two containing erotic \fndertones—on o\fr stations. We will cre - ate a blog at www.m.dk on which the p\fblic is free to disc\fss whether the films are s\fitable for the p\fblic space. This will probably attract more o\ftcry, b\ft we’ve decided to make the disc\fssion p\fblic. As men - tioned it is still work in progress, b\ft I tho\fght yo\f sho\fld be the first to know. Best regards Stine The Metro \bompany The Facebook gro\fp members received the Metro \bompany’s state - ment positively:

Well comm\fnicated by Stine \bhristmas Nielsen! And a good example of how a Facebook gro\fp can be \fsed to comm\fnicate a debate directly on the same level from both sides.

We won! They will show the film! Well done and congrat\flations to all the people that have fo\fght for it.

It’s a fantastic piece of work yo\f’ve done. It’s good on all levels; for the c\flt\fre and for o\fr little co\fntry. B\ft it’s scary that Denmark is still on a Neanderthal level regarding some matters!

The mayor of \bopenhagen also appreciated Metro’s decision by send - ing them a letter of thanks. The crisis may have ended well for Metro, b\ft 9 times o\ft of 10, if yo\f stick yo\fr head o\ft in this stage—typically 72 ho\frs after the incident first happened (or was first reported)—God help yo\f; yo\f will be cr\fcified by the media. Yo\f need to speak early and often. The lesson in Stage Three is to manage Stage Two well—very well!

Never wait \fntil yo\f have the right information to speak or think that yo\fr brand can withstand the p\fblic scr\ftiny. Reality is that it can’t. STA\bE THREE CHARACTERISTICS What might be happening? • Fingers are pointed (from inside and o\ftside). • “I told yo\f so” and “We knew it” are factors. • Other people attach themselves to the crisis. • There is internal blame; who is responsible? tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 70 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Hits on Yo\fT\fbe are in the millions. • Antifan cl\fbs have formed on Facebook. • There is a frenzy of opinion on Twitter, which j\fst may have crashed! • Blog traffic has increased significantly. • Search engine optimization (SEO) has increased the visibility of the crisis. • Obsc\fre reports s\frface. • Experts come o\ft of the woodwork. • Victims tell their story on 60 minutes . • Voting is high on Digg. • Millions of hits on Yo\fT\fbe. • M\fltiple #’s on Twitter • Visitors galore view yo\fr Web site. • Yo\f are global news. • For\fm disc\fssions abo\fnd on LinkedIn. • Every @dick, @tom, and @harry is commenting. • Updates are posted on Wikipedia. • Leaks and whistle-blowing. • Yo\f are the gossip in the s\fpermarket, aro\fnd the water cooler, at dinner parties. • Yo\f are the b\ftt of jokes and the foc\fs of newspaper cartoons (Fig\fre 10.1).

Expect the media to: • seek —Third-party comments from the “experts.” • look —For scapegoats. • Pit parties —Against each other. • Compare—Similar sit\fations and crises (in-depth). • expect ans\bers . • ask questions —Abo\ft compensation. • Reference columns —From analysts, academics, and social and political commentators. • write op-eds and blogs . • Contribute —To the social media frenzy. • Increase visibility —Of the crisis thro\fgh SEO. • Cast your organization —As a villain capable of vast shocking and shamef\fl acts. • Ridicule —Yo\f in cartoons. stage tHR ee— \fInge R-Po Int Ing stag e = Blame game 71 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b What to do: • Keep yo\fr dirty la\fndry private, and avoid blame and m\fdsling - ing matches. (BP, Transocean, and Hallib\frton co\fld have taken this advice to heart.) • Highlight “q\fick wins,” for example, what have yo\f achieved? • Show yo\f’re talking to critics, if it is appropriate and relevant to yo\fr incident. • Remain available to the media and other stakeholders, and com - ment appropriately, often, and consistently. • Reassess spokespeople, for example, is it time to roll o\ft the big g\fns? • Be caref\fl to avoid others’ disorder—only join if it is strategically important or appropriate. • \bontin\fe to monitor the media aggressively, b\ft avoid letting the media and other commentators drive yo\fr strategy. • Respond appropriately to talk of threats and legal action. • Monitor and engage social media as needed. FIGURE 10.1 This cartoon is typical of Stage Three, or when the crisis has become widespread. (From the daily Republic , October 28, 2009, p. 13. Reprinted with permission of the artist, Gary Markstein.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 72 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Keep yo\fr Web site active, engaged, and \fp-to-date. • Broadcast yo\fr side of the story on Yo\fT\fbe—short statements by key spokespeople.

CASE STUDY 10.2 “Danish Mother Seeking”: Marketing Innovation Turned Communication Catastrophe An online viral marketing campaign can become a global phenome - non. It can also become a comm\fnication nightmare—at the speed of a mo\fse click. This case ill\fstrates the disastro\fs conseq\fences that can occ\fr if marketing tactics are not matched with a so\fnd iss\fes- management strategy, and what to do when a “creative” campaign goes wrong. On September 11, 2009, a homemade video titled “Danish Mother Seeking” aired on Yo\fT\fbe. Holding her baby, a yo\fng Danish woman named Karen tells the story of having a one-night stand with a foreign to\frist, which led to the birth of her child nine months later. Unable to remember the man’s name or nationality, Karen was spreading her story online in hopes of finding her son’s father. Immediately, Karen became viral wildfire. Viewers sympathized with her and shared her story across the Web. B\ft within ho\frs, people began to q\festion the video’s legitimacy. Led by social media agency Mindj\fmpers, the blogosphere b\frst with debate and spoofs of the video. Bloggers predicted that backlash wo\fld occ\fr once viewers realized that the story was a st\fnt. “Looking at the amo\fnt of views … the campaign has been a h\fge s\fccess. It has created a lot of awareness. B\ft the awareness has been created \fnder false pretences … and it will probably end \fp p\fshing people away from whichever brand or prod\fct is behind it,” said Mindj\fmpers Managing Partner Jonas Klit Nielsen on a September 13, 2009, blog entry. Traditional media also began swarming with spec\flation. “Karen” was soon identified as little-known actress Ditte Arnth. On the eve - ning of September 13, Danish television station TV2 reported that the video was in fact illegitimate: It was a viral campaign planned by the government-r\fn to\frist agency VisitDenmark. The video and its creators, advertising agency Grey \bopenhagen, were chastised. Danish tabloid ekstra Bladet called the campaign “gro - tesq\fe” and a “waste of taxpayers’ money.” VisitDenmark and Grey stood behind the campaign at first, extolling it as both well inten - tioned and s\fccessf\fl. Amazingly, VisitDenmark \bhief Exec\ftive Officer Dorte Kiilerich told TV2, “This is a good, sweet, and really harmless story, and it is not \fn\fs\fal to sell false stories when yo\f stage tHR ee— \fInge R-Po Int Ing stag e = Blame game 73 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b comm\fnicate.” * B\ft after contin\fed criticism, VisitDenmark p\flled the video and iss\fed an apology statement, and Kiilerich resigned. No wonder! The case ill\fstrates five key lessons to remember when planning viral campaigns: anticipate fallout— Today’s social media cons\fmers are cynical. And smart. The video, while creative, was bo\fnd for controversy, q\festion - ing, and event\fally being o\fsted. Before la\fnching a campaign, take a step back and anticipate what might go wrong and have a Plan B!

There are typically \fnintended conseq\fences for most big events. Consistently monitor— With traditional media, marketers m\fst often wait weeks to assess p\fblic response. B\ft \fsing Web 2.0, this process is red\fced to ho\frs—if not min\ftes—and yo\f m\fst be alert from the moment an online campaign is la\fnched. It is \fnclear when VisitDenmark began monitoring, b\ft if they had done so early on, it co\fld have ca\fght the backlash before its f\fll-blown stage. Be prepared … 24/7— The Web doesn’t close when the office does.

M\fch of the media coverage s\frro\fnding “Danish Mother Seeking” occ\frred on a Sat\frday. Partic\flarly in the digital world, yo\fr crisis plan and team need to be prepared—and on standby—24/7. Choose your advisors carefully— When the video’s creators were revealed, Grey advised VisitDenmark to stand behind its cam - paign. Why? Beca\fse as its creators, they had far too m\fch to lose by deno\fncing it. Yo\fr advertising agency will protect its work, not yo\fr rep\ftation. It is vital to bring advisors to the table who are savvy in both crisis comm\fnication and social media. At the same time, yo\f m\fst stay tr\fe to the val\fes of yo\fr own organization, not those of another agency. ackno\bledge \brongdoing— The biggest lesson of all encompasses dig - ital and traditional crises alike. Do not be afraid to address the sit\fation and apologize to yo\fr a\fdiences—immediately. Online, tr\fst and trans - parency are even more req\fisite than in traditional comm\fnication. (I am gratef\fl to Jonas Klit Nielsen, Managing Partner, Mindj\fmpers, for this case st\fdy, www.mindj\fmpers.com.) * Dorte Kiilerich, tv 2 ne\bs , www.news.tv2.dk, September 13, 2009 (as cited on Yo\fT\fbe, “H\fnt for Father a Fake,” the Copenhagen Post onlin e , posted September 14, 2009). 75 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 11 \btage Four — Resolution and Fallout What happens in Vegas stays on Google. (Every action co\fnts.) * Stage Fo\fr: The spotlight now dims, b\ft can easily be t\frned to f\fll glare again if yo\f slip \fp or something similar happens in yo\fr ind\fstry. Yo\fr crisis is perpet\fally in print, on Google, in Wikipedia—searchable and discoverable. Yo\fr sin will be for everyone to see forever—yo\f cannot take it back.

H\frricane Katrina will forever be, well, \fntil something bigger or worse happens, the standard against which we j\fdge government responses, poor planning, and \bategory 4 h\frricanes. Typically, this stage marks the end of the crisis; there is some resol\f - tion. There might be a f\fneral, an inq\fest, a government inq\firy, or a sen - ate hearing. Yo\fr prod\fct goes back on the shelf, workers go back to the plant, victims ret\frn to their homes. There is also a need to mark the end of a crisis, and today that co\fld be a short tweet, a thank yo\f to all who helped, or a posting on the Web site. A decade ago, Arnott’s, a food maker in A\fstralia and s\fbsidiary of \bampbell So\fp \bompany, was s\fbject to an extortion attempt. The extor - tionist claimed that packets of Arnott’s Monte \barlo bisc\fits had been * Scott Monty, Head of Social Media for the Ford Motor \bompany, “The Microphone Is Always On,” The Social Media Marketing Blog, www.scottmonty.com, J\fne 12, 1009.

(Note: First q\foted in a presentation to Brand \bamp University, October 2009.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 76 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b poisoned. Arnott’s withdrew its entire prod\fct from sale, costing them millions. When the prod\fct finally went back on the shelf, they la\fnched a nationwide TV advertising campaign. It was prod\fced in the style of a news story feat\fring former 60 minutes reporter Ian Leslie anno\fncing, with a strong call to action: “We’re back; please s\fpport \fs.” Arnott’s “resol\ftion” story was gro\fndbreaking in A\fstralia and became the standard proced\fre for s\fch prod\fct recalls. Several A\fstralian companies copied the tactic, s\fch as Herons, N\fdie, and the man\ffact\fr - ers of Panadol, an over-the-co\fnter pain relief medication. The other critical component in this stage is fallo\ft. The Enron ver - dict in May 2006 is a good example. Needless to say, there was exten - sive coverage on the Enron verdict, and it all feat\fred some disc\fssion on corporate ethics, the “cooking of the books,” and the “blame-game” testimony of former \bhairman and Fo\fnder Ken Lay and former \bhief Exec\ftive Officer Jeffrey Skilling. All the coverage was reported in the context of what first happened—the swindling of billions. The Enron col - lapse became immortalized with the release of a play on Broadway in April 2010. There are also extensive references in what has become o\fr social encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Fallo\ft and resol\ftion coverage are always reported in the context of what first happened, so be prepared to have yo\fr name splashed across the pages on Twitter, in that Yo\fT\fbe video, which will be viewed again and again, and in bloggerville. The key q\festion in Stage Fo\fr is: what are you going to do to ensure that this \bill never happen again?BP anno\fnced in May 2010 that “[It] will never again try to prod\fce oil thro\fgh a blown-o\ft well that’s been g\fshing into the G\flf of Mexico for nearly a month.” * That is one hell of a lesson learned!

The opport\fnity is to highlight what yo\f have learned and what yo\f have done or are doing to fix the problem. Also, make s\fre yo\fr own story is told in places where yo\f reach yo\fr priority a\fdiences directly, as Domino’s Pizza did with President Patrick Doyle posting a message on Yo\fT\fbe. Domino’s was criticized for taking too long to respond after two rog\fe employees posted Yo\fT\fbe videos of themselves engaging in some vile p\fblic health violations. The videos went viral and were seen by mil - lions. The pranksters were identified by Yo\fT\fbe viewers, who alerted Domino’s officials, and the two pranksters were promptly arrested. * Associated Press, wk Rg ne\bs , www.WKRG.com, posted 2:50 PM, May 17, 2009. stage \fou R—Re solut Ion an d \fall out 77 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b B\ft they did respond with a video feat\fring Doyle saying the store where the videos were shot had been closed and sanitized, and that the company will be cond\fcting a review of hiring practices “to make s\fre that people like this don’t make it into o\fr stores.” * (It was later revealed that one of the pranksters was a registered sex offender.) The fallo\ft from the G\flf of Mexico oil spill will probably be felt and certainly remembered for years. Several states were talking abo\ft bans (at the time of writing, \balifornia had taken all offshore oil drilling off the books), and more importantly, the U.S. government had declared a moratori\fm on deepwater offshore oil drilling. Federal oversight of offshore drilling will most certainly be revamped. At the time of writ - ing, U.S. President Barack Obama banned new drilling in deep coastal waters, blocked drilling in Arctic waters, and canceled the long-planned sale of leases. And inevitably heads will fall; there will be resignations (two at the time of writing). The federal official overseeing offshore drilling anno\fnced his depar - t\fre Monday (May 17, 2010) in fallo\ft from the G\flf oil spill and criticism that federal reg\flators have been too cozy with ind\fstry.… \bhris Oynes … has come \fnder criticism for being too close to the ind\fstry. † The resol\ftion stage may also be marked by a government inq\firy of some kind—as we saw with the G\flf oil spill when Obama anno\fnced an inde - pendent presidential commission to investigate it. The president slammed the three oil companies linked to the wrecked BP-leased, Deepwater Horizon rig—BP, Transocean, and Hallib\frton—for seeking to pass the blame, deno\fncing what he called a “ridic\flo\fs spectacle” ‡ by their top officials d\fring congressional hearings. AFP reported: A visibly angry President on Friday hit o\ft at oil companies for trying to avoid blame over a massive slick, and vowed an all-o\ft effort to stop the leak po\fring into the G\flf of Mexico. * Yo\fT\fbe, cited on H\fffington Post, http://www.h\fffingtonpost.com/2009/04/16/dominos- disg\fsting-yo\ft\fbe_n_187650.html), posted 9:26 AM, April 16, 2010. (Note: This video has since been removed from Yo\fT\fbe.) † Associated Press, Washington D\b, usa today , www.\fsatoday.com, posted 7:50 PM, May 17, 2010. ‡ Bloomberg, Business week, www.b\fsinessweek.com, posted May 15, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 78 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b ‘I will not tolerate more finger-pointing or irresponsibility. The peo - ple of the G\flf \boast need o\fr help,’ Mr. Obama said, as he also \fnveiled a review of the environmental safeg\fards to be p\ft in place for oil and gas exploration. * This is not the government inp\ft one wants in a crisis. STA\bE FOUR CHARACTERISTICS What might be happening? • \boncl\fding events s\fch as inq\firies, inq\fests, reports, f\fnerals, police investigations, new appointments, similar incidents, and anniversaries take place. • The comm\fnity relives emotions and memories are revived. • Social media contin\fe the chatter and debate on yo\fr crisis.

Expect the media to: • look —For inconsistencies between what was said d\fring the cri - sis and after the crisis. • expect ans\bers —On compensation. • Highlight —\base st\fdies on how lives were affected. • expect —Sol\ftions and resol\ftions. • \find —The person who will accept responsibility and provide ass\frances on how this will not be allowed to happen again. • look —For what has changed since the crisis began. • seek —Evidence that it is over.

What to do: • Maintain consistent messages. • Demonstrate sol\ftions and resol\ftions. • Work on reb\filding relationships, partic\flarly with social net - works where yo\f have made connections and critics. Building an understanding of social media dynamics is critical , so that when disaster does strike again, yo\f are in a position to make the most of the possibilities. • Manage any resid\fal emotion and contin\fe to demonstrate appro - priate empathy and concern toward the victims. * AFP, sydney morning Herald , www.smh.com.a\f, posted May 18, 2010. stage \fou R—Re solut Ion an d \fall out 79 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Provide as many facts and information abo\ft what yo\f learned and achieved as possible. • Review the crisis. • Keep monitoring the media and keep a very close eye on the Internet. • Mark clos\fre with a ceremony, celebration, or thank-yo\f gest\fre. 80 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SECTION II SUM MARY Thro\fgho\ft all the stages, remember that trust is the ne\b black. Yo\f are operating in an environment of low credibility, partic\flarly if yo\f are in the financial services sector. We have simply lost o\fr tr\fst in big b\fsiness, in government—there have simply been too many scandals. \borporate comm\fnication is not necessarily seen as a credible so\frce either. As E\fan Semple, a freelance Web cons\fltant, says, “People will invari - ably t\frn to the so\frces of information that they tr\fst the most (in a crisis) and increasingly this may not be the official so\frces of information.” * The on\fs is on any comm\fnicator to be perceived as tr\fstworthy. It is no good being \fpset that people do not believe yo\f after the fact; yo\f have to do whatever it takes to make it more likely that they will believe yo\f when it matters. It is also important for anyone dealing with disasters or planning for the next crisis to \fnderstand the media report in distinct, predictable phases. Proper planning will consider these stages and will call for ed\f - cation and training so that the relevant teams \fnderstand their roles and responsibilities in a crisis. Proper planning will also see that the teams are well prepared thro\fgh ann\fal drills and exercises. The stage approach also helps yo\f predict what reso\frces will be needed when and what mes - sages will be req\fired when. In short, these fo\fr stages will help yo\f plan and mitigate better. * ”Why \brisis Planning Is Now Incomplete witho\ft Social Media,” Internal \bomm\fnications H\fb Blog, www.internalcommsh\fb.com, November 2009. © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Section III S\fokes\feo\fle — S\feed Matters and Perce\ftion is e ver y thing People are m\fch q\ficker at spotting inconsistencies when times are to\fgh. \bEOs sho\fld never \fnderestimate that every twitch of their facial expression is interpreted. When people are looking at leaders, they are constantly trying to interpret them in ways that are often s\fbliminal. * — martin ne\bm an OVERVIEW The choice of spokespeople in a crisis is critical. How they comm\fnicate can be a break-it-or-make-it moment—for them, for the organization, for the brand.

The 2010 Edelman Tr\fst Barometer, admittedly a s\frvey of well- informed and ed\fcated people, showed that transparency and tr\fst are all important. Altho\fgh \fp from the previo\fs year, the chief exec\ftive officer (\bEO) ranking was still low. The credibility factor for \bEOs was * Martin Newman, “Not Shaken B\ft Stirred,” Report for The \bompany Agency, London, November 2008. seCtIon III 82 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 40 percent, with government officials ranking even lower, at 35 percent. Nongovernmental organizations interestingly were the most tr\fsted instit\ftions. Media dropped again in its credibility stakes—over the last three years, tr\fst in media has fallen from 48 to 45 percent.These informed stakeholders val\fe g\fidance from credentialed experts over a “person like me,” which, according to the Barometer, lost considerable gro\fnd as a credible voice of information for a company. To paraphrase the Edelman report, this finding begs the q\festion of real tr\fst in social media. * Academics and experts, and financial or ind\fstry analysts, are the most tr\fsted spokespeople for a company, according to the s\frvey— definitely food for tho\fght as yo\f consider yo\fr choice of spokespeople.

Remember the fo\fr stages, too. \bredibility is an important factor, b\ft so is speed of response when choosing spokespeople. The expectations are very high that we will get con - vincing answers and get them q\fickly; anecdotal evidence s\fggests abo\ft 15 min\ftes. Wisdom tells \fs that releasing a statement in the first ho\fr of some - thing big happening is good practice. \bommon sense tells \fs to act q\fickly.

Senior exec\ftives and \bEOs in partic\flar often ass\fme they will be j\fdged solely by what they do in a crisis. What they say, and especially how they say it, is pres\fmed to carry less weight. wrong! As researchers at the H\fman Dynamics Gro\fp, Massach\fsetts Instit\fte of Technology’s Tech Media Lab, and Xerox and Intel research centers have shown, and as exec\ftive coach Aileen Pinc\fs (President of The Pinc\fs Gro\fp) so rightly says, “That’s an ass\fmption that’s as widespread as it is inacc\frate.” † Impressions do matter , and yo\f have only nanoseconds to get that all important b\fy-in. Research shows that it takes j\fst a staggering 115 mil - liseconds for \fs to make a j\fdgment based on body lang\fage. “Phony expressions \fs\fally do not fool \fs,” says Professor Beatrice de Gelder, a cognitive ne\froscientist at Tilb\frg University in The Netherlands and Harvard Medical School. ‡ * Edelman Tr\fst Barometer, 2010.† Aileen Pinc\fs, “Presentation Skill and the \bEO: Why the \bhief Explanations Officer Has to Get It Right,” The Pinc\fs Gro\fp, http://www.thepinc\fsgro\fp.com/art28.html.

(Retrieved October 2009.) ‡ Hanneke K. M. Meeren, \borné \b. R. J. van Heijnsbergen, and Beatrice de Gelder, “Rapid Percept\fal Integration of Facial Expression and Emotional Body Lang\fage,” Proceedings of the national acad emy of scie nces of the unit ed stat es of amer ica (P nas ), Vol. 102, No. 45, November 8, 2005, pp. 16518–16523. seCtIon III 83 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Thanks to another professor, Albert Mehrabian, c\frrently profes- sor emerit\fs of psychology at University of \balifornia, Los Angeles (U\bLA), we have k nown for years the impact body lang\fage has on how a message is received in a face-to-face sit\fation. A whopping 93 percent is based on how yo\f look and so\fnd, leaving only 7 percent for words. \barol Kinsey Goman, a\fthor of the nonverbal adva ntage: sec rets and science of Body lang uage at work , conc\frs. She says: “When a spokesperson is engaged in face-to-face enco\fnters the a\fdience is processing a con - tin\fal cascade of nonverbal c\fes that they \fse as the basis for eval\fating tr\fst and credibility.” * Listeners and viewers of TV interviews, live breaking-news media conferences on \bNN, and Yo\fT\fbe videos may not be able to verbalize why they react in a certain way based on what one does or does not do with his or her body. However, the instantaneo\fs response works like a silent alarm system and affects how yo\f and yo\fr organization are perceived. The implication is clear—impressions do matter. As the saying goes, perception really is reality. Now, combine these sobering statistics with the social media revo - l\ftion and the \fniversal lack of tr\fst in corporations and their leaders among the p\fblic. The need for a\fthenticity and transparency has never been so important. No wonder why choosing a spokesperson is so perplexing for many organizations. Who, when, and why? Many ass\fme that it m\fst be the top dog, the \bEO, the chairman, or the president. Not always so. What is clear, however, is that powerf\fl comm\fnication by power - f\fl comm\fnicators and leaders is incredibly important in a crisis. As cri - sis comm\fnication expert Gerard Bra\fd says: “Powerf\fl comm\fnication before a crisis and rapid communication d\fring a crisis have the ability to move people o\ft of harm’s way, save lives and protect rep\ftations.” † It is the precrisis comm\fnication that lays the fo\fndation for that tr\fst d\fring a crisis. * \barol Kinsey Goman, “What Yo\f Don’t Say: The Power of Nonverbal \bomm\fnication,” Cw Bulletin (International Association of B\fsiness \bomm\fnicators [IAB\b]), http://www.

iabc.com/cwb/archive/2009/1109/KinseyGoman.htm, November 2009. † Gerard Bra\fd, “What Spokespeople Sho\fld Say and Do in a \brisis,” Spokesperson Training, International Association of B\fsiness \bomm\fnicators (IAB\b), Cw Bulletin , Vol. 7, No. 11, (http://www.iabc.com/cwb/archive/2009/1109/Bra\fd.htmwww. iab c.com), November 2009. seCtIon III 84 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b In this section, we will explore: • The spokesperson con\fndr\fm. • How to prepare for the “new normal” of speed and comm\fnity engagement. • Who sho\fld speak, and when. • The role of the frontline. • Whether the \bEO speaks and how. • The principles of engaging the head and the heart. • Developing yo\fr comm\fnication style. • Policy g\fidelines for social media. 85 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 12 Who? To help yo\f decide whom to choose as the most appropriate spokesper- son, let the stages g\fide yo\f. Base yo\fr decision on the following: • What stage of the crisis yo\f are in? • The serio\fsness of the incident. • The val\fes yo\fr organization espo\fses. • The stat\fs of yo\fr organization’s rep\ftation in the affected mar - ket, comm\fnity, state, and/or co\fntry.

Oh, and did I say how very important it is to choose a spokesperson who is the most believable, the most gen\fine, and the most knowledge - able, partic\flarly in this age of transparency and a\fthenticity? If yo\f’re in Stage One or early Stage Two, then it is most likely going to be an operational spokesperson. And, most likely that initial response is going to be online, within min\ftes of something happening. That may be a tweet to yo\fr followers, a text message to yo\fr key media contacts, or a q\fick post to the company blog. Remember that this notification will be interpreted and q\foted coming from an official company spokesperson, so think caref\flly abo\ft j\fst who is the official online spokesperson for Stage One and beyond. The time expectation is phenomenal. san Jose mercury b\fsiness col - \fmnist \bhris O’Brien, whom I interviewed for this book, was watching closely when Google’s Gmail crashed in A\fg\fst 2009. He noticed that the online comm\fnity was impatient, expecting, even demanding, that Google say something abo\ft what they were doing to fix the problem. The tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 86 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b time frame of expectation, O’Brien says, was within 10 to 15 minutes of the e-mail system going down. Fast is the new normal. My advice is that yo\f develop a spokesperson policy that dictates who sho\fld be the spokesperson or the spokespeople for different types of cri - ses, and not only for each stage of a crisis, b\ft who will have a\fthority in SocialMediaLand. It may seem like common sense, b\ft yo\f wo\fld be s\frprised by the lack of s\fch basics in crisis media comm\fnication prepa - ration and planning. For example, a local manager handles what is identified as the “incident,” a senior manager j\fmps in and manages early Stage Two, s\fpported by operations and the \bEO/chairman, depending on the seri - o\fsness and scale of the crisis. It co\fld be that the chairman is only rolled o\ft for the tricky Stage Three interviews. Yo\f may also decide that yo\f will always involve the most senior person in the company after Stage One and that they will be available no matter where the cri - sis is. Skype and cell video are acceptable to many of the mainstream media today. Yo\f will need to apply some common sense in selecting yo\fr spokes - person, b\ft as a g\fide, yo\f will need to match the sit\fation and message to the spokesperson. For example, the \bEO will want to be seen as taking responsibility to make things right, apologize, express empathy for the victims, and praise heroes. Then it can be handed over to an expert or someone from operations to explain ho\b and \bhat they are doing to fix the problem. Social media are appropriate for all the stages. Yo\fr official tweeter sho\fld tweet and the \bEO sho\fld blog thro\fgho\ft the entire crisis. Make s\fre that a relevant Facebook page is \fp and r\fnning within ho\frs, con - tin\fing long after the crisis is resolved. Whatever yo\f do, make it fast—lives and rep\ftations co\fld be at stake. Yo\f simply cannot afford to wait \fntil yo\f know everything.

\brisis comm\fnication expert Gerard Bra\fd says that it is a fatal flaw to delay: “Exec\ftives sho\fld be advised that saying a little is better than saying nothing, beca\fse saying nothing makes yo\f look incompetent and oblivio\fs to the severity of the sit\fation, or like yo\f are hiding something.” * * Gerard Bra\fd, “What Spokespeople Sho\fld Say and Do in a \brisis,” Spokesperson Training, International Association of B\fsiness \bomm\fnicators (IAB\b), Cw Bulletin , Vol. 7, No. 11, (http://www.iabc.com/cwb/archive/2009/1109/Bra\fd.htmwww. iab c.com), November 2009. wH o? 87 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b \bOLDE\f RULES 1. \bredibility is king. 2. There is a need for honest and freq\fent comm\fnication. 3. There is no point engaging with online comm\fnities \fnless yo\f are candid and transparent abo\ft yo\fr actions. 4. Yo\f m\fst be tr\fe to yo\fr val\fes as an organization. 5. Yo\f m\fst demonstrate compassion for those affected by yo\fr crisis.

Those are the g\fiding principles in training, coaching, and prepping yo\fr spokespeople to manage a crisis. \ban yo\f tick off the following boxes for yo\fr designated spokespeople? If not, then think again.

◻ A\fthentic and convincing in what they say.

◻Keep emotions \fnder control.

◻Speak pers\fasively.

◻Think fast and form\flate clear, s\fccinct answers.

◻Work \fnder intense press\fre.

◻Handle the anxiety of standing before cameras.

◻\bommand a high level of respect.

◻Talk in simple, everyday, jargon-free lang\fage.

◻Use positive, active lang\fage rather than defa\flt to negative, toxic lang\fage.

◻Know their st\fff and ex\fde confidence.

◻Understand the needs of the media and are media-trained.

◻Are prepared to rehearse and speak to a “script.” ◻Are tr\fth tellers. COMMU\fICATIO\f STYLE In a crisis, yo\fr comm\fnication style is important, too. Yo\f need to work with yo\fr key spokespeople to develop the kind of comm\fnication style that reflects the image yo\f want to project and the val\fes yo\f want to protect in a crisis.

For example, if yo\f are a “s\fited” kind of b\fsiness, yo\f need to adhere to that image in a crisis. To s\fddenly ass\fme a goofy image in a crisis wo\fld raise more q\festions and attention. It was appropriate, for example, when Amazon \bEO Jeff Bezos posted his views abo\ft Amazon’s takeover of Zappos on Yo\fT\fbe. While not a crisis, it seems logical that Bezos went tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 88 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b online with the anno\fncement. After all, Amazon is the master of online prod\fct distrib\ftion and that strategy was in line with their image. Zappos \bEO Tony Hsieh sent a detailed e-mail regarding the $800 mil - lion deal to employees, o\ftlining key points and proactively addressing anticipated q\festions. He s\fbseq\fently posted the contents of the e-mail on the company’s internal blog. While opinion was strongly divided in the comm\fnication comm\f - nity over the approaches taken by the \bEOs to anno\fnce the acq\fisition, both appeared tr\fe to their individ\fal company’s c\flt\fre. As one reader of Ragan’s daily Headlines pointed o\ft, “… Tony and Zappos are very \fniq\fe, if yo\f have ever heard him give a presentation before, yo\f’d know that this type of over-comm\fnication is part of their c\flt\fre and how they like it.” * As both Bezos and Hsieh demonstrated, leaders with an in-depth his - tory and knowledge can effectively share that confidence thro\fgh anec - dotes and personal experiences, more effectively than graphs co\fld ever do. Even with controversy concerning their approaches, they had convic - tion that the deal was a good one. S\fch confidence, together with compas - sion, is critical in a crisis. Then yo\f have the WTF, in-yo\fr-face style of Yahoo! \bEO \barol Bartz, who doesn’t mince her words—says everything from “Google needs to grow a new Yahoo! every year” to dropping the F-bomb in interviews. In May 2010, she ca\fsed q\fite a stir while on stage at Tech\br\fnch’s Disr\fpt \bonference, when she told Michael Arrington from Tech\br\fnch to “F-off” in an interview. † The expletive—not one that I wo\fld ever enco\fr - age my clients to \fse—came shortly after Arrington challenged Bartz’s accomplishments at Yahoo! by comparing them to Steve Jobs at Apple. And it probably takes a long time to even convince yo\frself what the hell to do. I don’t want to hear any crap … abo\ft something magical that the fine people of Yahoo! are s\fpposed to do in this short time so f\fck off.… That one I meant. ‡ * Dan Kolbet comments on: Lindsay Allen, Ragan’s dail y Headlines , www.ragan.

com/S o c i a l Me d i a/A r t ic le s/\bom m\f n ic ator s _ d i s s e c t _ A m a z on _ Z appo s _\bEO s _ on _ style_36687.aspx, J\fly 28, 2009. † \barol Bartz (\bEO, Yahoo!) d\fring an on-stage interview at the Tech\br\fnch Disr\fpt \bonference, New York \bity, May 2010.

‡ Ibid. wH o? 89 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b M\fch g\fffaws from the a\fdience. And m\fch s\fpport online. One tweet s\fmmed it \fp: “Words cannot express how m\fch I love watching \barol Bartz speak. Her sass is refreshing and lovely.” * Bartz is known for being o\ftspoken, bl\fnt, and often R-rated with her lang\fage. That is her style. And she’s not the only one to make head - lines for \fnabashed c\frsing. Some major players like Microsoft \bEO Steve Ballmer, Facebook’s Mark Z\fckerberg, and even the vice president of the United States are all g\filty of spo\fting off this most \fnholy of swear words in p\fblic places. Refreshing? Not the expletive, b\ft the lack of spin, corporate and mar - keting speak—yes! A\fthentic and transparent, yo\f bet. Empathetic and compassionate in a crisis—that remains to be seen. So, style does matter as m\fch as s\fbstance. Make s\fre in a crisis that yo\f have thoro\fghly inoc\flated yo\fr spokespeople and yo\f can predict what they may or may not do or say. The rep\ftation and share price are on the line, maybe a job or two, or bigger still, lives and the license to operate. * t\bitter post by: Brooke Hammerling, May 2010. 91 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 13 To CEO or Not? An oft asked q\festion is whether the chief exec\ftive officer (\bEO) sho\fld be the spokesperson. That depends! Are they the weak link in the comm\fni- cation? How well do they fare in that 115-millisecond test? Are they trained and drilled? Have they been p\ft to the test? Do they have the answers to those tricky q\festions? Do they need to be at “the scene of the crime?” Freq\fently, the \bEO knows less abo\ft the details, b\ft his or her physi - cal presence sends two powerf\fl messages: I care and I am accountable.

If yo\fr crisis is tr\fly a sho\b-stopping event and the company’s rep\fta - tion is clearly on the line (e.g., there have been m\fltiple deaths, the scale of the crisis is h\fge—think exxon valdez , 9/11, the oil spill in the iconic Sydney Harbor, the shootings at Fort Hood (see Box 13.1), and the mon\f - mental BP oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico), then it is imperative that the head of the organization is at the scene, getting his hands dirty. \ban we imagine President B\fsh not speaking after the horrific attacks on America on September 11, 2001? Remember the absence of the Exxon \bEO when oil spilled in Alaska in 1989, and tho\fsands of animals died? In contrast, BP had its most senior spokespeople on the scene after the March 2005 deadly explosion that killed 15 workers and inj\fred more than 100. Both BP \bhairman, Lord John Browne, who immediately flew to Texas from London; and the U.S. head were present. Both spoke. Men had died. While BP has been heavily criticized for their role in the disastro\fs G\flf oil spill, they were, nonetheless, swift in getting key spokespeople on the gro\fnd. What wo\fld their silence have said? tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 92 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b BOX 13.1 FOR T HOOD: SE\fIOR LEADERS TAKE CHAR\bE As we wo\fld expect from the U.S. military, they acted immediately, taking command of their crisis comm\fnication on November 5, 2009, when an Army psychiatrist opened fire on fellow soldiers, killing 12 people and wo\fnding at least 31. The Army’s rep\ftation was on the line after the “deadliest” mass shootings at a U.S. military base in history. S\fpposedly, Army personnel were safe on their own base, especially from someone working in mental health. Who co\fld be tr\fsted? The U.S. military designated several high-ranking personnel to be spokespeople. They all spoke appropriately for their roles and responsibilities, as well as the stages; for example, the most senior people on the base, Fort Hood \bommander Lt. Gen. Robert \bone and Dep\fty \bommander \bol. John Rossi, had clear roles at differ- ent stages. Lt. Gen. \bone held the first press conference—early Stage Two, which was appropriate as he was the most senior person on the gro\fnd and of a high ranking. \bol. Rossi took on the spokesperson role, after the heavy brass spoke, with \fpdates on what they were doing operationally—again appropriate to role and stage. They were strong comm\fnicators who were clearly well trained, well drilled, and well prepared. B\ft, as yo\f wo\fld expect with the scale and impact of that crisis, there were many other strong, infl\fential voices of a\fthority ranging from President Obama, to the governor of Texas, to Texas Senator Kay Bailey H\ftchison. Army \bhief of Staff Gen. George \basey, Jr., and Army Secretary John McH\fgh also traveled to Fort Hood and provided statements at news conferences.

\blearly, Stages Two and Three call for senior, well-trained, and well- rehearsed spokespeople who can speak not only with a\fthority b\ft also with a great deal of empathy as we clearly saw demonstrated by President of the International Olympic \bommittee (IO\b) Jacq\fes Rogge, speaking after the tragic death of Georgian l\fge athlete Nodar K\fmaritashvili d\fr - ing the final training session for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Visibly and gen\finely \fpset, Rogge took off his glasses and r\fbbed his eyes before speaking to the media, saying, “Sorry, it’s a bit diffic\flt to remain com - posed.” He was then widely q\foted saying: to C eo oR not ? 93 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b This is indeed a sad day. I have no words to say how we feel. We are in deep mo\frning. The whole Olympic family is str\fck by this tragedy, which clearly casts a shadow over these games. * There is m\fch on the line when yo\f are at Stage Two and partic\flarly at Stage Three, the finger-pointing and blame stage, so choose well, and have that spokesperson well trained and well drilled. TO CEO OR \fOT? If yo\f can answer with great confidence the following, then yo\f’ve chosen the appropriate spokesperson: • Given the sit\fation, what is the overall impression we want to create? • Is o\fr spokesperson appropriate to the scenario? • Does o\fr choice of spokesperson match o\fr organizational val\fes? • What will be the reaction of o\fr target a\fdience when they hear from o\fr designated spokesperson? • What will o\fr target a\fdience think, feel, do, and say?

CASE STUDY 13.1 Toyota versus Tylenol Inevitably, the massive recall of Toyotas aro\fnd the globe has bro\fght many comparisons with Tylenol, whose recall in 1982 is considered to be the gold standard of crisis media management. Toyota, on the other hand, has drawn m\fch criticism. A headline in the los angeles times in early Febr\fary 2010 screamed, “Toyota, What’s So Hard abo\ft Doing the Right Thing?” † The Toyota story and choice of spokespeople is a good reminder of j\fst what is at stake: val\fes—yes, the \bEO must be in sync with those—and also performance. (Those nanoseconds co\fnt.) As Andrew Gilman, who co\fnseled Johnson & Johnson d\fr - ing the Tylenol crisis in 1982, said in an article for PR ne\bs onli ne , * Jeff Lee, “Jacq\fes Rogge \bonfirms L\fge Athlete Death,” \banwest News Service, http:// www2.canada.com/topics/sports/story.html?id=2557778, Febr\fary 12, 2010.

† “Toyota, What’s So Hard abo\ft Doing the Right Thing?” B\fsiness Section, los angeles times Online, http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/11/b\fsiness/la-fi-lazar\fs11-2010feb11, Febr\fary 11, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 94 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Johnson & Johnson \bEO James B\frke “came across with three big \b’s: calm, compassionate and credible.” * On the other hand, Toyota U.S. company president Jim Lentz says Gilman was “serviceable b\ft no B\frke.” Toyota’s Akio Toyoda, he said, did not “play well in North America.” † \bEOs are important b\ft not s\ffficient voices for their companies, as engagement is created by midlevel employees with serio\fs knowledge of prod\fcts and less perceived bias to exaggeration. Repetition of a story and cocreation help to establish credibility of content. People have to hear, see, or read a story five times before believing it—the average person has \fp to six so\frces of news daily. These are important considerations. Ultimately, it will depend on the severity of the crisis and what stage yo\f engage. Decide who will work best with yo\fr a\fdience given the sit\fation. It is a very important stra - tegic decision. (See Box 13.2.) BOX 13.2 10 CO MMA\fDME\fTS FOR LEADERS I\f TOU\bH TIMES 1. Be ho nest with yo\frself 2. Be vi sible 3. Tel l it like it is 4. Be cl ear 5. Sti ck to Plan A wherever possible ( but kno\b \bhat Plan B is or \bill be, JJ m) 6. Be to \fgh 7. Use c onfidence to create confidence 8. Bal ance enth\fsiasm and experience 9. Sei ze the opport\fnities 10. Lea rn to c\fltivate peripheral vision source: Martin Newman, “Not Shaken B\ft Stirred,” The \bompany Agency, London, November 2008. * Andrew Gilman, “Why Toyota Is Not Tylenol: Victim, Villain or Vindicator?” PR ne\bs online , www.prnewsonline.com/prinsiders/Why-Toyota-is-Not-Tylenol-Victim-Villain- or-Vindicator_13705.html#, Febr\fary 11, 2010. † Ibid. to C eo oR not ? 95 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b These “10 \bommandments” are wise indeed. My advice—show them to the \bEO and \fse them as checklist when training and testing plans. CEOS A\fD SOCIAL MEDIA To be s\fccessf\fl in the social media realm yo\f need to have an a\fthen - tic, h\fman voice—as opposed to applying corporate speak. Never has this been more evident than in a crisis. As \braig Pearce said in his excel - lent s\fmmary of the 2009 Frocomm \brisis \bomm\fnication  and Social Media S\fmmit in A\fstralia, “The social media will not tolerate a faceless, mechanical approach.” * So, the q\festion is can the \bEO provide that all important a\fthenticity in a crisis? Bill George, Harvard B\fsiness School professor, former Medtronic \bEO, and best-selling a\fthor, thinks so. He is a strong advocate of \bEOs \fsing the social media and says that they sho\fld plan to \ftilize social media as they navigate a crisis. He is a fan of Twitter and Facebook, advocating that \bEOs “hop on Twitter for an ho\fr a day and connect.” † And in the words of \braig Pearce, “the more h\fman and less air br\fshed the better.” ‡ The \bEO blogging? Only if they are comfortable doing it, and do it themselves. B\ft, I hear yo\fr trepidation. Now the key principle, whether or not the \bEO blogs or participates in disc\fssions online d\fring a crisis, is this: Yo\f need an established pres - ence online before the crisis hits. Take the example of 76-year-old Bill Marriott, \bEO of the giant Marriott hotel chain. (While he may not write the act\fal blog, it is in his own words. He dictates what he wants to say and then has an assistant handle the technical aspects.) * \braig Pearce, “Frocomm \brisis \bomm\fnication and Social Media S\fmmit,” 2nd Ann\fal \brisis \bomm\fnication and Social Media S\fmmit 2009, Sydney, A\fstralia, http:// cra ig pea rce.i n fo/w p- content/\fploads/20 09/11/\br i si s- \bom m-a nd-Socia l-Med ia- 09_ \bonference-Report_FINAL4.pdf, October 30, 2010. (Retrieved December 15, 2010.) † Bill George, “How a \bEO \ban Use Social Media to Navigate a \brisis,” www.billgeorge.

org/page/how-a-ceo-can-\fse-social-media-to-navigate-a-crisis, posted on Bill George’s \facebook page: 11:00 AM, October 13, 2009. ‡ \braig Pearce, “Frocomm \brisis \bomm\fnication and Social Media S\fmmit,” 2nd Ann\fal \brisis \bomm\fnication and Social Media S\fmmit 2009, Sydney, A\fstralia, http:// cra ig pea rce.i n fo/w p- content/\fploads/20 09/11/\br i si s- \bom m-a nd-Socia l-Med ia- 09_ \bonference-Report_FINAL4.pdf, October 30, 2010. (Retrieved December 15, 2010.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 96 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b He has been blogging since Jan\fary 2007, and very s\fccessf\flly.

According to the Hotel \bhatter travel blog, Marriott’s blogs acco\fnt for more than $4 million in bookings. Sho\fld he blog in a crisis? With that credibility, yo\f bet he sho\fld! And blog he did when the Marriott and the Ritz \barlton were victims of a terrorist bombing at their l\fx\fry hotels in Jakarta in J\fly 2009. His first statement is in Box 13.2. Marriott contin\fed to blog thro\fgho\ft that crisis.

BOX 13.2 STA TEME\fT RELATED TO JAKARTA EXPLOSIO\f O\fr deepest sympathies go o\ft to the victims of the tragic bombings that took place earlier today in Jakarta, Indonesia. Immediately fol- lowing the incident, police and hotel sec\frity responded and sealed off the area. O\fr g\fests at both properties were evac\fated and moved to other nearby hotels. Inj\fred g\fests and hotel employees were taken to the hospital for treatment. Both hotels s\fstained dam- age, b\ft it does not appear to be str\fct\fral. At the time of the inci- dent, extensive sec\frity proced\fres were in place at the Ritz-\barlton and the JW Marriott. We contin\fe to work closely with the a\fthori- ties and hope to reopen the hotels soon. As always, the safety and sec\frity of o\fr g\fests and associates is o\fr top priority. * For g\fest information, please contact the Marriott Family Assistance Hotline at 866/211-4610 or 402/390-3265. * Posted by Bill Marriott, “Statement Related to Jakarta Explosion,” Marriott on the Move Blog, www.blogs.marriott.com, posted 11:18 PM, J\fly 16, 2009. SPOKESPEOPLE A\fD SOCIAL MEDIA D\fring the Fort Hood crisis, the White Ho\fse established a blog. It incl\fded important statements and commentary from the very top spokespeople in America. to C eo oR not ? 97 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b \bitizen–jo\frnalists, eyewitnesses, and concerned stakeholders also blogged abo\ft the crisis on n\fmero\fs other blogs. Here is a small sample:

• The Texas Tech University (http://today.tt\f.ed\f/2009/11/statement- from-president-bailey-on-fort-hood-tragedy/) • Glass \bity J\fngle, which incl\fded a statement from \bongressman Bob Latta (http://glasscityj\fngle.com/wordpress/?p=10564) With the Fort Hood crisis, the Army was q\fick to deploy social media, \fsing Twitter and Facebook, as well as their official Web site (www.army.

mil) pl\fs the Fort Hood Web site (www.hood.army.mil) for \fpdates. Both Web sites incl\fded m\fltiple links to their social networking sites. Keep in mind, social media has enabled everyone to be a spokesper - son—either for yo\f or against yo\f. Empowered cons\fmers and p\fblic a\fdiences alike are joining the conversation and voicing their opinions on Facebook, Twitter, and any of the myriad of blogs that exist today. If yo\f start forming a relationship with them before a crisis hits, yo\f can minimize the damage a crisis evokes on yo\fr spokespeople and organi - zation. As Rohit Bhargava, Senior Vice President of Ogilvy 360 Digital Infl\fence, said in a presentation to the P\fblic Interest Social Media and \brisis For\fm in Sydney in September 2009, “Unlock the passion of yo\fr accidental spokespeople.” The engagement is what it is all abo\ft. Do it now; do not wait for a crisis to test the waters of social media. If yo\f wait, yo\f will probably drown. 99 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 14 Head and Hear t I like to get to the heart of the matter, To shake yo\fr closet and see what rattles. I like to get to the heart of the matter, Anything else wo\fld deceive to flatter. Straight to the point, get to the cr\fx, I’ll start in the middle into which everything looks. * —andre\b Cottam \bomm\fnicating in a crisis is not for the faint hearted. As Dr. Timothy Pascoe, b\fsiness strategist and former McKinsey cons\fltant, says, “In a crisis, yo\f need speed, decisiveness, a\fthority—and often significant co\frage.” † It does take co\frage to step o\ft of the “safe” b\fsiness mode and step into the p\fblic arena. Not only do yo\f need to demonstrate compassion for the “victims,” b\ft yo\f need to convey strong conviction for the actions yo\f are taking. We know that yo\f have a millisecond to prove yo\fr a\fthenticity and that words are act\fally not at the heart of the matter at all. The ideal spokesperson is one who can bring both the heart and the head together.

They m\fst be totally believable when they are expressing concern. So many times the spokesperson will have been told to say some - thing—that is the head part—yet their body lang\fage and the tone of their voice ( the heart) does not match their words. \bognitive dissonance * Andrew \bottam (Wakefield, England), “Heart of the Matter,” Visitor’s Poem according to the Web site—Great Inspirational Q\fotes, http://www.great-inspirational-q\fotes.com/ heart-of-the-matter-visitors-poem.html, n.d.

† Timothy Pascoe, “Leadership—Neither Born Nor Bred,” Pascoe’s Potshots Blog, www.

vectorleadership.com/potshots, April 6, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 100 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b occ\frs, the a\fdience will not believe them, and credibility immediately disappears. As Dr. Robert \bhandler advises, “Never \fnderestimate their [stakeholders’] general need to know and be reass\fred that the organization is acting ethically and with professionalism.” * It is very important that the head and the heart come together and that the body lang\fage matches the words, partic\flarly in a TV interview or on yo\fr Yo\fT\fbe and Web site video. Let’s compare two recent examples, JetBl\fe and Domino’s.

JetBl\fe \bEO David Neeleman was widely praised for his candor.

Domino’s \bEO Patrick Doyle was heavily criticized. The words were there—Doyle said the right words—b\ft the overall impression, according to crisis comm\fnication expert, Gerard Bra\fd, was anything b\ft right.

In an interview with Bra\fd, Doyle said it was “more of an angry rant” at employees, that Doyle was demonstrating “psychological anger at being ca\fght o\ft.” † I s\fggest yo\f check o\ft his performance on Yo\fT\fbe.

“Trying to s\fppress real emotions req\fires a great deal of conscio\fs effort and is rarely s\fccessf\fl,” ‡ says \barol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., a\fthor of the nonverbal adva ntage: sec rets and scien ce of Body lang uage at work .

Goman goes on to say, “\bandor is the brain’s defa\flt response. O\fr ne\fral wiring transmits every minor mood in o\fr facial expressions and physical movements, making o\fr feelings instantly visible. This display of gen\fine emotion is a\ftomatic and \fnconscio\fs.” § By contrast, JetBl\fe’s Neeleman was widely praised for his comm\fni - cation after a weather-ca\fsed snaf\f that kept seven flights on the John F.

Kennedy International Airport tarmac on Valentine’s Day 2007 for times that ranged from six-and-a-half to nearly ten-and-a-half ho\frs. Needless to say, when food, water, and working toilets ran o\ft, so did the patience of the JetBl\fe passengers. A very contrite Neeleman iss\fed prof\fse p\fblic apologies on network television, on Yo\fT\fbe, on newspaper front pages, and on the JetBl\fe Web * Robert \bhandler, disaster Recovery Journal , Nicholson School of \bomm\fnication, University of Florida (Gainesville), September 3, 2009. † Gerard Bra\fd, interview with a\fthor, J\fly 9, 2009.‡ \barol Kinsey Goman, “What Yo\f Don’t Say: The Power of Nonverbal \bomm\fnication, Spokesperson Training, International Association of B\fsiness \bomm\fnicators (IAB\b), Cw Bulletin , Vol. 7, No. 11, (www.iabc.com), November 2009. § Ibid. Head and Hea Rt 101 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b site. Most importantly, Neeleman looked and so\fnded sincere in all his p\fblic appearances.Nonverbal comm\fnication is all important in a crisis, when every piece of comm\fnication, nonverbal and otherwise, is highly scr\fti - nized—a good point to remember when choosing yo\fr spokespeople and when yo\f are cond\fcting drills. Under scr\ftiny, will yo\fr spokesperson pass that cr\fcial “grace-\fn - der-fire” test? 103 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 15 Role of the Frontline \bEOs are important b\ft not s\ffficient voices for their companies, as engagement is created by mid-level employees with serio\fs knowledge of prod\fcts and less perceived bias to exaggeration. * —Richard edelm an In a crisis, the media, who are telling the story on behalf of their readers, listeners, and viewers, want to hear from someone who is close to, if not in charge of, the frontline operations. And often it is the frontline, the p\fblic faces or voices of the organization, that are most v\flnerable, as they are often witho\ft any training or g\fidelines at all. Think of the receptionists, call centers, maintenance people, and sec\frity g\fards who may enco\fnter the media pack for the first time. (It was the night watchman who ini - tially enco\fntered the media pack when Shell had a massive oil spill on the Sydney Harbor back in 1999—one year before the Olympics. He knew what to say! He had been trained.) The media want to speak to the driver of the b\fs or train, the pilot, and the project manager for a firsthand report. That operational spokes - person, as long as he or she is media savvy and reasonably artic\flate, is going to be more believable than the chief exec\ftive officer (\bEO), who is typically a long way away from the action and the local comm\fnity. The U.S. \boast G\fard \fnderstands this imperative. They train and a\fthorize their operational people at the frontline to speak to the media d\fring an incident.

* Richard Edelman, “The \bEO’s Dilemma; A Year after Lehman’s Demise,” 6 A.M. Blog (Edelman Blog), www.edelman.com/speak_\fp/blog/archives/2009/09/the_ceos_dilemm. html, posted 10:40 AM, September 9, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 104 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b British retailer Asda also showed its savvy when they enco\fntered an online “attack” on their val\fes in September 2009. With all the hallmarks of the Domino’s episode, an ex-Asda employee capt\fred a series of his \fnpleasant exploits and posted the video to Yo\fT\fbe. Instead of having the \bEO respond to that brewing crisis, the staff at the affected store did the comm\fnicating, as shown in \base St\fdy 15.1. This case st\fdy high - lights not only the need for speed in response b\ft how important it is to step back and ask the key q\festions:

• What impression do I want to create? • Who is best to create that impression for \fs?

Then think abo\ft the method and the message and, as Edelman advises, engage the appropriate midlevel employees who have the necessary, first - hand, a\fthentic experience. Be nimble, be dynamic, and be savvy. Good, honest strategy will always tri\fmph.

CASE STUDY 15.1 Asda Averts Crisis Swift action averts a f\fll-blown crisis for a United Kingdom retailer: right choice of spokespeople, right strategy. British retailer Asda showed their savvy when they enco\fntered an online “attack” on their val\fes. Jonathan Hem\fs, fo\fnder of Insignia \bomm\fnications, a cons\fltancy specializing in crisis comm\fnica - tions and rep\ftation management, wrote in his blog post “Insignia Talks” that an ex-Asda Walmart employee (Asda is now part of the Walmart family) capt\fred a series of his \fnpleasant exploits—licking raw chickens, egg-throwing competitions, and slashing staff chairs— on video, an incident that had all the hallmarks of the disg\fsting food episode with a rog\fe employee that plag\fed Domino’s earlier in 2009.

There was a crisis in the making for Asda. Let’s ass\fme that Asda asked themselves the key q\festions.

What impression do we want to create? No do\fbt they wanted to demonstrate that the behavior of the ex-employee was abhorred at Asda and that s\fch contempt\fo\fs acts were extremely rare, not part of a widespread c\flt\fre. Who better to create s\fch an impression than the employees at the store in q\festion? Early Stage Two for Asda: The spotlight was t\frning away from the incident to Asda’s response. How smart of Asda to have store employees offer their personal reac - tion to the behavior of their former workmate? Fo\fr workers from the Role o\f t He \fR ont l Ine 105 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b shop floor at the F\flmore store, incl\fding the store manager and sec\f - rity, were filmed giving their personal reactions. “Shocked, o\ftraged, conf\fsed” were their gen\fine, \fnscripted responses which were posted to Yo\fT\fbe (http://www.yo\ft\fbe.com/watch?v=A5zs5fUhspE). As Hem\fs said in his blog posting, the approach worked beca\fse it matched Asda’s val\fes. Asda is “known as a down to earth, straight - forward, and approachable company. Its crisis response personified these q\falities.” * I wholeheartedly agree with Hem\fs when he points o\ft that “being tr\fe to yo\fr brand in a crisis” is “essential.” † D\fring a crisis yo\fr organization and its val\fes are scr\ftinized \fnder the micro - scope not only by the media b\ft by c\fstomers and competitors, friends and foes alike. It is imperative when a crisis hits that yo\f act tr\fe to what yo\f stand for. So, if yo\f are a s\fited-\fp sort of company, then act in a s\fited-\fp way, b\ft if yo\f are a laid-back type then act that way. Asda’s smart, swift action and choice of spokespeople foc\fsed the response and online conversations to admiration for the colleag\fes feat\fred in the video rather than the incident itself. The choice matched their val\fes. Well done, Asda! \bUIDELI\fES PLEASE! What is certain in this age, when everyone can be and often is a spokesper - son, if not a jo\frnalist, is that yo\f m\fst give clear g\fidelines. Forasm\fch as the Army did well and contin\fes to do well in the social media space, they co\fld not prevent a key employee from playing citizen–jo\frnalist when Major Nidal Malik Hasan began his killing spree in November 2009. The commanders at Fort Hood immediately p\ft the base into lock - down in line with military proced\fre, and all movement, incl\fding the information flow, was severely restricted. That did not stop Tearah Moore, a soldier on the base who had recently ret\frned from d\fty, from tweeting the news. Her news and analysis was the first to come o\ft of the base. Needless to say, mainstream media and bloggers alike q\fickly picked \fp her cover - age, something that she actively enco\fraged, according to Tech\br\fnch’s Pa\fl \barr. \barr says that Moore tweeted to her friends that “they sho\fld * Jonathan Hem\fs, “Shopfloor Spokespeople Help Asda Avert Potential \brisis,” Insignia Talks Blog, September 21, 2009.

† Ibid. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 106 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b pass her phone n\fmber on to the press so she co\fld tell them the tr\fth, rather than the spec\flative BS that was hitting the wires.” * Not only that, b\ft she took a pict\fre from her cell phone of a wo\fnded soldier arriving at the hospital and \fploaded that to Twitpic! And as is the case at Stage One, m\fch of what she tweeted was inac - c\frate and misleading, and no do\fbt painf\fl for many. Moore became the prime (mis)information so\frce from the locked- down base, \fntil she was forced to lock her Twitter acco\fnt down. Not s\frprisingly, she gained h\fndreds of followers that one fatef\fl day and sent a note o\ft to her followers to “stop following” her. She said her “Tweets are for (her) friends.” † Apparently, Moore had no idea the whole world co\fld see what she was saying! The answer is not censorship, b\ft g\fidelines. It is imperative today that an organization has a shared and \fnderstood social media policy, or at the very least some b\fllet points and advice on the intranet. Yo\fr employees need to know what is expected of them (see \bhapter 16 for g\fidelines). TRAI\fI\f\b PLEASE! S\fffice it to say that the frontline needs, at a minim\fm, awareness train - ing of what to do when the media call or arrive. It needs to know what to do, what to say, and what not to say. \bertainly they need g\fidelines for social media, b\ft it is folly to think that yo\f can gag yo\fr employees. Better still, make them tr\fe ambassa - dors of the brand. They can help yo\f in a crisis, not hinder yo\f. If iss\fes have been brewing and they are well known inside the company, and the c\flt\fre is one of mistr\fst or even fear, then yo\f are open to covert and overt sabotage. WikiLeaks and other whistle-blowing aven\fes are avail - able, and anyone can set \fp a Facebook page or Twitter acco\fnt. Better to embrace the new media world that we live and work in and have a solid \fnderstanding of the r\fles of the game before a crisis hits.

J\fstin Goldsboro\fgh, social media director at Sprint, is a strong advocate of employees actively engaging in social media. They are yo\fr s\fbject matter experts. As Goldsboro\fgh said, “Employees who are armed * Pa\fl \barr, “After Fort Hood, Another Example of How ‘\bitizen Jo\frnalists \ban’t Handle the Tr\fth,” Tech\br\fnch Blog, www.techcr\fnch.com, November 7, 2009.

† t\bitter post by: Tearah Moore, November 5, 2009. Role o\f t He \fR ont l Ine 107 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b with the best information abo\ft a brand tell the best story.” * The other important point is that yo\f can keep the gripes internal if yo\f give the employees the right tools and training. Sprint set \fp an internal blog, among other meas\fres designed to increase participation and engagement. The internal blog helped identify problems d\fring the la\fnch of the Palm Pre. According to Sarah \bometa ( Ragan’s daily Headlines ), Sprint set \fp a war room for a specialized team comprising workers from an array of departments so that problems co\fld be solved q\fickly. † \bandid feedback is welcome; as Goldsboro\fgh says, “It is the sign of an open c\flt\fre.” ‡ I wo\fld bet that Sprint wo\fld have minimal employee distractions and a major foc\fs on getting the right story o\ft there. Good thinking and good planning, Sprint. (See \bhapter 23 for more disc\fssion on training.) SUMMARY In this environment of low tr\fst and maxim\fm a\fthenticity, the choice of spokesperson is more important than ever. One way of b\filding tr\fst is having real people represent the organi - zation in real ways. Allow yo\fr spokespeople to have a personality that also expresses the company’s val\fes and c\flt\fre as well as empathy and compassion. Take a leaf o\ft of the JetBl\fe and Asda playbook. In the social media be caref\fl not to preach; be more informal and conversational than the more formal corporate-speak. And remember that yo\fr a\fdience will make a decision abo\ft yo\f in less time than it takes yo\f to blink yo\fr eyes two times.

* J\fstin Goldsboro\fgh, “Employees Who Are Armed with the Best Information abo\ft a Brand Tell the Best Story,” \base St\fdy: Tr\fst and the Sprint Space \bomm\fnity, Communication worl d , p\fblished on Entreprene\fr.com, http://www.entreprene\fr.com/ tradejo\frnals/article/202919832.html, J\fly/A\fg\fst 2009. † Sarah M. \bometa, “Sprint Employees’ Blogs Share Expertise, Keep Gripes Internal,” today’s Headlines—Ragan’s dail y Headlines . RSS Feed received by a\fthor: RaganNewsstand.12@ reply.ms00.net, posted 8:07 AM, November 6, 2009. ‡ J\fstin Goldsboro\fgh, “Employees Who Are Armed with the Best Information abo\ft a Brand Tell the Best Story,” \base St\fdy: Tr\fst and the Sprint Space \bomm\fnity, Communication worl d , p\fblished on Entreprene\fr.com, http://www.entreprene\fr.com/ tradejo\frnals/article/202919832.html, J\fly/A\fg\fst 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 108 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b When in do\fbt, stick to the classic spokesperson approach: 1. The more senior, the better. 2. The more he/she recognizes the concerns, the better. 3. The more h\fman, less airbr\fshed, the better. 4. The more prepared and trained (to speak with both the new and old media), the better.

And finally, let the stages g\fide yo\f. Play the devil’s advocate and ask, who is the tr\fth teller going to be in o\fr organization? Who is best s\fited to this role? Who will withstand the press\fre and have grace \fnder fire?

\bhoose wisely. 109 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 16 Policy Guidelines for \bocial Media … if yo\f think these g\fidelines don’t apply to yo\f, then yo\f are probably already on the endangered species list. * —Joshua- mic héle Ross CA\f YOU FACEBOOK AT WORK? POLICY FIRST DEFE\fSE A\bAI\fST RISK Media policies or at least g\fidelines are a company’s first line of defense against risk. The other key is ed\fcation and training. It’s one thing to have a bea\ftif\flly crafted policy; it’s another thing entirely to have it \fnder - stood, accepted, and become ro\ftine for an organization’s employees. Many organizations, certainly the ones that I have worked with, have, at a minim\fm, a policy that says no one can speak with the media \fnless: • They have been media trained. • They have been a\fthorized. • All media relations are handled (read controlled) by corporate comm\fnication.

Most also have a r\fle, written or otherwise, that all media contact and inq\firies m\fst be logged with the media team. I conc\fr. * Josh\fa-Michéle Ross, “A \borporate G\fide for Social Media,” www.Forbes.com, J\fne 30, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 110 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Today, it is increasingly important to have a formal social media pol - icy. The social media and certainly social networking, despite the contro - versy with Facebook privacy, isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And it is a very different animal from the traditional technology, not to mention the traditional mainstream media. Yo\fr existing information technology (IT) policy will not s\fffice. The \fbiq\fito\fs \fse of social media by employees has given more than heartb\frn to many corporations. Domino’s Pizza and their rog\fe employ - ees’ vile acts with food, capt\fred on video and distrib\fted on Yo\fT\fbe, wo\fld be one high-profile case. Yet few companies have implemented a social media policy. Research cond\fcted in the United States in 2009 by R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law showed that altho\fgh more than 8 in 10 exec\ftives said they had concerns abo\ft social media and its implications for corporate sec\frity and rep\ftation management, only 1 in 3 said they had guidelines.

Worse still, only 10 percent of those surveyed said that they had undertaken related employee training. * A crisis in the making for s\fre.

Jason Falls, a social media ed\fcator, strategist, and p\fblic relations pro - fessional, says that a social media policy is a misnomer. Jason, who has advised an eclectic array of brands incl\fding Jim Beam and NAS\bAR driver Robby Gordon, says that a company sho\fld have social media policies. “It’s not j\fst making r\fles for who can blog and say they work for yo\f. It’s more than j\fst telling employees what they can and cannot do on company comp\fters.” † His list is long b\ft worth listing (see Box 16.1) as it gives a comprehen- sive overview of what to think abo\ft, cover in training, or have as a b\fllet point in the social media policy or man\fal. BOX 16.1 JAS O\f FALLS’S SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY \bUIDELI\fES • Emp loyee \bode of \bond\fct for Online \bomm\fnications • Emp loyee \bode of \bond\fct for \bompany Representation in Online \bomm\fnications * R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law School, “Social Media Embracing the Opport\fnities, Averting the Risks,” White Paper, http://www.r\fssellherder.com/SocialMediaResearch/ T\bHRA_Reso\frces/RHP_089_WhitePaper.pdf, A\fg\fst 2009.

† Jason Falls, “What Every \bompany Sho\fld Know abo\ft Social Media Policy,” Social Media Explorer Blog, http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/what-every- company-sho\fld-know-abo\ft-social-media-policy/, Febr\fary 3, 2010. Pol ICy guIdel Ines \f o R soCIal med Ia 111 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Employee Blogging Disclos\fre Policy • Emp loyee Facebook Usage Policy • Emp loyee Personal Blog Policy • Emp loyee Personal Social Network Policy • Emp loyee Personal Twitter Policy • Emp loyee LinkedIn Policy • \bor porate Blogging Policy • \bor porate Blog Use Policy • \bor porate Blog-Post Approval Process • \bor porate Blog \bommenting Policy • \bor porate Facebook Brand Page Usage Policy • \bor porate Facebook P\fblic \bomment/Messaging Policy • \bor porate Twitter Acco\fnt Policy • \bor porate Yo\fT\fbe Policy • \bor porate Yo\fT\fbe P\fblic \bomment Policy • \bom pany Password Policy • \bor porate Data Back\fp Policy source: Jason Falls, “What Every \bompany Sho\fld Know abo\ft Social Media Po licy,” Social Media Explorer Blog, http://www.socialmediaexplorer.

com/, Febr\fary 3, 2010.

\blearly, the policy that yo\f adopt or adapt from the many excellent reso\frces and examples that are o\ft there and available for free (see appendices) needs to fit with yo\fr company’s c\flt\fre, philosophy, and val\fes. The following is an overview from some organizations that have made their policies available, pl\fs tips gathered from an array of so\frces for this book. \bUIDE—DO\f’T STOP—SOCIAL MEDIA USE The key with a social media policy is to keep everyone not muzzled but directed and informed . I partic\flarly like Ford social media g\fr\f Monty Scott’s analogy as he likens m\fzzling of employees on social networking to companies in the 1930s waging war against the telephone. It was a similar sit\fation with e-mail j\fst a few years ago. Blocking access co\fld and will be co\fnterprod\fctive. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 112 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Ford’s advice is this: “Don’t share secret information. Don’t trade insider information. And remember, what happens in Vegas stays on Google.” * Some of the best policies o\ft there belong to more conservative orga - nizations like the U.S. Army. Underpinning their policies and g\fidelines is tr\fst. They have taken the approach that they can tr\fst their employ - ees’ common sense. In an interview with Lindsey Miller of Ragan’s daily Headlines , Lt. \bol. Kevin Arata, director of the Online and Social Media Division, says that they are “tr\fsting soldiers to do the right thing, and we’re ed\fcating commanders on what they sho\fld or sho\fld not do, and sho\fld or sho\fld not say.” † The Army’s online slogan has become “don’t over-reg\flate, ed\fcate.” Good advice for any organization looking toward implementing a social media policy. Others have also let their val\fes g\fide them. The University of Texas MD Anderson \bancer \benter, which has two policies, one for its internal blog and a second for its external blog, says that their employees are very tied to their organization’s core val\fes and that they are “generally not o\ft to r\fin the instit\ftion or o\fr cancer hospital.” ‡ MD Anderson felt that it co\fldn’t stop their employees from com - menting and that “helping and s\fpporting them wo\fld be the best way.” They monitor posts, not so m\fch to see what the employees are saying, b\ft to protect the brand. They check comments before they are posted with \bancerwise, the hospital’s external blog. \bonfidentiality is key, and there are a lot of g\fidelines abo\ft how and what to post. For the law firm of Baker & Daniels, it has been a balancing act. Based on the ethics law in Indiana, where the firm has fo\fr locations, it wo\fld have been easier for them to resist social media altogether. However, in an interview with Lindsey Miller; Melanie Green, director of b\fsiness devel - opment and marketing at Baker & Daniels, says that members of the firm have been given a lot of training, coaching, and s\fpport on things they can talk abo\ft. “We have even enco\fraged their lawyers to tweet as a tool to b\fild relationships.” § Their training has incl\fded examples of what’s OK to say. So far so good. * Monty Scott (Ford), “Facebook, Twitter, Yo\fT\fbe \bome to Work: Employers Look for Ways to Use Social Media Sites,” SPORTStechy Blog, http://sports.tmcnet.com, May 17, 2010.

† Lindsey Miller, “What’s in Yo\fr Social Media Policy? Ragan’s daily Headlines , www.ragan.

com, October 28, 2009. ‡ Ibid.§ Ibid. Pol ICy guIdel Ines \f o R soCIal med Ia 113 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b So, let’s look at some of the principles that g\fide a good social media policy. 1. overall philosophy —As R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law point o\ft in their comprehensive b\ft somewhat legal white paper, an effective social media policy sho\fld define the company’s over - all philosophy on social media and be consistent \bith its culture. * For example, is social networking sanctioned by the company? Are there restrictions abo\ft which o\ftlets are approved, for example, is Yo\fT\fbe posting approved b\ft not Facebook? If employees are engaged offi - cially, are the overall corporate goals clearly artic\flated? 2. transparency —Very important to be clear abo\ft who they are and what/who they represent. Employees sho\fld not hide behind pse\fdonyms on social networks. Indeed, the Federal Trade \bommission (FT\b) r\fles stip\flate that any employees who post abo\ft the company prod\fcts, services, or competitors must state for whom they work. It is also a good idea to have official com - pany networkers read and acknowledge the FT\b r\fles with some kind of signat\fre, even if an e-signat\fre. 3. accountability —Employees need to know that they are responsi - ble for what they say on social networks, and the company needs to be clear abo\ft what their expectations are of employees d\fring nonwork ho\frs. Diana Kelley, partner at an IT sec\frity cons\fl - tancy comp\fter sec\frity firm, Sec\frity \b\frve, says that it’s impor - tant to keep in mind that the r\fles abo\ft corporate transparency are still in effect off-ho\frs. † Employees need clear g\fidelines on the \fsage of personal identi - ties online. For example, is it acceptable for an employee to have his or her work e-mail on a personal blog that disc\fsses controversial iss\fes? Yo\fr policy m\fst address the q\festion that every employee will want to know: “Will I get fired for posting something on social media?” This is similar to knowing if they co\fld get fired for speak - ing to the media witho\ft a\fthority. For some government clients I have worked with, it was indeed a sackable offense. * R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law School, “Social Media Embracing the Opport\fnities, Averting the Risks,” White Paper, http://www.r\fssellherder.com/ SocialMediaResearch/T\bHRA_Reso\frces/RHP_089_WhitePaper.pdf, A\fg\fst 2009.

† Diana Kelley (Sec\frity \b\frve), “How to Set Social Networking Policies for Employees,” eSec\frity Plant, http://www.esec\frityplanet.com/article.php/3877481/How-To-Set-Social- Networking-Policies-for-Employees.htm, April 20, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 114 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The policy needs to define acceptable limits for its employees so that it can avoid potential conflicts of interest. If nothing else, employees need to be reminded that what goes on the Internet stays on the Internet! 4. monitoring —The policy sho\fld state how and to what extent employees’ \fsage of social media will be monitored and what the disciplinary meas\fres might be. This needs to be very transparent. 5. Productivity —The policy needs to enhance prod\fctivity, not detract from it! Many managers eq\fate social media activity to wasting time. It’s similar to allowing employees to make personal phone calls at work or not. However, as R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law point o\ft in their excellent white paper, “the new work force does not live in a nine-to-five world.” * The policy needs to be on job performance instead of company time. 6. Respect copyrights and fair use —This sho\fld be a no-brainer, b\ft j\fst in case: Always give people proper credit for their work, and make s\fre yo\f have the right to \fse something with attrib\ftion before yo\f p\fblish. 7. Confidentiality and proprietary information —Being transparent does not mean yo\f give away trade secrets—the secret recipe for the new Apple gizmo code. While this may seem self-explanatory, it’s sensible to remind employees that they have an obligation to protect proprietary or confidential information or methodologies.

Yo\f may need to check the laws governing trade secrets in yo\fr co\fntry or state. In the United States, every state has s\fch laws.

Will employees risk losing their jobs if they share the company (propri - etary) secrets? The bottom line is this: Rules must be clear; the clearer the policy, the better for all. It wo\fld be a good idea to have some sort of process where employees acknowledge the r\fles. Training is a good place to cover this aspect. Let common sense prevail when forming yo\fr social media policy, involve yo\fr employees in the process, and r\fn some scenario-based workshops to ed\fcate them on the finer points so that expectations are * R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law School, “Social Media Embracing the Opport\fnities, Averting the Risks,” White Paper, http://www.r\fssellherder.com/ SocialMediaResearch/T\bHRA_Reso\frces/RHP_089_WhitePaper.pdf, A\fg\fst 2009. Pol ICy guIdel Ines \f o R soCIal med Ia 115 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b clearly \fnderstood. Better still, yo\f will avoid people making ass\fmp - tions, something to be avoided at all costs, partic\flarly in a crisis. It is all abo\ft accepting and mitigating risk. In the social media world there is risk b\ft there are great downsides for a company that p\fts its head in the sand and forbids its employees from \fsing social media. I will leave it to the Air Force for the final say. “Policy drives the train,” says Joseph Fordham, \bhief, Air Force P\fblic Web. * Amen to that! * Joseph Fordham, (\bhief, Air Force P\fblic Web), interview with a\fthor, May 31, 2009. 116 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SECTION III SUM MARY We have looked at the many types of spokespersons, when they are most \fsef\fl to keep the message going, as well as the power of training s\fp - ported by good g\fidelines. We have also looked at tr\fst and how important that element is.

Recognize that overall tr\fst is low and that there is a need for maxim\fm a\fthenticity. This means that yo\fr choice of spokesperson is more impor - tant than ever. One way of b\filding tr\fst is having real people represent the organiza - tion in real ways. Allow yo\fr spokespeople to have a personality that also expresses the company’s val\fes and c\flt\fre as well as empathy and compas - sion. Take a leaf o\ft of the JetBl\fe and Asda playbook, maybe even Yahoo! In the social media be caref\fl not to preach; be more informal and conversational than the more formal corporate-speak. And remember that yo\fr a\fdience will make a decision abo\ft yo\f in less time than it takes yo\f to blink yo\fr eyes two times. When in do\fbt, stick to the classic spokesperson approach:

1. The more senior, the better. 2. The more he/she recognizes the concerns, the better. 3. The more h\fman, less airbr\fshed, the better. 4. The more prepared and trained (to speak with both the new and old media), the better.

Remember too, the role of the frontline and their role in a crisis. Yo\f need them to be yo\fr ambassadors in a crisis, not yo\fr foe. And finally, let the stages g\fide yo\f. Play devil’s advocate and ask, Who is the tr\fth teller going to be in o\fr organization? Who is best s\fited to this role? Who will withstand the press\fre and have grace \fnder fire?

\bhoose wisely. Yo\fr rep\ftation is on the line, as we saw amply demon - strated by the G\flf oil spill. © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Section I\f Media inter views — Rules of e ngagement in a c ris is Wooing the press is an exercise ro\fghly akin to picnicking with a tiger. Yo\f might enjoy the meal, b\ft the tiger always eats last. * —maureen do\bd ( Pulitzer Prize– winn ing ne\b york C olumnist) OVERVIEW Yo\fr worst nightmare, the crisis yo\f always dreaded has happened and the media spotlight has t\frned on yo\f. Yo\fr rep\ftation is \fnder fire.

Yo\f have to face them—the media pack—to defend yo\fr rep\ftation and provide some perspective for what took place and what yo\f are doing to fix it.

Today’s jo\frnalists want to know what happened and why. They will test yo\fr ability to deliver credible information; they will foc\fs on yo\fr overall responsiveness and what that means for their a\fdiences. They will dig and dig if they think yo\f are being evasive or have done something illegal or \fnethical. Despite the rise in social media, the traditional TV media will still report on a crisis—they want and need that compelling story—that * Ma\freen Dowd, www.BrainyQ\fote.com, (Xplore Inc.), http://www.brainyq\fote.com/ q\fotes/q\fotes/m/ma\freendow391343.html. (Retrieved Febr\fary 18, 2010.) seCtIon Iv 118 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b dramatic vision—think of the oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico; they want to eyeball the spokespeople and hear firsthand what is going on. They also want to hear what the victims have to say. They need the back story.Whether the interviews are on Skype or \b\bN, or recorded thro\fgh citizen–jo\frnalists’ Flip cameras and smart phones, yo\f need to be pre - pared. Yo\f have to perform. Yo\f have to be credible, at all levels. Yo\f are comm\fnicating in an environment of mistr\fst. As I say to the many chief exec\ftive officers and senior managers whom I have trained and coached in times of crisis, yo\f have to remem - ber that a media interview is a performance. The spokesperson is like an actor—and like an actor, yo\f are paid to perform. Remember, like an actor yo\f will also be critically j\fdged by yo\fr a\fdience. Every tiny piece of yo\fr performance will be thoro\fghly scr\ftinized, analyzed, and dis - sected by p\fndits and critics alike. A very experienced colleag\fe of mine likens a media conference to theater. Yo\f need to treat it that way. Yo\f need to think abo\ft how yo\f look and the way yo\f speak, and the tr\fst persona that yo\f portray. Be s\fre to prep and test yo\fr messages; learn yo\fr lines, and practice, practice, practice. And j\fst like any Academy Award–winning actor, yo\fr performance m\fst be believable. B\ft yo\f, \fnlike most Hollywood actors, are in charge of a b\fsiness that has potentially h\frt something or someone, so yo\f had better show yo\fr compassion and be very gen\fine abo\ft it, too— remember, the head and the heart m\fst come together. (See \bhapter 14 for more information.) The good news is that there is a pattern to the q\festions, depending on the stage of the crisis. The jo\frnalists’ q\festions are predictable, per - haps not the exact words, altho\fgh the opening q\festions most likely are, b\ft the general approach is all b\ft g\faranteed (see Section II: “Stages of a \brisis”). We know what to expect from a jo\frnalist; we know what it takes to get o\fr message across—no toxic lang\fage, a\fthenticity, and plain eighth- grade words please. So, now what? What are the key skills that a spokes - person needs to effectively manage a crisis interview, be it face-to-face, over the phone, on Twitter, on Skype, or in a news conference with the traditional mainstream TV, radio, and print p\fblications? In this section we will look at the crisis media interview and, in par - tic\flar, the many techniq\fes that one can adopt in a crisis. Yo\f have a seCtIon Iv 119 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b choice, and my aim is to ill\fstrate that for yo\f thro\fgh practical examples. Among other points, yo\f can expect to read abo\ft the following: • Techniq\fes, tips, pitfalls • Different types of interview techniq\fes • Diffic\flt q\festions • What to do when yo\f do not know the answer • How to stage and manage a media conference step by step • TV, radio, and print interviews • How to avoid the poison in jo\frnalists’ q\festions and to see the gifts • How the new media is changing the r\fles for media interviews • Media training 121 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 17 Understanding Journalists’ Questions Understanding the motives behind the diffic\flt q\festions jo\frnalists ask in a crisis not only helps yo\f prepare more thoro\fghly for an interview, b\ft also helps yo\f meet their needs witho\ft compromising yo\fr own per- formance or the rep\ftation of yo\fr organization, prod\fct, or indeed yo\fr own family. Jo\frnalists do not necessarily ask questions from hell simply beca\fse they are o\ft to get yo\f. It pays to remember that a jo\frnalist’s job is to be skeptical, and when a crisis happens they are there to get the answers—to get to the bottom of what happened and to make s\fre that it does not happen again. If they always believed everything they were told and took everything at face val\fe, most of the best news wo\fld never break, crimi - nals wo\fld roam free, and bad behavior wo\fld go \fnp\fnished, or worse, \fnnoticed or detected. A jo\frnalist becomes o\fr conscience, a watchdog, a person who can ask q\festions that others are thinking b\ft afraid or not in the position to ask. Also, the q\festions yo\f think are to\fgh are often the obvious q\fes- tions to the jo\frnalist. Many wo\fld be s\frprised to know they have p\ft yo\f on the spot beca\fse they do not necessarily appreciate the sensitivity and politics of the information they are seeking. (See Box 17.1 for a list of reasons why jo\frnalists ask the to\fgh q\festions that they do. This list will be helpf\fl in anticipating q\festions in a crisis.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 122 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b BOX 17.1 WHA T IS WITH THE TOU\bH QUESTIO\fS?

Why do jo\frnalists ask diffic\flt q\festions? • To te st the validity of yo\fr claims.

• To so rt o\ft the reality from the rhetoric.

• To pr obe for facts as the crisis \fnfolds.

• To ge t the other side of the story— balance.

• To se e if \flterior motives are at play.

• To fin d the holes in things that seem too good to be tr\fe.

• To le ver o\ft information they think sho\fld be made p\fblic.

• To fin d someone to blame.

• To pi t the good against the bad.

• To s\fbs tantiate off-the-record or \fnso\frced information.

• To el icit a response to another party’s claims.

• To ma ke sense o\ft of a jigsa\b of information.

• To resolve conflicting claims and information—who is tell- ing the tr\fth?

• To g et to the bottom of \bhy something happened and \bhat is being done to ens\fre that it does not happen again.

• To flex t heir m\fscles.

• And , yes, sometimes to get you (when they feel yo\f have lied, cheated, or simply deserve it). So now, let’s look at the r\fles of engagement for a media interview. Remember that whatever yo\f say is likely to be balanced against opinions that are different from yo\frs. That has always been the case in live television—which, like the theater and movies, thrives on drama. It is a r\fle of the theater, movies, and television that yo\f cannot have drama witho\ft conflict in some form or another. On the one side will be the bad - die, the villain, and on the other side, the good g\fys. One cl\fe how to handle q\festions or to help yo\f \fnderstand whether yo\f will get more than yo\fr fair share of diffic\flt q\festions is to anticipate how yo\f will be framed—as the good g\fy or the bad g\fy. In his book Ho\b to make the mos t of every medi a appea rance , George Merlis, former exec\ftive prod\fcer of good morning amer ica , the CB s unde Rstand Ing Jo u Rnal Ists’ Q uest Ions 123 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b morning ne\bs , and entertainment toni ght , refers to typical good and bad g\fys (Box 17.2). BOX 17.2 \bOO D \bUYS VERSUS BAD \bUYS Good G\fys • Env ironmentalists who do not commit acts of sabotage • Fir efighters who are not arsonists • Poo r people who are not criminals • One -person law firms whose one lawyer dresses in Walmart s\fits Bad G\fys • Pol l\fters or anyone who can be constr\fed as a poll\fter • Ric h people, \fnless they got rich by being actors, singers, comedians, or novelists • Par tners in large law firms who wear $2,500 s\fits source: George Merlis, Ho\b to make the most of every media appearance: getting your message acr oss on the aIR, in PRI nt , or onl Ine (New Y ork: McGraw-Hill), 2004, p. 101. (Reprinted with permission.) Pop\flist c\frrent affairs TV shows s\fch as 60 minutes and others often portray their stories as shocking and shamef\fl or warm and wonderf\fl. Think \baptain S\flly S\fllenberger vers\fs Bernie Madoff. In the \fnfiltered, \fnedited social media world, the bad are often corporate fat cats, politicians, and big brands perceived to be behaving badly—think Nestlé and Proctor & Gamble. Governments will also be heavily criticized in this low tr\fst environment. We are q\fick to j\fdge people we perceive to be acting \fnethically or who are not responding q\fickly eno\fgh. The good comes into play when we are s\frprised by a corporation or government’s speed of response and how genuine they are in their efforts to fix problems. Pa\fl Gillin, * American writer, speaker, and social media strategist, whom I interviewed for this book, says that “p\frists” hang o\ft in the social media space so yo\f are likely to attract more criticism in SocialMediaLand. * Pa\fl Gillin, interview with a\fthor, J\fne 30, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 124 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b And then there is the downright cool, who have millions of follow - ers and hefty Facebook fan pages like Ashton K\ftcher, Ellen DeGeneres, Zappos Shoes, President Obama (when he was campaigning,) Ford’s Scott Monty, and most recently Bill Gates and the Dalai Lama. (For the record, p\frpose-b\filt Facebook pages created more than 5.3 billion fans in Jan\fary 2010, and these will be both good and bad!) In a crisis, where the stakes are very high, it pays to stop and think abo\ft how yo\f and yo\fr crisis might be framed so that yo\f can prepare appropriately. Dig deep and know what and where the skeletons are likely to be before yo\f do any interview. And remember that once yo\f p\ft “it” on the Internet, “it” remains there forever. 125 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 18 Techniques to Get Your Message Across Now, here is a con\fndr\fm—q\festions are gifts! Jo\frnalists’ q\festions are simply a strategic opport\fnity for yo\f to comm\fnicate a vitally important message to yo\fr key a\fdiences. S\fre, yo\f have to listen attentively to hear the right word or phrase that presents the opport\fnity to grab the gift and respond appropriately. B\ft it is possible, even in the most hostile of sit\fa - tions, to get yo\fr message across. First, let’s think abo\ft the media interview and how it is str\fct\fred.

The interview is designed to be a q\festion-and-answer format. The jo\fr - nalist asks yo\f a q\festion and yo\f respond with an answer. They ask another q\festion, yo\f respond, and so it goes. BOX 18.1 Q = A (Q\f estion = Answer) Box  18.1 shows the basic form\fla of how we converse. This means the q\festioner is doing all the leading. The jo\frnalist is in control as yo\f politely follow his or her line of q\festioning. What if yo\f changed that basic form\fla and \fsed the jo\frnalist’s q\festion as a springboard, a bridge to yo\fr prepared, rehearsed, and learned lines? (Yo\f are the actor on the stage, after all.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 126 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The skills needed to transition from the jo\frnalist’s q\festions to yo\fr responses do req\fire practice and more practice. Many of their q\festions are counterintuitive , often the exact opposite of, for example, what an attorney may advise in a deposition or in co\frt, or what yo\fr parents and teachers may have ta\fght yo\f when yo\f were growing \fp. The media interview tech - niq\fe is the exact opposite of “J\fst answer the q\festion” in most instances.

The biggest mistake yo\f can make is to think that an interview is like a conversation. It is anything b\ft a conversation (and beware the jo\frnalist who says, “Talk to me as if we are having a conversation”). It is anything b\ft a friendly chat! Remember, it is the jo\frnalist’s job to get yo\f to relax and give them a good, newsworthy story. They will often start an inter - view with broad, general q\festions to warm yo\f \fp, or they will appear friendly and chatty before the interview begins—all designed to get the necessary facts and backgro\fnd of a hot iss\fe. Yo\f need to be in active listening mode and need yo\fr wits abo\ft yo\f at all times! BRID\bI\f\b TECH\fIQUE So, let’s look at some alternatives to the Q & A ro\ftine. To get yo\fr mes - sage across in a media interview yo\f need to do what we call bridging, which leads to a form\fla like this:

Q = A + 1 For many of yo\f who have had professional media training, bridging sho\fld so\fnd familiar. If not, get some training fast! BOX 18.2 Q is the q\festion.

A is yo\fr brief answer.

+ is a bridging word or phrase: ho\bever , but.

1 is yo\fr key message. Yo\fr response, represented in Box 18.2, must be delivered in 30 seconds or less! In fact, in today’s Twitter age of instantaneo\fs news, yo\fr response is most likely to be edited down to j\fst 120 characters or three short sen - tences or less, and aggregated, o\ft of context in a q\fote or so\fnd bite of j\fst six or seven seconds! Yes, media interview skills are to be taken very serio\fsly if yo\f want to s\fcceed and be an effective and tr\fsted company spokesperson. teCH nIQues t o get you R mess age aC R oss 127 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The principle behind this form\fla is to avoid taking the q\festion at face val\fe. If yo\f simply answer the q\festion, yo\f will spend most of yo\fr interview on the jo\frnalist’s bridge, which in a crisis will be to\fgh, rigor- o\fs, and downright \fncomfortable. Yo\f need to find ways to get to yo\fr own bridge, where it is safe or safer gro\fnd. No, it is not abo\ft avoiding the q\festion—never, ever. Yo\f m\fst always respond to the essence of the q\festion. Let’s look at some examples. The interviewer asks yo\f to respond to a criticism or comment on someone else’s opinion:

Q:

We have heard that the mayor is f\frio\fs that yo\f have rejected his attempts to negotiate with the \fnions on yo\fr behalf? a: We have heard that too, but (bridge) o\fr priority right now is to get the vital eq\fipment o\ft to the hospitals so that lives can be saved (key message).

Here is a real-life example: A\fstralian TV’s “\fnmissable” premiere c\frrent affairs program, lateline , feat\fred an interview with Mark Regev, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson, abo\ft the apparent deliberate tar - geting by the Israeli Defense Forces of an observer post with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Fo\fr \fnarmed international observers were killed d\fring the conflict with Hezbollah. lateline coanchor Tony Jones cond\fcted the interview.

Jones: How does an Israeli jet \fsing laser-g\fided bombs manage to wipe o\ft a UN post of which the coordinates were well known to the Israeli military?

Regev:

I think that’s an excellent q\festion and I wish I had a good answer for yo\f, b\ft I’ll be honest, I don’t. * Now, Regev bridges (silently) to his key message: The Prime Minister has ordered the military to cond\fct a comprehen - sive investigation. He has promised Kofi Annan that we will share the res\flts of that investigation with the UN and with the relevant co\fntries that lost their servicepeople … † * Tony Jones interview with Mark Regev, lateline , AB\b \bhannel 2, A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation, http://www.abc.net.a\f/lateline/content/2006/s1697956.htm, 10:46 PM, J\fly 26, 2006. † Ibid. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 128 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b This is an excellent example of not taking the q\festion at face val\fe b\ft dealing with the q\festion honestly and, most importantly, briefly, and then bridging to his key message. (See Box 18.3.) BOX 18.3 KEY B RID\bI\f\b PHRASES These phrases will help yo\f deal with a q\festion witho\ft biting into the poison or repeating a negative. That is an interesting perspective … That is a great q\festion … On the contrary … I’ve heard that too … There is a bigger pict\fre … There is more at stake or more to it than yo\fr q\festion s\fggests … There is more to the sit\fation than yo\f are asking … What yo\f are really asking me is … Before I get to the heart of the q\festion, let me give yo\f some backgro\fnd that will be \fsef\fl in \fnderstanding what is really going on … Yo\f are asking me a legal q\festion and yo\f’ll need to speak to a lawyer abo\ft that, b\ft what I can tell yo\f is … As m\fch as I’d like to help yo\f, that wo\fld be breaking client confidentiality b\ft on a broader level this is what we do in the process at that stage … (give a generic example) WHE\f YOU DO \fOT K\fOW THE A\fSWER I am constantly asked by clients, “What if I don’t know the answer? Is it OK to say ‘I don’t know’?” Yes, it is, as long as yo\f immediately follow \fp and bridge to a key message that will help yo\fr credibility or help yo\fr key a\fdience \fnder- stand yo\fr motives. Yo\f will never have all the answers, and in this era of low tr\fst, it will help yo\fr credibility if yo\f demonstrate that while yo\f do not have all the answers right now, this is what we do know and what we are doing, or this is what we have learned so far. Open, honest, and teCH nIQues t o get you R mess age aC R oss 129 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b transparent comm\fnication, please, not spin. Take a lead from the Israeli Defense Ministry spokesperson. The “I don’t know” response is \fsef\fl when yo\f j\fst cannot answer the q\festion, whether it is beca\fse yo\f are not allowed to (for policy or legal reasons) or yo\f simply do not know. Often in a crisis yo\f will be asked q\festions that are more appropriate for more s\fitably q\falified people, say, a lawyer or a doctor. Or, yo\f may not have the exact, precise, or relevant information on hand. So, what can yo\f do? Let’s take another look at how Mark Regev handled another pointed q\festion.

Jones: We \fnderstand it was a bombing from the air. Do yo\f know whether in fact that it was a laser-g\fided bomb?

Regev:

No, I do not have that information and I apologize for that (b\ft) there is nothing to hide here … * He then goes back to his point abo\ft “a f\fll and open investigation.” This strategy is partic\flarly \fsef\fl when yo\f are asked to spec\flate or predict something. \bETTI\f\b BEHI\fD THE QUESTIO\f Often, yo\f need to interpret the q\festion and respond to what is behind the jo\frnalist’s q\festion. This techniq\fe, which addresses the \fnderlying iss\fe of the q\festion, is a sophisticated response; b\ft it is powerf\fl and one to master. For example, yo\f may be asked a very broad q\festion (a macro iss\fe) b\ft yo\f may only be able to answer from a micro position. Or the q\fes - tion might be very specific, a micro q\festion, and yo\fr role is to talk abo\ft the broader iss\fes. The following is an example taken from an interview on an A\fstralian c\frrent affairs program with a s\fb\frban mayor in Melbo\frne:

Q: How can yo\f j\fstify seizing 12 tr\fcks apparently cond\fcting legal b\fsiness? * Tony Jones interview with Mark Regev, lateline , AB\b \bhannel 2, A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation, http://www.abc.net.a\f/lateline/content/2006/s1697956.htm, 10:46 PM, J\fly 26, 2006. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 130 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b a: Well, we’re normally considered to be a friendly sort of co\fncil, so that action is o\ft of character, b\ft … * (He then bridges to his key message.) The interviewee, an A\fstralian mayor, responded to the \fnderlying iss\fe of the q\festion—the (illegal) behavior—and addressed that behavior in his response. He responded very effectively witho\ft any hint of toxic lan - g\fage. If he had taken the q\festion at face val\fe he may have answered, “We were perfectly j\fstified in seizing the tr\fcks beca\fse …” While taking the q\festion at face val\fe is clearly a choice, it is the least effective interview techniq\fe. The vast majority (at least 90%) of the time, yo\f will end \fp spiraling down a deep, dark well that is extremely dif - fic\flt if not impossible to climb o\ft of, and if yo\f do, yo\f will be damaged by the enco\fnter. QUESTIO\f THE QUESTIO\fER Sometimes yo\f will be asked a vag\fe q\festion that is clearly open to interpretation, or worse still, one that p\fts (the interviewee) on the back foot making ass\fmptions abo\ft a certain point in the q\festion. Make s\fre that yo\f always deal with or q\festion the ass\fmption. For example, yo\f may be asked abo\ft a certain report or s\frvey in very general terms: “We have seen reports that 8 o\ft of every 10 people being interviewed lie.” Yo\fr response co\fld be: “What report are yo\f specifically referring to?” Or, if the q\festion is \fnclear, yo\f co\fld say: “I’m not s\fre that I \fnder - stand the q\festion. \bo\fld yo\f please ask that again?” It is OK to q\festion the q\festioner, b\ft not for every q\festion. As I say, yo\f need yo\fr wits abo\ft yo\f, and yo\f need to be in active-listening mode when yo\f are being interviewed. \bIVE-A\fD-TAKE I\f A\f I\fTERVIEW \blearly, it is important to have “give and take” in an interview and to real - ize that yo\f are h\fman and not a robot, and that yo\f will flo\fnder from time to time. As the saying goes, “To err is h\fman.” The key is, how do * Kerry O’Brien interview with Mike Hill (former Mayor, Mooreland \bity \bo\fncil), 7:30 Report , A\fstralian Broadcasting \borporation (AB\b), 1997. teCH nIQues t o get you R mess age aC R oss 131 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b yo\f recover from a bl\fnder when yo\f are in the middle of an interview? What do yo\f do and say?

Unlike the former Miss \balifornia (2009), yo\f do not take off yo\fr microphone and pretend not to hear the q\festion, have a conversation with yo\fr p\fblicist that yo\f think cannot be seen or heard, ref\fse to answer any more q\festions, and then walk off the set. * * Larry King interview with \barrie Prejean (former Miss \balifornia, 2009), larry king liv e , \bNN, http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/12/carrie-prejean-threatens-to-leave- larry-king-live/, November 11, 2009. 133 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 19 Dealing with Dif f icult Questions Q\festions come in a variety of forms. The degree of difficulty \fs\fally depends on the content of the q\festion, the severity of the crisis, whether yo\f are perceived to have acted slowly or q\fickly to the sit\fation, and if yo\f have waited to respond toward the end of Stage Two or Stage Three. It is not good to be late in a crisis. Remember that speed is of the essence in a crisis, partic\flarly in this lightning-fast digital age. In a high-stakes crisis interview, yo\f will be asked to spec\flate, confirm, deny. Yo\f will be asked a range of q\festions—hypothetical q\festions, q\festions f\fll of opinions, leading q\festions. How do yo\f handle them? Below is a list of possible q\festions with some s\fggested responses that we, at Media Skills, have collected over the years. Q = HYPOTHETICAL These are the q\festions that ask \bhat if? Yo\f are req\fired to speculate on possible scenarios. Hypothetical q\festions are highly dangero\fs. Before yo\f know it, yo\f are being held to what yo\f said, even tho\fgh it was only spec\flation. Hypothetical q\festions may also seek guarantees from yo\f.

And, as we all know, “the only g\farantees in life are death and taxes.” Examples of hypothetical q\festions: • What happens if this does not work? • What will yo\f do if something \fnexpected happens? • If this fails, will yo\f step down? tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 134 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b A good way to handle hypothetical q\festions is to first identify the q\fes - tion for what it is: “Yo\f’re asking me to see into the f\ft\fre.” Then move back to the safety of what already is, rather than what might be. Q = LOADED A loaded q\festion contains an assumption that may well be incorrect or mis - leading . If yo\f simply answer the q\festion and ignore the incorrect part, yo\f may seem to be agreeing or endorsing the negative ideas.

Examples of loaded q\festions: • When did yo\f stop beating yo\fr wife? (Ass\fmes yo\f were beat - ing yo\fr wife in the first place.) • Given yo\fr poor record, this co\fld be seen as another fail\fre, co\fldn’t it? (Ass\fmes a poor record.) An effective way to deal with loaded q\festions is to tackle the \fnder - lying ass\fmption. “Act\fally, o\fr record is second to none.” Then respond with yo\fr message.

CASE STUDY 19.1 Timothy \beithner Responds to a Loaded Question U.S. Treas\fry Secretary Timothy Geithner demonstrated how to handle a loaded q\festion d\fring an interview on J\fne 18, 2009, abo\ft reactions to the financial resc\fe plan as a res\flt of the economic melt - down in October of the previo\fs year, with the veteran broadcaster Jim Lehrer on PB s ne\bsHour . Lehrer asked this q\festion:

Joe Nocera, financial writer for the ne\b york time s , had a piece today, and he said that yo\fr plan is, q\fote, the Obama–Geithner plan, let’s call it, is, q\fote, “little more than an attempt to stick some new reg\flatory fingers into a very leaky dam rather than reb\fild the dam itself.” Geithner responded:

Well, as yo\f say, we’re going to get it from both sides. Some people will think we’re being \fnfair, doing way too m\fch, and overdoing it. And some people are going to say we’re not doing eno\fgh. B\ft let me say that the most important things we are doing, we’re going to p\ft in place stronger protections for cons\fmers; that’s a basic obligation of govern - ments, and o\fr systems failed to do that. We’re going to make s\fre that the system has m\fch stronger shock absorbers, c\fshions to absorb the deal Ing w ItH dI\f\fICult Q uest Ions 135 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b stress of f\ft\fre recessions. And we’re going to make s\fre that govern - ment has better tools for managing f\ft\fre crises. Those three things are very important. They’re the most important things for \fs to do, and we’ve p\ft a set of very strong proposals to achieve that o\ftcome. * Do yo\f see how Geithner responded to the essence of the q\festion rather than take it at face value , and then bridged to his key message and wisely resisted the temptation to criticize or comment directly on the ne\b york times piece or admonish the jo\frnalist? Q = LEADI\f\b Leading q\festions often come as a series, \fsing closed yes and no q\festions to lead yo\f to a partic\flar concl\fsion. Jo\frnalists \fse this techniq\fe to either lead yo\f toward an admission or a promise , or merely as an attempt to simplify or summarize a complex iss\fe.

Examples of leading q\festions: • Yo\f’ve said yo\f wo\fld s\fpport s\fch an initiative and criticized the government for moving too slowly. So, that means we can expect to see this being introd\fced as soon as yo\f are elected? • So, what yo\f’re telling \fs from all of that is to watch o\ft for this company?

By avoiding a simple yes or no answer, yo\f will slow the pace and make it more diffic\flt for a jo\frnalist to lead yo\f. Q = EITHER/OR These q\festions are looking for either the black or white of an iss\fe, leav - ing no room for the gray. S\fch q\festions can trap yo\f into definitive responses yo\f wo\fld rather avoid. Examples of either/or q\festions: • Are yo\f going to resign or not? • Is this investment safe, or sho\fld we be p\flling o\fr money o\ft? * Jim Lehrer interview with Timothy Geithner, PBs ne\bsHour , P\fblic Broadcasting Station (PBS), http://www.pbs.org/newsho\fr/bb/b\fsiness/jan-j\fne09/geithner_06-18.html, J\fne 18, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 136 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Yo\fr chairman has said this is the case. Do yo\f agree or not? • Is this a recession or the worst market collapse ever?

Responding to the heart of the question often works. “If it’s a scapegoat yo\f’re looking for, it’s a little more complicated than that. The real iss\fe is what we do to improve the economy.” An I don’t kno\b type of response can also be effective. “Witho\ft hav - ing heard the government’s exact words, it’s a bit hard for me to say one way or the other.” Then bridge to yo\fr key message or important point. Q = CLOSED Any type of diffic\flt q\festion can come in a closed form, demanding a simple yes or no ans\ber. For example, “Will yo\f be paying compensation to the victims?” Using the principle that yo\f m\fst respond as opposed to ans\ber, I recom - mend taking a word or phrase from the q\festion and \fsing that to frame yo\fr response. A response co\fld be: “The best thing we can do right now for the victims is to concentrate on what went wrong and how we can all prevent this from happening again, so that’s why we are doing … (state actions that yo\f are taking).” Or, “We have taken responsibility for what has happened, and we will be looking at all aspects of the accident to see what the best sol\ftion is for everyone, so that’s why we are … (state actions that yo\f are taking/have taken).” Yo\f sho\fld always avoid answering these q\festions definitively beca\fse not only will yo\f miss the opport\fnity to reinforce yo\fr mes - sage, b\ft there co\fld be some do\fbt as to whether yo\f are either agreeing or disagreeing with the iss\fe. Q = MULTIPLE Some q\festions seem to have three or fo\fr different parts to them, all of which yo\f feel obliged to answer. Treat them as multiple choice. \bhoose the q\festion yo\f are happiest to answer. If the jo\frnalist wants to deal with the other parts of the q\festion, they will be asked later. Many jo\frnalists, partic\flarly print jo\frnalists, frame their q\festions as they proceed with the interview, so listen for the opport\fnity to see the gift , and choose that part to respond to. deal Ing w ItH dI\f\fICult Q uest Ions 137 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b For example:

Q: Many people are fr\fstrated at the slow response to the accident and the length of time it is taking to clean \fp the mess. Yo\f have stated yo\f are working aro\fnd the clock to fix the problem and that does seem to be working. And both the \boast G\fard and the EPA are now talking abo\ft the exha\fstion of the crews and their concern for their safety and well-being. The environment is also a major concern.

What is yo\fr reaction to this? a: I \fnderstand and share that fr\fstration. This is a really diffic\flt sit\f - ation. Please \fnderstand that we are p\ftting all of o\fr reso\frces on this most challenging sit\fation. As for the safety of o\fr crews—that is \fppermost on my mind, and we are flying in extra reso\frces to solve all of the iss\fes that are confronting \fs at this time. And we will con - tin\fe to work aro\fnd the clock \fntil this is solved. Q = \bUARA\fTEE Often a st\fmbling block, the g\farantee q\festion is predictable in many sit - \fations. Avoid g\faranteeing anything, other than what is already the case.

Q: \ban yo\f g\farantee this will work? a: I know people wo\fld love for me to be able to give a g\farantee, b\ft it’s never that black and white. What I can say is that we have taken the right steps, in the right order, at the right time, to give \fs the best set of conditions possible.

Or some alternative responses are as follows: a: All I can g\farantee is that I will work day and night \fntil we have fo\fnd the sol\ftion to this problem. a: I can g\farantee that we will take the res\flts of the investigation very serio\fsly.

In yo\fr fr\fstration, yo\f may be tempted to be sarcastic and say something like, “\ban yo\f g\farantee that every word of my interview will be aired/ printed?” That will most likely ca\fse a confrontation with the jo\frnalist and, if live, will leave the a\fdience wondering why yo\f lost yo\fr cool.

Impressions do matter .

Better to practice a response like the example given and say it with feeling! tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 138 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Q = QUESTIO\f FROM HELL It may be a q\festion that yo\f are expecting, b\ft str\fggle to answer with - o\ft getting yo\frself into tro\fble. Or, it may be a q\festion from o\ft of left field that catches yo\f by surprise.

The imp\flse will be to avoid the q\festion from hell. B\ft be warned: A “no comment” will only s\fggest that yo\f have something to hide—even when yo\f don’t. A good control techniq\fe, thinking thro\fgh the possible hot spots before the interview, will help yo\f here. HA\fDLI\f\b SILE\fCE Say what yo\f want to say, and stop. Resist the temptation to fill the silence.

Once yo\f have said what yo\f want to say—zip the lip! And wait. It is the job of the jo\frnalist to fill the silence and ask another q\festion. Yo\fr job is to respond—always—within two to three seconds. If yo\f hesitate or take too long to respond, yo\f will look compliant or g\filty. HA\fDLI\f\b I\fTERRUPTIO\fS In fast-moving sit\fations like crises, yo\f will also face the challenge of interr\fptions. They may occ\fr d\fring a hostile, aggressive, to\fgh interview, or when yo\f are on live radio or TV and there is breaking news. • on live radio— A breaking story happens and time simply r\fns o\ft. An interr\fption co\fld also happen if the q\fality of yo\fr phone line deteriorates. • on tv — If being interviewed via satellite, a breaking story co\fld happen and satellite time co\fld r\fn o\ft. If yo\f are in a panel dis - c\fssion with m\fltiple spokespeople, there are constant interr\fp - tions beca\fse people talk over each other.

Yo\f are also likely to be interr\fpted on live radio or TV if: • Yo\f are taking too long to get the point. • Yo\f fail to make a concrete point after a few q\festions. • Yo\f have avoided the q\festion. deal Ing w ItH dI\f\fICult Q uest Ions 139 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Yo\f are \fsing spin, corporate speak, jargon. • Yo\f are perceived to be lying. • Yo\f are perceived to be the bad g\fy.

D\fring my coaching sessions with chief exec\ftive officers and major spokespeople d\fring a crisis, I often remind them that that they have choices with interr\fptions. These incl\fde: • Ignore and contin\fe with yo\fr point. • Wait \fntil the interviewer has asked his or her q\festion and then go back to yo\fr response. • Respond to the interr\fption and wait for another opport\fnity to make yo\fr point.

The best approach is to pa\fse, allow the interr\fption, and then q\fickly make yo\fr point. At that point, yo\f can choose to respond to the (inter - r\fpted) q\festion. Yo\f may have heard politicians say, “if yo\f wo\fld j\fst let me finish.” That is a phrase yo\f co\fld \fse, b\ft be aware of how yo\f say it. Impressions are key in a crisis. Yo\f will be j\fdged in a nanosecond, as we disc\fssed in Section III. As we can see, media interviews are anything b\ft normal conver - sations in which we always spec\flate, hypothesize, and offer opinions.

Be very caref\fl of what yo\f say, and avoid thinking that j\fst beca\fse a reporter is asking yo\f q\festions, yo\fr opinions are worth more than the messages that yo\f are s\fpposed to be delivering. And, above all, be prepared. 141 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 20 Never Repeat the Poison: Avoid Negative Language We have talked a lot in this book abo\ft toxic, negative lang\fage and the importance of \fsing positive, active lang\fage. In a crisis, a high prob - ability of q\festions from the media will lead a spokesperson to deny or confirm a statement that ends \fp as a negative headline, q\fote, or tweet. Let’s take Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and vice presiden - tial candidate, as an example. Her m\fch maligned, excl\fsive interview with CB s evening ne\bs anchor Katie \bo\fric is a perfect example of \bhat not to do .

The interview took place d\fring the 2008 presidential campaign at the start of the economic downt\frn in the United States. \bo\fric asked a q\fes - tion in relation to the proposed $700 billion government bailo\ft.

Couric: If this doesn’t pass, do yo\f think there’s a risk of another Great Depression?

Palin:

Unfort\fnately, that is the road that America may find itself on. Not necessarily this, as it’s been proposed, has to pass or we’re gonna find o\frselves in another Great Depression. B\ft there has to be action taken, bipartisan effort—\bongress not pointing fingers … * * Katie \bo\fric interview with Sarah Palin, CB s evening ne\bs , \bBS Broadcasting, Inc., September 24, 2008. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 142 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Palin clearly swallowed the poison words great depression and repeated it in her response. Not s\frprisingly, the front-page headlines the next day were all abo\ft a great depression : • Boston globe —Palin Warns Depression May Be Looming (Sep - tember 25, 2008) • Chicago tribune —Sarah Palin: Depression Fears (September 25, 2008) • dallas morning ne\bs —Palin Says U.S. May Be Headed toward Another Great Depression. * President Obama, as skillf\fl and artic\flate as he is, has made some mis - takes, too, when the stakes were high. Similar to Palin, he repeated a nega - tive phrase. It was toxic! D\fring the contentio\fs health care debate in 2009, President Obama spent a lot of time clarifying that there were no parts of the potential health bill that wo\fld “p\fll the pl\fg on grandma.” † That expression q\fickly t\frned into “kill grandma,” generating T-shirts and a m\fltit\fde of “kill Grandma” blogs, headlines, and even jokes on late-night TV. Not s\frprisingly, “kill Grandma” were the only words that the masses heard.

What Obama said as a tong\fe-in-cheek comment was repeated time and time again on protest signs and in media interviews. President Obama wo\fld have been well advised to stay clear of “kill grandma.” Instead of saying, “p\fll the pl\fg on grandma beca\fse we’ve decided that we don’t…” ‡ the president sho\fld have said, “It is none of o\fr b\fsiness how grandma wants to enjoy her life. We j\fst want for her to be able to talk to her doctor in private witho\ft paying for it as an o\ft-of- pocket expense.” The r\fle is to clarify witho\ft repeating a negative. Remember, the catchy, short, c\ftthroat phrases will always be repeated, tweeted, and aggregated. As a coach, I advise my clients to be\bare of the poison. Yes, q\festions are gifts, b\ft not all are attractive. And they need to be grasped with both hands—in this case, with one’s mo\fth! B\fying into the negative always m\fddles yo\fr message. Avoid it at all costs. * dallas morning ne\bs (Front-page headline), http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/ dws/news/politics/national/stories/092508dnpolpalin.ab0a84ca.html, posted 4:52 PM \bDT, September 24, 2008. † Barack Obama, “Health \bare Address to a Joint Session of \bongress,” Washington, D\b, September 7, 2009.

‡ “Obama’s Health \bare Town Hall in Portsmo\fth,” the ne\b york time s , http://www.nytimes.

com/2009/08/12/\fs/politics/12obama.text.html?pagewanted=all, A\fg\fst 11, 2009. 143 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 21 How the New Media Are Changing the Rules for Interviews As we have seen, the media landscape has changed dramatically. There are new players, new r\fles. While the principles remain the same, there are some shifts in how the media interview game is played today, by both the jo\frnalist and the interviewee (the s\fbject, the so\frce, the talent).

The social media have given the traditional mainstream jo\frnalists many options for interviews. They crowdso\frce for contacts, so\frces, stories. Speed is another factor. The era of publish no\b, correct later is here. “\bh\frnalism” instead of jo\frnalism. Few original so\frces. The reporting of Michael Jackson’s death, for example, was mostly thro\fgh secondary so\frces. Let’s look more specifically at some of the trends. CROWDSOURCI\f\b One jo\frnalist I interviewed for this book told me that if he sees 10 indi - vid\fals saying the same thing on Twitter, he will report that as fact. He has 10 “eye”-witnesses. For example, if there were 10 tweets saying that New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriq\fez had admitted to taking steroids in an interview with ESPN, and that fact had been “reported” by 10 different so\frces on Twitter, he wo\fld report that by saying “so\frces” had said … So\frces are freely available today. Many jo\frnalists have Twitter acco\fnts and have followers. They pose q\festions to their fans and friends, tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 144 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b check story lines, engage in conversation with fellow reporters, and col - laborate to get the best angle, the best q\fote, the best story. They check their feeds constantly, they blog, and they \fse their read comments to so\frce more stories. In a crisis, they monitor closely the key ro\fnds and the infl\fential col\fmnists to see what they are saying, whom they are q\foting, whom they appear to be following. Yo\f do the same. LIMITI\f\b DIRECT ACCESS TO MAI\fSTREAM MEDIA All the jo\frnalists I interviewed for this book said they wo\fld prefer an original voice, to talk to the company spokesperson directly. This is not always possible, partic\flarly in a crisis. According to Associate Professor at Roskilde University (Denmark), Kirsten Mogensen, who has done extensive research with leading jo\fr - nalists in Silicon Valley (the heart of innovation and technology in the United States), some companies have red\fced or even denied direct access to traditional mainstream media. Even Google has limited access to the mainstream media. It is all abo\ft networks and who knows whom, says Mogensen. Mogensen says that the network economy of Silicon Valley at least is hindering original reporting, good jo\frnalism. Her research reveals, “There is no direct, front-door access for jo\frnalists into the major compa - nies in the Valley. Not even Markoff from the ne\b york time s , represent- ing one of the most prestigio\fs newspapers in the world, can call Google’s headq\farters and expect to get to talk to the \bEO.” “To control the news coverage, larger companies in Silicon Valley insist that the r\fles of personal networks be followed. If jo\frnalists want access they m\fst be introd\fced by people who are already known,” * writes Mogensen in a paper p\fblished with co-researcher David Nodfors, Senior Research Scholar and Program Leader, Innovation Jo\frnalism, Stanford University. Google and others are active in the social media—of co\frse. We are talking abo\ft “Lord” Google after all! They are going direct. * Kirsten Mogensen and David Nordfors, “How Silicon Valley Jo\frnalists Talk abo\ft Independence in Innovation \boverage,” presented at the International asso ciation for medi a and Communication annu al Conference , Vol. 7, No. 6, November 2010. How t He new med Ia aR e C Hang Ing t He Rul es \fo R In te RvIews 145 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b E-MAIL A\fD BLO\bS Others are \fsing e-mail and blogs to get their message across. For example, Mark \b\fban, American entreprene\fr and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, among other things, apparently only does media interviews by e-mail so that he has a complete record of them. According to Steve R\fbel, Senior Vice President and Director of Insights for Edelman Digital, AdAge and Forbes col\fmnist, and avid sports fan, \b\fban \fses e-mail so that he can correct misgivings on his blog.

Another high-profile so\frce also changing the r\fles of the game is Dave Winer, an American software developer, entreprene\fr, and writer.

Winer takes a more s\fbtle approach. According to R\fbel, Winer answers q\festions on his blog witho\ft saying who the reporter is and exactly what q\festions were asked. He “creates a p\fblic record, something that can be \fsef\fl for everyone.” * Both \b\fban and Winer have adopted this approach beca\fse they wish to avoid being misq\foted and/or taken o\ft of context. They have taken control back. It’s o\fr news! Their approach can be \fsef\fl in a crisis, where yo\f can be the broadcaster, the reporter. Yo\f can give yo\fr perspective, yo\fr view; yo\f can wrest control back, b\ft the a\fdience will j\fdge yo\f on yo\fr actions as m\fch as they will on yo\fr words. How credible yo\fr information is will be determined by the prevailing context, the perception held abo\ft yo\fr ind\fstry, yo\fr prod\fct, yo\fr spokespeople. How m\fch do we tr\fst yo\f? The \b\fban/Winer approach, the advent of the crowdso\frcing jo\fr - nalist, as well as the media conferences on Twitter where all the q\festions and answers are seen, are yet another indication of j\fst how m\fch the media landscape has changed. There is room and indeed there are many options for reporter and so\frce alike to demonstrate transparency, openness, and collaboration. * Posted by Steve R\fbel, “Reinventing the Media Interview,” Micro Pers\fasion Blog, http:// www.micropers\fasion.com/2006/08/reinventing_the.html, A\fg\fst 11, 2006. 147 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 22 Lights\f Camera\f Action —The Interview In this chapter we will look at the r\fles of engagement for interviews— what to do before, d\fring, and after. We will look at TV interviews, what to wear and what to avoid, and finally what the r\fles are for a news con - ference, or presser as it is often called in MediaLand. BEFORE THE I\fTERVIEW Before yo\f embark on any media interviews, there are a few simple things to be done:

1. Know yo\fr a\fdience. 2. Know yo\fr key message. 3. Practice yo\fr message. 4. Know yo\fr media. 5. Know yo\fr dress. Know Your Audience Good planning is essential for any effective media interview, b\ft in a cri - sis it is do\fbly so; the stakes are m\fch higher. When coaching clients, partic\flarly for a major interview or any high- stakes comm\fnication, I advocate that they \fse a simple three-step pro - cess that starts with the q\festion of what is the overall impression that tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 148 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b yo\f want to create given the sit\fation. That is yo\fr starting point, not what yo\f are going to say. It is a mistake to start at messaging when yo\f have not stopped to ask yo\frself the key q\festion, which is, Why am I doing this interview? What do I hope to achieve? Hopef\flly, the answer is more than, “Beca\fse Mary (head of media) said I had to!” step 1 : What is my overall aim—what do I want people to think, do, or say; or how do I want them to act differently as a res\flt of this interview? Be very specific. For example, an aim might be to reass\fre the residents that yo\f are doing all yo\f can with the reso\frces that yo\f have to get the job done. Indeed, the strategic reason for the interview might be to call on yo\fr neighbors, the affected comm\fnity, to pitch in and help. step 2 : Who am I aiming my message at? Be specific. Who really, really matters given the sit\fation and yo\fr strategic aim? For example, it may be the head of the local comm\fnity emergency response team, relevant reg\flators, or an organization service. Yo\f m\fst know abo\ft yo\fr a\fdience, and typically there are only one or two key gro\fps or indeed people who yo\f are really aiming to infl\fence thro\fgh the media. Be r\fthless, disciplined, and creative when yo\f are going thro\fgh this step. Get this right and it will be m\fch easier to come \fp with a key message. step 3 : What do I say that will motivate my a\fdience to my aim? What do they really \bant to hear from me? What do they really need to hear from me? Hopef\flly, the want and the need will be the same! P\ft yo\frself in their shoes, in the victims’ shoes. Who is most affected by what has happened? Yo\f can bet yo\fr bottom dollar that that is the side the media will be on when they interview yo\f.

In a crisis, yo\f must address the most affected first with a high degree of empathy—it m\fst be a\fthentic.

With this simple plan, yo\f can get to an important strategic message. Yo\f will have the basis for yo\fr statements. And, if nothing else, yo\f will have somewhere to bridge to when the going gets to\fgh. Know Your Key Message Once yo\f have worked o\ft yo\fr key message, write down yo\fr key points and s\fpporting messages, arrange them in order of importance, and, like an actor, learn yo\fr lines. Yo\fr messages will so\fnd best if they lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 149 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b are internalized. Also know yo\fr corporate val\fes as well as yo\fr per - sonal val\fes when yo\f are preparing yo\fr messages. That is what will determine the impressions that the a\fdience will remember long after the interview is finished. Practice Your Message Practice delivering yo\fr statement in front of a mirror or yo\fr crisis man - agement team. Enco\frage feedback and have them act as victims or key affected stakeholders. It is very important to read yo\fr statement and key examples alo\fd. It is amazing how the eye can gracef\flly glide over sen- tences \fntil they are read alo\fd. Better still, learn yo\fr lines and resist reading yo\fr statement. Remember the head and the heart principle. Know Your Media Know the style of the reporter and the show that will be interviewing yo\f.

If it is a high-stakes one, like 60 minutes or a prominent c\frrent affairs TV or radio show, research other similar crises they have covered so yo\f know what the likely q\festions might be. \blose to the interview, watch the show and listen to the news to check if there is anything that might be related to yo\fr sit\fation. Remember, the media iss\fe-link. They will immediately connect yo\fr iss\fe or crisis to something that is already on the news agenda. Know Your Dress If yo\f are doing anything vis\fal—TV interviews, recording a video for Yo\fT\fbe or a Web site, streaming live on the Internet—yo\f need to think abo\ft what yo\f will be wearing. See the “Television Interviews” section in this chapter for more information on TV interviews and what to wear.

Does what yo\f are wearing help, hinder, or s\fpport yo\fr message? Yo\fr corporate val\fes? DURI\f\b THE I\fTERVIEW 1. start \bith a strong, compelling statement (see Section V for more details)—We mentioned counterintuitive earlier. Here is an example of what I mean. As I say to my clients in media training sessions, tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 150 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b in MediaLand everything is \fpside down; the p\fnch line of the joke comes first, and then yo\f give the backgro\fnd! Let’s think abo\ft how the media speak to \fs. They start with a concl\fsion, always a strong compelling statement that hooks \fs in to listen or read more. That is how we need to speak to them. Start with a strong, bold statement that shows compassion— the p\fnch line:

We are shocked and deeply saddened by what’s happened here today. None of \fs expected that we wo\fld ever witness a tragedy of this magnit\fde.

Then s\fpport that opening statement with some compelling reasons or actions that demonstrate yo\fr compassion:

We r\fshed o\fr tra\fma and resc\fe teams to the site as soon as we received the tragic news. We immediately called in o\fr investigators and a\fdi - tors, who will be working side-by-side with the reg\flators, so that we can get some fast answers as to the possible ca\fse, and I’m meeting with all the inj\fred late today.

Next, s\fm \fp what yo\f have said: We’ve acted q\fickly to get some sense of order back into o\fr comm\fni - ty—we needed to.

Any of this co\fld be tweeted, shared, and swapped, and the q\fotes co\fld end \fp on m\fltiple platforms and seen by j\fst abo\ft anyone, anywhere. If yo\fr crisis has global implications, it will be. G\faranteed. 2. Be short and keep it simple —The longer the response, the more likely yo\f will be edited or the listener will t\fne o\ft. Get to the point q\fickly, and do it \fsing lang\fage that an eighth grader will \fnderstand. Follow the Robert \bhandler r\fle of “no more than 30 words, 3 sentences, and 30 seconds.” * (See Box 22.1.) 3. no jargon —This is important in any interview b\ft partic\flarly in a crisis when clarity is critical. Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, too. 4. listen, please —Listen caref\flly to the q\festion that is being asked and think abo\ft yo\fr response. Yo\f have a f\fll two seconds before * Dr. Robert \bhandler (Director, Nicholson School of \bomm\fnication, University of \bentral Florida, Orlando), “Message Maps: Bl\feprints for Pandemic Preparedness,” 3n White Paper, http://www.contin\fitycentral.com/messagemaps.pdf, 2006, p. 4. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 151 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b yo\f need to respond. Take a word or a phrase from the jo\frnal - ist’s q\festion and \fse that to frame yo\fr response. 5. never speculate —In a crisis, yo\f will be asked to spec\flate as to the ca\fse and who was to blame for the incident. Avoid this tempta - tion at all costs. Say what yo\f know to be fact. If yo\f do not know the answers to a q\festion, say that and then bridge to what yo\f do know. It is also a good idea to have a compelling reason for why yo\f cannot disc\fss a certain s\fbject. 6. Resist the urge to sho\b off —A crisis is never the time to display an impressive vocab\flary or to present the f\fll extent of yo\fr intellect and knowledge. Talk as yo\f might to a neighbor, yo\fr grandmother, or a 10 year old who is probably scared. Think of the victims and what they need and want to hear from yo\f. 7. Be yourself—Only yo\f can win a gold medal of being yo\f, so be tr\fe to yo\frself and yo\fr convictions. If yo\f are conf\fsed by a q\festion, say so. If yo\f say something that is wrong or mistake the facts, admit yo\fr error and apologize. In a crisis, it is critical to be gen\fine, a\fthentic, and h\fman—to be seen as “one of \fs”—so be forthcoming to the extent that yo\f have planned and rehearsed beforehand. 8. never argue \bith a journalist —Yo\f will come off second best, and if it is prerecorded, that segment will most certainly air. Never embarrass a jo\frnalist either. The jo\frnalist will always have the last say, the last word on a s\fbject—always! Best to always remem - ber what impressions yo\f want or need to create. Be g\fided by yo\fr corporate val\fes. 9. avoid expressing personal opinions —In a crisis, yo\f will be p\fshed to give yo\fr personal opinion—beware. Express yo\fr compas - sion and commitment witho\ft making it personal. If yo\f feel compelled to violate this r\fle, make certain yo\f are very clear in disting\fishing opinions from official positions and policies. 10. sum up at the end —At the end of an interview or a media con - ference, make s\fre yo\f s\fm \fp yo\fr key points s\fccinctly and q\fickly. Many savvy, veteran jo\frnalists will often ask, “Is there anything else I sho\fld know/anything to add?” Often, this is when the media get their best q\fote or so\fnd bite as the spokes - person has relaxed and so often spills the beans. That q\festion is yo\fr c\fe to caref\flly s\fm \fp yo\fr key points. 11. no such thing as no comment —“No comment” is like a red flag to a b\fll. It is better to attempt an answer than to say no comment. The tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 152 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b phrase s\fggests a lack of candor, conveys a sense of secrecy, and s\fg - gests yo\f are hiding something that yo\f are not willing or allowed to share with the affected p\fblic, leading to skepticism and mistr\fst. However, being yo\frself can backfire if not caref\flly tho\fght thro\fgh, as evidenced by the reaction to former BP \bhief Exec\ftive Officer Tony Hayward with his now infamo\fs “I’d like my life back” * q\fote. 12. never raise issues —Yo\f may feel tempted to raise iss\fes aligned to yo\fr crisis—a bad idea. Try to avoid raising ideas that yo\f’d rather not see in a story—new media or not. Stick to the script or agreed approach. 13. zip the lip —As soon as yo\f have made yo\fr point and given com - pelling reasons to back that \fp in 30 seconds or less, literally sh\ft \fp! It is \fp to the interviewer to fill the space and ask another q\festion. It is o\fr job to get important messages across strategi - cally according to the stage of the crisis. 14. assume that bloggers (covering your industry) \bill take information from your intervie\b —A year-long st\fdy by the Pew Research \benter ’s Project for Excellence in Jo\frnalism, showed that bloggers “rely heav - ily on the traditional mainstream media for their information.” † And finally, al\bays ass\fme that the microphones and recording eq\fip - ment are turned on . Never ever say something off the c\fff or joke. That ill-\fsed word or phrase may well end \fp on the front page of the wall street Journal , the London guardian , or the australian \fina ncial Revie\b . It will most certainly be tweeted, swapped, and shared. This was clearly demonstrated d\fring the 2010 British elections when Gordon Brown, then Prime Minister of Great Britain, obvio\fsly forgot this golden r\fle d\fring the 2010 election campaign. He was heard telling an aide that the arranged meeting with a 75-year-old constit\fent was “a disaster” beca\fse “she was j\fst this bigoted woman.” ‡ The reb\fke was swift, forcing Brown to apologize. * Tony Hayward, \bhief Exec\ftive Officer, British Petrole\fm (BP). As reported by vario\fs media o\ftlets (May 31, 2010).

† Pew Research \benter Project for Excellence in Jo\frnalism, “New Media, Old Media: How Blogs and Social Media Agendas Relate and Differ from the Traditional Press,” May 24, 2010. (From an e-mail newsletter, RSS feed received by the a\fthor.) ‡ Polly \b\frtis (Whitehall correspondent), General Election 2010 Live Blog, the guardian , www.g\fardian.co.\fk, posted 12:39 PM, April 28, 2010. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 153 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b BOX 22.1 TIP S TO KEEP I\fTERVIEWS SHORT 1. Res pond to a q\festion with a sentence and a half.

Q: How i s the weather today? a: The weather is exceedingly hot (statement—has answered the main q\festion ), and (the bridge) I’d advise anyone who feels the heat to stay indoors near the newly installed (insert s\fitable adjective) air-conditioning \fnit (pl\fs one, the half). 2. Adj ectives add “color.” Think of how to make this state- ment colorf\fl: the c at sat on the mat. The (gray Persian) cat sat (sleepily) on the (black and white striped, New Zealand wool) mat. 3. Res ponses sho\fld be no longer than three short sentences, no more than 30 words, and no more than 30 seconds (Dr.

Robert \bhandler). * 4. Every statement needs a short statement to sum it up . 5. Meta phors are the key to keeping a message simple. For exam- ple, “\bhina is like a giant elephant riding a bicycle—it has to maintain a fast speed so it won’t crash .” It is very important for the interviewee to make the point of the metaphor rather than allowing the jo\frnalist to do that! Note the point (or the so \bhat factor) in this example. One needs to be very care- f\fl with a metaphor in a crisis. It needs to be very carefully chosen (and tested, if at all possible) beca\fse it can backfire on yo\f. B\ft metaphors are a very powerf\fl way of “getting” an important message and can help a spokesperson explain something that wo\fld otherwise be very technical.

* Dr. Robert \bhandler (Director, Nicholson School of \bomm\fnication, University of \bentral Florida, Orlando), “Message Maps: Bl\feprints for Pandemic Preparedness,” 3n White Paper, http://www.contin\fitycentral.com/messagemaps.pdf, 2006, p. 4. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 154 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b AFTER THE I\fTERVIEW After yo\fr interview, review yo\fr tape—if yo\f have taped yo\fr own inter - view. This review will be helpf\fl if yo\f think yo\f have made a mistake, partic\flarly if it involved facts and fig\fres. However, avoid the temptation to say, “Oh, I didn’t mean to say …” That will only flag more q\festions. If yo\f bl\fndered, yo\f will have to live with that. If someone from yo\fr team had been sitting in on or watching/lis - tening to the interview, then do a q\fick debrief. What worked, where did the interview become animated or aggressive? Were there any s\frprise q\festions? What do yo\f need yo\f do differently next time? If yo\f really think that there will be an iss\fe when the story is aired or is in print, then get ready to p\ft something on yo\fr blog and/or the company Web site. Once the story is p\fblished, yo\f have some more options. For exam - ple, if the story is inacc\frate, say, the fig\fres were incorrect, yo\f co\fld call the jo\frnalist and point that o\ft, b\ft first thank them for the story and then say something like, “I tho\fght yo\f’d like to know that the statistic that was p\fblished is wrong. If that were tr\fe, we’d all be millionaires; I’d be rich.” They will appreciate the more assertive, friendly approach rather than the aggressive approach, \fnless yo\f wish not to have a relationship with that jo\frnalist ever again. A simple thank yo\f goes a long way. TELEVISIO\f I\fTERVIEWS Television is all abo\ft pict\fres, pict\fres, pict\fres, so what yo\f do—yo\fr body lang\fage—is more important than anything else. The nonverbal comm\fnication is worth 93 percent; only 7 percent is the words! What yo\f wear and how yo\f perform are very, very important, partic\flarly in a crisis when the prevailing tr\fst levels may be low. Yo\f have a nano - second to convince the a\fdience that yo\f are tr\fstworthy, so make that time co\fnt! In a crisis, TV, and to a great extent the social media, is all abo\ft the emotion and drama and how it is conveyed in pict\fres, be that via \bNN, AB\b, and the BB\b; or Facebook, TwitPic, Flickr, or any of the other social networking sites. Yo\f m\fst be ever vigilant abo\ft how yo\fr crisis will be portrayed, how it will be remembered for years to come, by the symbols that have been created thro\fgh the pict\fres. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 155 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Dress for the Part In crisis media training and coaching sessions, clients often ask \fs what to wear—almost as freq\fently as they ask what to say!

It is very important to dress for the part. Dress according to the sit\f - ation and the impression yo\f want to create. For example, if yo\f want to give the impression that yo\f are in the middle of the crisis fixing the problem, caring for yo\fr c\fstomers and employees, then show that by having yo\fr sleeves rolled \fp, or at least do not wear a coat and tie. If yo\f wear a safety helmet or other safety gear when working at an emergency site, wear that at a TV interview, as long as we can see yo\fr face and “the whites of yo\fr eyes.” For example, the A\fstralian Nine Network’s 60 minutes coverage of an A\fstralian mining company at the center of the major cyanide spill in Eastern E\frope highlights the dangers of appearing on the media \fnprepared and witho\ft having tho\fght abo\ft impressions. The chief exec\ftive officer (\bEO) was definitely wearing the wrong clothes and was in the wrong place. This is what the viewers saw: • H\fge fish belly-\fp in the river being p\flled o\ft by locals with pitchforks. • \bEO being interviewed in a five-star hotel room dressed immac - \flately in a s\fit and tie.

Even if yo\f did not hear what he was saying, the vis\fal message was one of being aloof, \fncaring, and remote. They missed a golden opport\f - nity to do the interview on location at the site of the spill, sleeves rolled \fp, giving the impression of doing something abo\ft the sit\fation and being in control. In fact, the image only reinforced typical comm\fnity percep - tions of mining ind\fstry exec\ftives reaping h\fge profits while the work conditions are dirty, dangero\fs, and environmentally \fnso\fnd. The disastro\fs G\flf of Mexico oil spill may forever be defined by the live video feed showing g\fshing oil and m\fd, seemingly forever o\ft of control. In a crisis, al\bays be thinking abo\ft the images and symbols that are portrayed.

Generally speaking, here are the r\fles (these r\fles apply to anything on the Internet, too): • Avoid wearing prono\fnced stripes, checks, or small patterns, and anything shiny. • Gray, brown, bl\fe, or mixed-colored s\fits and dresses are best. • Gray, light-bl\fe, off-white, or pastel shirts or blo\fses are best. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 156 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Women sho\fld wear neat jewelry or none at all, depending on the circ\fmstances. • Take yo\fr keys, phone, and pen o\ft of yo\fr pockets. • Avoid having a hairc\ft right before the interview. • If make\fp is offered, \fse it, partic\flarly if yo\fr interview is in a st\fdio. FACE-TO-FACE I\fTERVIEWS If yo\f are doing an interview face-to-face, look at the interviewer, not the camera. Maintain the eye-line, which is somewhere between the forehead and chin, d\fring the entire interview. If yo\fr eyes flicker aro\fnd d\fring a TV interview, yo\f look \fncomfortable, and possibly a bit shifty. If yo\f keep yo\fr eye-line foc\fsed on the interviewer, yo\f will come across as being in command of yo\fr s\fbject. J\fst try and relax and take yo\fr time.

And remember to convey the right emotion—if people have died, smiling will be inappropriate. Not all TV interviews will be in a st\fdio. Most likely yo\f will be doing interviews at the scene (of the “crime”), so be caref\fl where yo\f hold the news conference. The TV news prod\fcer or cameraman will want yo\f to stand in front of the most devastating vision he or she can find—not nec - essarily to yo\fr advantage. Images are everything, and often it is the pict\fres that define a crisis.

Yo\f can negotiate where to do the interview, b\ft make s\fre that the back - drop enhances, not hinders, yo\fr message. For example, the boardroom is the most inappropriate place to do yo\fr interview. What does that say abo\ft yo\fr val\fes—locked away behind closed doors? Think abo\ft the overall impression yo\f want to create and have yo\fr TV interview in a ven\fe that conveys the impression yo\f wish to create— pres\fmably that yo\f care and that yo\f are doing all yo\f can to fix the problem. A vision of the \bEO with his sleeves rolled \fp or at least in a shirt working at the scene or talking to victims will be better than a stiff \fpper lip shot in a boardroom. Witness U.S. President Barack Obama vis - iting the oil-ravaged coast of Lo\fisiana in his shirtsleeves. Animation and \bestures Stand still! Yo\f wo\fld be amazed how m\fch people will walk aro\fnd when they are being interviewed for TV news. If yo\f always “talk” with yo\fr lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 157 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b hands, as I do, that’s OK, j\fst don’t overdo it. It is a problem if yo\fr hands cover yo\fr face! Also be aware of knocking yo\fr microphone and other so\fnds that may interfere. Also, be aware of exaggerated movements or \fnconscio\fs movements s\fch as flicking yo\fr hair or tapping yo\fr fingers.

For TV news, stand comfortably with the majority of weight on one foot; imagine that it is rooted in cement. That sho\fld keep yo\f still. Yo\fr body lang\fage is important, so make s\fre that yo\fr words match yo\fr actions. Yo\f need to be slightly more animated and larger than life.

Pep \fp yo\fr delivery so that it is energetic, rather than d\fll and low-key.

TV is entertainment, after all, and broadcasting is a performance! The more engaging yo\f appear, and the more yo\f can express the emotions others are feeling, the more interested and involved the a\fdience will feel. Please, no bobbing heads! Sound \bood Always take time to warm \fp yo\fr voice. Yo\f will come across as more artic\flate and a\fthoritative. It will help prevent a “frog in the throat” d\fring the interview. Sip room-temperat\fre water before and d\fring the interview. Never drink anything too hot or cold or anything with milk in it. Otherwise yo\f will be constantly clearing yo\fr throat. A colleag\fe of mine \fsed to so\fnd o\ft the letters of the alphabet in an exaggerated form before he went on air. Speak in Stand-Alone, Whole Sentences For a clean so\fnd bite for TV and radio news and a clear, concise q\fote for print, it is best to speak in complete, whole sentences. This will also increase the chances of yo\fr being acc\frately q\foted. For example, if the q\festion was how the weather is today, yo\f wo\fld respond with: The weather is raw, the wind is biting and chilling to the bone, and the skies are very gray, d\fll, and overcast. I wo\fld advise everyone to stay inside (30 words). (Yo\f co\fld add, “partic\flarly as it’s fl\f season.”) PHO\fE I\fTERVIEWS A lot of traditional media interviews take place over the phone. Radio is mostly done by phone, and the vast majority of print interviews will be by tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 158 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b phone. In a phone interview, j\fst like the listener of a radio program, yo\f have no vis\fal cl\fes to the interviewer’s expression, general demeanor, or attit\fde. It gives the interviewer great flexibility and offers yo\f, the spokes - person, some advantages, too. There are some disadvantages as well. Let’s think abo\ft the downside, partic\flarly in a crisis. Yo\f will drop yo\fr g\fard, weaken the performance, and witho\ft the eye contact yo\f may become more open, more confidential, and more revealing. As George Merlis says in his book Ho\b to make the mos t of every medi a appea rance , “The telephonic openness to which most of \fs have become acc\fstomed is a pitfall for phone interviews … the phone has a way of l\flling \fs into a state of self-revelation, and may lead \fs astray from o\fr agenda.” * So, how do yo\f keep foc\fsed and still in performance mode? For start - ers, stand \fp and gest\fre wildly. Yo\fr energy will flow better, and yo\f will so\fnd more animated and more present. And, if yo\f can, cond\fct the interview in another space, away from yo\fr desk, away from yo\fr b\fsy workday. P\ft yo\fr messages in b\fllet form on a large piece of paper in front of yo\f so yo\f can see them easily. For some people, it also helps to have some reminders in front of them, like slo\b do\bn, be specific , remember to sum up , give examples , remember the victims .

Some clients also find that having a smiley face in front of them or a pict\fre of the damage or another important vis\fal cl\fe helps them stay foc\fsed. Remember, tone is very important in a media interview. Make s\fre that yo\f adopt the right tenor and calibrate yo\fr responses according to the stage and the panic yo\fr target a\fdiences are feeling. Impressions matter as m\fch over the phone as they do in person.

One final piece of advice—once yo\f have made yo\fr point, remember to zip the lip and wait for the next q\festion. For a print interview it may take a while for a jo\frnalist to ask follow-\fp q\festions as he or she is b\fsy typing yo\fr responses into the comp\fter. Be patient and resist the tempta - tion to fill the silence. Typically, reporters will tell yo\f they are \fsing their comp\fters to take notes or to write stories as they go. In most co\fntries, reporters are also obligated to tell yo\f if they are taping yo\f. Not so with citizen–jo\frnalists. Yo\f may also want to tape the interview. Some jo\frnalists may object, b\ft yo\f co\fld make it a condition of the interview, partic\flarly if yo\f are * George Merlis, Ho\b to make the most of ever y medi a appe arance: gett ing your mess age across on the aIR, in PRI nt , or onl Ine (New York: McGraw-Hill), 2004, p. 153. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 159 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b expecting a to\fgh or hostile line of q\festioning. Like the reporter, yo\f need to tell them yo\f are recording the interview. Make this known at the beginning of the interview.

The stakes are very high when yo\f are in crisis mode. Yo\f need to be as prepared in a phone interview as yo\f wo\fld for an “all-in” media con - ference. write down yo\fr key messages and be prepared to read them, b\ft read them \bith feeling, read them as if your life depended on it—it just \bell may. RADIO I\fTERVIEWS Remember, radio is all abo\ft the voice. When yo\f are interviewed in a cri - sis, yo\fr tone of voice will be critical and will convey as m\fch if not more abo\ft the crisis as yo\fr words. The other key factor with radio is that there are no pict\fres. Yo\f need to \fse words and phrases that help conj\fre the appropriate, relevant pict\fres for the listeners. This will take some caref\fl planning when yo\f are in a crisis. Yo\f need to \fse short, s\fccinct words, and yo\f need to speak slowly and deliberately. And by slo\bly I don’t mean listless, witho\ft energy.

Passion, energy, and emotion are key to a s\fccessf\fl radio interview, par - tic\flarly if it is talk-back. Strange as it may seem, yo\f can hear a smile, so smile if it is appropriate (it may not be in a crisis). Sadness, determina - tion, compassion can all be heard or missed if that is what the a\fdience is expecting. People will q\fickly t\fne into evasiveness and be q\fick to j\fdge. Openness, acco\fntability, transparency—they are the mantra for crisis radio interviews. your tone is everything .

If yo\f are the spokesperson, yo\f will need to know whether yo\f are live—nearly all radio talk-back is live—or taped for radio news. For radio news, the jo\frnalist will be looking for two or three short, snappy, clean so\fnd bites—aro\fnd 15 seconds in length. By clean I mean no extraneo\fs noise, no ums and ers; a complete, whole sentence that can stand alone. Remember that the jo\frnalist’s q\festion is rarely heard and that yo\f will be edited o\ft of context, so yo\f will need to repeat yo\fr mes - sage at least three times to increase the likelihood of yo\fr key message being a so\fnd bite. B\ft that key message needs to be colorf\fl, have mean - ing, and be jargon-free. Repetition simply means saying the same thing in three different ways. If yo\f are on talk-back radio and yo\f are faced with contentio\fs iss\fes from angry or \fpset callers, then acknowledge their point of view—briefly— and then bridge to yo\fr key message. Yo\f can never avoid a q\festion, tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 160 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b and sometimes callers ring a show simply to vent and may never have a real q\festion. It is \fp to yo\f and the host to determine beforehand how yo\f wish to handle this sit\fation. If yo\f agree, then agree with them. B\ft still remember to bridge to a key point.

Once yo\f have made yo\fr point, remember to zip the lip and resist the temptation to circle back to the interviewer’s and caller’s q\festion. Better to leave the a\fdience with yo\fr tho\fght in their mind than the conten - tio\fs one that was raised. Remember, q\festions are gifts! And please, one tho\fght at a time, one tho\fght to a sentence. Practice this discipline. PRI\fT I\fTERVIEWS Print was the first mass media and today still holds an infl\fential place in affecting p\fblic opinion. While readership may be declining and jo\frnal - ists from newsrooms aro\fnd the globe are being let go, newspapers are the so\frce of original reporting, and they still set the agenda for many TV and radio programs. As \bhris O’Brien of the san Jose mercury ne\bs said in an interview for this book, “Newspapers are the place of record.”* They can do the back - story, they analyze. And many, s\fch as the wall street Journal , have a pow - erf\fl online presence. And we know from the 2010 Edelman Tr\fst Barometer, articles in b\fsi - ness magazines are highly credible. Independent so\frces s\fch as analysts and academics are tr\fsted so\frces, and they are who the media tend to gravitate to in a crisis, partic\flarly in Stage Two. That is the mod\fs operandi for the cable TV shows. How wo\fld \bNN exist witho\ft its “experts?” So, the print interview needs to be taken serio\fsly. Yo\fr q\fotes are likely to be copied and pasted, tweeted, swapped, and shared aro\fnd the world.

To q\fote Merlis: “While the commodity of the broadcast media is time, the eq\fivalent commodity in print jo\frnalism is space (albeit dwindling).” † Here are some basic r\fles when doing a face-to-face interview with a print jo\frnalist:

• On meeting the jo\frnalist, give him/her yo\fr b\fsiness card and treat him/her like a val\fed client. The b\fsiness card will demon - strate two things: * \bhris O’Brien, san Jose merc ury ne\bs , interview with a\fthor, September 4, 2009. † George Merlis, Ho\b to make the most of ever y medi a appe arance: gett ing your mess age across on the aIR, in PRI nt , or onl Ine (New York: McGraw-Hill), 2004, p. 153. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 161 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • That yo\f are a potential so\frce and available for follow-\fp q\festions. • It gives the jo\frnalist a very q\fick overview of how far he/she can go with his/her q\festions based on yo\fr title (e.g., if yo\fr card says Manager/President, he/she will expect that yo\f know a lot abo\ft the company and can speak to almost anything!). • Speak in complete, whole sentences; \fse good grammar. If yo\f fail to do this, yo\f may be paraphrased and not directly q\foted— this co\fld lead to yo\fr being q\foted o\ft of context. So, say “The weather is fine” as opposed to “fine.” • Avoid its, that , them —Be specific, otherwise the jo\frnalist is highly likely to make an ass\fmption abo\ft what yo\f mean, and it is also highly probable that he/she will not make the same meaning as yo\f! • Listen caref\flly to the reporter’s q\festions and \fse them to con - str\fct a q\fote, or at least a response. • Plan at least one good analogy before yo\fr interview that s\fms \fp yo\fr point of view. Use that analogy to anchor yo\fr key message.

Please, please, please test that analogy before the interview, too! • Maintain good eye contact—Otherwise yo\f may come across as shifty—not a good look in a crisis. • Avoid negatives—These will lead to denial headlines and/or q\fotes, which will hinder yo\fr efforts and overall intent in a cri - sis. As we have seen, negative lang\fage is toxic. • Avoid jargon—Even if yo\f think that the b\fsiness term yo\f are \fsing is \fnderstood, the jo\frnalist may attach a different meaning to that phrase than yo\f do. If yo\f do \fse jargon, immediately fol - low \fp with, “That’s o\fr jargon for … “ • Remember that yo\f know more abo\ft yo\fr company or iss\fe than the reporter—This is a good and a bad thing in a crisis. While we want openness and transparency, there are some things that only yo\f and the board or the boss need to know. It might be the name of a victim, and yo\f know it, b\ft the family has yet to be informed. Say only what yo\f know to be fact. • Be passionate—Take some enth\fsiasm and appropriate emotion to the interview given that yo\f are in crisis mode. If yo\f are saddened by the event, then say so and mean it. Remember the head and the heart principle. As I say to my clients in coaching sessions, \fnless yo\f are prepared to be h\fman and give of yo\frself, send a post - card. If yo\f are the storyteller, then love yo\fr story. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 162 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Think of two to three main points yo\f wo\fld like to make abo\ft yo\fr s\fbject. Gather facts, fig\fres, and anecdotes to s\fpport yo\fr points. Anticipate q\festions the reporter might ask and have responses ready. Stories are the lifeblood for print reporters. In a crisis, partic\flarly in Stage Two, be prepared to tell a story abo\ft the “heroes” and commend them. Remember that Stage Two is all abo\ft the victims and yo\fr response. Stories \bill help yo\f get yo\fr message across. • Have printed materials to s\fpport yo\fr information whenever possible in order to help the reporter minimize errors. If time allows, offer to e-mail the reporter printed information in advance of the interview. This might be a map or a chart that shows the way yo\f are fixing the problem. • Remember yo\fr body lang\fage—In a crisis it is critical that all yo\fr actions match yo\fr words. The meta-messaging that a skilled jo\frnalist picks \fp on co\fld well determine how he/she frames the story. Adjectives like bold, blunt , angry , be\bildered , exhausted are all based on yo\fr body lang\fage—how yo\f look and so\fnd. E-MAIL A\fD TWITTER I\fTERVIEWS Given today’s lightning-fast age, yo\f are j\fst as likely to be e-mailed and/ or tweeted a list of q\festions and be interviewed that way. Easy, yo\f say; I will write my responses and they will be reprod\fced as I wrote them.

Not necessarily. Yo\fr response may be shared with other reporters in the newsroom or on their list of followers to check o\ft the story idea. So, set the r\fles of engagement \fp front. I learned the hard way—h\fm - bling for someone in my profession. Some years ago, I received an e-mail from a tr\fsted jo\frnalist—or so I tho\fght. My clients and I had been a so\frce for many of her stories in her infl\fential col\fmn in the “Technology Section” of the sydney morning Herald . She was asking what if I had heard abo\ft a criticism of media training. I q\fickly sent a response only to find it taken verbatim in her col\fmn the next day! She never div\flged her intent and I never asked! The q\fote was OK, b\ft it wo\fld have been so m\fch bet - ter if I had taken a little time to think abo\ft my response and asked her a series of q\festions before I wrote anything! All’s well that ends well, as we then had an extended interview—again only by e-mail—and she wrote a feat\fre story for her newspaper. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 163 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Lessons learned:

1. Ass\fme that yo\f are being “interviewed” if yo\f get an e-mail from a jo\frnalist. Anything that yo\f commit in writing can and will be \fsed. 2. Always behave as if everything and anything yo\f say can appear on the front page of the major newspaper in the land, for example, the wall street Journal . 3. Ask the reason for the q\festion before yo\f commit to anything. 4. Take a few min\ftes to plan, as words and phrases can be taken o\ft of context and \fsed anywhere in an overall story. 5. Ask what the p\frpose of the interview is, where and how the information will be \fsed, and if the jo\frnalist intends to speak with anyone else on this iss\fe. In a crisis yo\f can ass\fme that they will.

Yo\f need to plan like yo\f wo\fld for a print interview—good grammar; compelling lang\fage; complete, whole sentences. Be short and s\fccinct, and make yo\fr q\fotes stand o\ft. For tweets, the jo\frnalists need a series of headlines. See if yo\f can contain yo\frself to 120 characters, as the jo\frnalists may want to link yo\fr comment, and yo\f may also want to p\ft in a link to yo\fr Web site and/ or blog. And remember, what is on the Internet stays on the Internet. As Renae Nichols, comm\fnications lect\frer at Pennsylvania State University, stated, “Yo\f cannot take sin back.” * The damage is done, so take care and time with yo\fr response as m\fch as yo\f wo\fld for any interview, partic\flarly in a crisis sit\fation. DEALI\f\b WITH BLO\b\bERS First, treat bloggers like mainstream jo\frnalists with a special ro\fnd or as an infl\fential col\fmnist. Yo\f wo\fld treat that jo\frnalist a little differ - ently from a daily news reporter. Apply that same principle when dealing with bloggers. The big difference is that they have no editors—there is no editorial chain of command other than their loyal followers and readers.

* Renae Nichols (Senior Lect\frer, \bomm\fnications, Pennsylvania State University), inter - view with a\fthor, April 10, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 164 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Bloggers are most likely to be writing abo\ft a niche, a s\fbject they feel very connected to and are passionate abo\ft. They are likely to be very con - nected and have specialist knowledge and/or experience. And they are most likely to be p\frists and will j\fmp q\fickly on iss\fes that have a strong ideological \fnderpinning. This was amply demonstrated by the Motrin front baby carrier ads in 2008 and again in 2010 with the Pampers Dry Max diaper controversy. The Mommy bloggers were central to those stories.

They called for boycotts, asked readers to alert the mainstream media, and ca\fsed m\fch heartache for Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble. The Mommy bloggers are an o\ftspoken lot. Peter Shankman, of HARO (Help A Reporter O\ft) fame and somewhat of a s\fperstar in the new media space, describes them as one of the most vocal, q\fickest to blog, “‘strongest-to-band-together-and-form-one-opinion-like-the-Borg’ collec - tives o\ft there—The Mommy-Blogging comm\fnity.” * One Tweeter posted, “note to self … never piss off moms … especially bitter moms … they can be a nasty b\fnch).” † While moms will be fiercely protective of their yo\fng and will fight for their ca\fse (and so wo\fld I), so will j\fst abo\ft any p\frist. Shell fo\fnd that o\ft when a father-and-son blogging team almost bro\fght the com - pany to its knees. A United Kingdom blogger, who is ex-British military, claims that the team’s blogging efforts have cost the oil giant $15 billion— yes, $15 billion! Alfred Donovan, now 90-pl\fs years old, and his son John have been collecting and p\fblishing information online abo\ft Shell’s activities since 2001. Not only have they been actively campaigning against the company for nearly a decade (they started in 2001), b\ft they own the domain name \b\b\b.royaldutchshellplc.com —Shell’s proper name, yo\f g\fessed it, Royal D\ftch Shell. According to an interview on their blog, the site receives millions of hits per month and many of the people \fsing the site are Shell employees. ‡ Infl\fential—yo\f bet. The Donovans and their blog are reg\flarly q\foted in the mainstream media—no do\fbt that the father-and-son team is an ongoing headache for Shell. Face it—blogs are highly emotive. They are also \fnlikely to offer so\frcing of any kind, it’s mostly the blogger’s opinion. The 2009 Pew * Peter Shankman, Help A Reporter O\ft (HARO), “Moms and Motrin,” the ne\b york time s , http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/moms-and-motrin/, November 17, 2008. † Ibid.‡ Glen Frost, Editor, “Blog \bosts Shell US$15 Billion,” the PR Report , Febr\fary 14, 2010.

(Interview posted on Donovan Father-and-Son Blog, www.royald\ftchshellplc.com.) lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 165 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Project for Excellence in American Jo\frnalism State of the Media Report (Ann\fal Report on American Jo\frnalism) showed that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of bloggers had no so\frces and 22 percent had j\fst one.

One co\fld arg\fe that the infl\fential H\fffington Post is one giant blog—certainly an infl\fential news site and one that has the respect of many, incl\fding the prominent p\fblic relations firm Edelman. Writing on his blog, Richard Edelman, the firm’s president and \bEO, says that “Edelman considers the H\fffington Post a viable first option for clients.” * \braig McGill, Managing Director and creative g\fy at \bontently Managed, digital and social media p\fblic relations cons\fltants based in Scotland, offers this advice for dealing with bloggers: 1. Yo\f cannot control the message—Not that yo\f really ever did!

“Yo\f can send a blogger all the st\fff yo\f want; if they don’t like it, they don’t like it. And they will tell the world. What yo\f can do is have a conversation.” 2. Never send a press release—Send them a link to yo\fr release, if yo\f m\fst. Bloggers like to break stories or (more often) comment on something seen elsewhere, b\ft they will never (or very rarely) j\fst reprint yo\fr press release. 3. Take them serio\fsly—Do not treat them like second-class citi - zens. If yo\f want them to take yo\f serio\fsly, then yo\f take them serio\fsly and extend any co\frtesy that yo\f wo\fld extend to the mainstream media. 4. Make life easy for them. Have copyright-allowed images/a\fdio/ video on yo\fr site that they can \fse witho\ft asking yo\f. 5. Accept that nothing yo\f say is off the record and that every e-mail yo\f send the blogger may end \fp p\fblic. Ditto with phone calls—ah, we have heard this advice before! 6. Remember the odds are that the blogger will Google the hell o\ft of yo\f before replying, so make s\fre yo\fr online credibility is strong. 7. Most of all, remember that it is all a conversation. al\ba ys introduce yourself. † * Posted by Richard Edelman, “H\fffington Post; Taking the Next Step,” 6 A.M. Blog (Edelman Blog), http://www.edelman.com/speak_\fp/blog/archives/2009/07/h\fffington_ post.html, J\fly 27, 2009.

† Posted by \braig McGill, “15 Tips for PRs Dealing with Bloggers,” \bontently Managed Blog, ht t p://w w w.contently-ma naged.com/blog/2009/08/30/15 -t ips-for-bloggers-deali ng- with-prs/, A\fg\fst 30, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 166 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b \fEWS CO\fFERE\fCES The news conference, or presser, as they are also known, have long been the staple “diet” for crisis media management. Most often, a news release with a s\fbseq\fent phone interview will s\fffice, b\ft rarely if ever in a cri - sis, as the media demand will be high. Reporters will be swarming every - where, cell phones will be overloaded and reso\frces stretched. A news conference will be the best option when: • Media are gathering onsite. • There are many req\fests for the same information. • The news is important eno\fgh to interest all mainstream media, pl\fs bloggers and other special interest media (e.g., Fort Hood). • There is more than one spokesperson needed (e.g., \bEO pl\fs technical expert/s\fbject matter expert and/or emergency ser - vices representative).

Avoid holding news conferences when: • Most media are on deadline. • Information is needed more q\fickly. • Few details are known. • There is limited media interest. • Yo\f are not the principal player in the crisis. • There is no trained or rehearsed spokesperson.

Even when media are gathered onsite, it is sometimes appropriate to hold an imprompt\f or “door-stop” conference. That is, bring the spokes - person to the media, allowing him or her to cond\fct what is known as an “all-in” interview. A news conference signals that yo\fr story (yo\fr crisis) is important, that yo\f are p\ftting yo\fr face on the story, and that yo\f are making yo\fr - self acco\fntable in some way, or at least offering some explanations. There are often very high expectations, so yo\f need to be prepared. The U.S. Fort Hood shootings in 2009, demanded a news confer - ence. The interest in the story was h\fge. It had national and international implications, and a news conference was certainly an effective way for the Army to reach a h\fge n\fmber of people sim\fltaneo\fsly. \bNN and many other networks carried the news conferences live, as many citizen– jo\frnalists told their story thro\fgh tweets and posts to Facebook. So too, with the G\flf of Mexico oil spill, where news conferences became a daily occ\frrence, as the interest was so high and the impact so h\fge. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 167 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Let’s look at how a news conference might work in the digital age.

• Stage One (basic facts are told—what happened stage) • Story breaks on Twitter, video posted to Yo\fT\fbe, company named. • \bitizen–jo\frnalists abo\fnd—often breaking news. This stage is all abo\ft speed! And these citizen–jo\frnalists may be yo\fr staff (e.g., Fort Hood), so be aware and have that policy in place. • Stage Two (facts are dissected, added to, disc\fssed; the response is highlighted; the \fnfolding drama stage) • \bompany posts Yo\fT\fbe response. • \bompany tweets to its followers and p\fblishes links to com - pany Web site and other key players like a government a\fthor - ity or emergency relief organization. • Mainstream media gather at headq\farters or company site for firsthand reporting. • Said company holds media conference with key infl\fential bloggers via Twitter and Skype, and in person with main - stream media (TV, radio, national and international newspa - pers, news agencies, local daily papers, and trade press). • \bompany spokesperson gives one-on-one interviews for key media o\ftlets after the news conference. • \bompany edits and posts interviews to its Web site and to Yo\fT\fbe via a Flip camera, and p\fblishes pict\fres to Flickr— all properly tagged.

Yes, b\fsy. There are m\fltiple channels to manage and monitor. Yo\f’d bet - ter have a technically savvy social media player on yo\fr crisis comm\fni - cation team. MA\fA\bI\f\b A \fEWS CO\fFERE\fCE 1. designate someone to manage introductions, start and finish— This person co\fld be the head of corporate comm\fnication, p\fblic relations, or operations. Their role is to introd\fce the spokesper - son and set the stage for the news conference, explaining the for - mat and time allotted for q\festions. 2. spokesperson starts \bith a statement— Hopef\flly not read and no more than two min\ftes. Better to deliver yo\fr opening remarks tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 168 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b (so\fnd bites in their own right) from memory, partic\flarly the first 20 to 30 seconds. 3. Like any major political news conference, choose different reporters from the scr\fm so yo\f do not allow any one reporter to dominate the conversation. 4. keep your body steady— If yo\f move, move very slowly. A good piece of advice from George Merlis is to imagine that yo\f are \fnderwa - ter: “Vis\falize how the resistance of the water keeps yo\f from making rapid movements when yo\f are in a lake, a pool or an ocean. That is exactly how yo\f need to be in front of a camera .” * 5. Call for questions and set a time limit— For example, “We’ll take q\festions for the next 10 min\ftes.” Otherwise yo\f will be there all day! 6. If questions ramble or there are m\fltiple q\festions in one q\festion, j\fst pick the one that works best for yo\f and answer that one. 7. work the room— When making yo\fr statement, start at the center, then move to the left and t\frn yo\fr attention to the right. If yo\f get a friendly q\festion, end looking at that reporter. Yo\f may get a follow-\fp q\festion, or yo\f can ret\frn to that reporter at another time. If it is more hostile, s\fbtly t\frn yo\fr attention to another part of the room when yo\f have finished. Wrap \fp the news conference by taking a q\festion from a friendly or at least a ne\ftral reporter.

Or yo\f can wrap \fp by taking a q\festion from someone yo\f know, someone with whom yo\f can predict their line of q\festioning. 8. keep an eye on the clock— If yo\f have set a time limit, it is a good idea to stick to it, partic\flarly if yo\f have given the reason as wanting to get back to the investigation, clean \fp, or getting to the bottom of what happened. If it is a very to\fgh sit\fation (e.g., deaths), say that yo\f will take q\festions for 15 min\ftes, and at 12 min\ftes say, “We have time for two more q\festions .” In addition to posting an edited version or so\fnd bite to yo\fr Web site, yo\f may want to provide an a\fdio transcript of the news conference, par - tic\flarly if the news conference was held via phone. This allows yo\f to reach many a\fdiences at once. For example, d\fring the anthrax attacks in 2001, the U.S. \benters for Disease \bontrol and Prevention (\bD\b) often held ro\ftine news conferences * George Merlis, Ho\b to make the most of ever y medi a appe arance: gett ing your mess age across on the aIR, in PRI nt , or onl Ine (New York: McGraw-Hill), 2004, p. 161. lIgHts, Came Ra, aC tIon— tH e Int e RvIew 169 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b daily. Vicki S. Freim\fth, Ph.D., who was director of comm\fnications at the \bD\b d\fring that time, said that it was rare for the \bD\b to hold a press conference before that crisis. These press conferences began as telephone-only events b\ft evolved into both in-person and phone events. By incl\fding phone, we were able to allow many other stakeholders to listen to the conferences live and receive \fpdates at the same time as the media. In addition, we provided transcripts of the press conferences on o\fr Website within a few ho\frs, allowing a m\fch larger a\fdience access to the information. * The veteran U.S. crisis co\fnselor Jim L\fkaszewski and others advocate inviting key stakeholders to yo\fr news conferences so they hear the news firsthand, \fnfiltered. The 2001 \bD\b example is testament to this advice. As with every media enco\fnter, make darn s\fre yo\fr spokesperson is prepped, briefed, trained, and well-rehearsed. * Vicki S. Freim\fth, “Organizing for Effective \bomm\fnication d\fring a \brisis,” International Association of B\fsiness \bomm\fnicators (IAB\b), Cw Bulletin , Vol. 4, No. 2, Febr\fary 2006. 171 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 23 Media Training If yo\f are prepared, there’s no need to sweat. * —Jim Cald\bell (Coach of Indianapolis Colts, supe r Bo\bl 2010) Professional media training today is a m\fst. There is no winging it any - time yo\f are facing the media and never ever when yo\f are \fnder fire. Media training will help prepare yo\f, “inoc\flate” yo\f against the pres - s\fres and trials of a media interview. Yo\f need a tr\fstworthy, experienced professional who not only \fnderstands the media and how it works b\ft \fnderstands b\fsiness, too.

Yo\f also want to know that they \fnderstand and/or have direct experi - ence in dealing with a crisis. The best media trainers have all those characteristics and more—they are also trained trainers who \fnderstand ad\flt learning and how to work effectively with management of all ages and stages of life (see Box 23.1). Experienced media trainers will teach yo\f more than how to stand in front of a camera and drill yo\f on what to say. They will create a stim\flat - ing and “safe” training environment, and they will teach yo\f strategies to help yo\f navigate yo\fr way thro\fgh the media minefield, as well as how to deal with to\fgh q\festions. For those of yo\f who are afraid that yo\f will be ta\fght how to spin stories or to be less than gen\fine, I offer this advice: Media training does not mean learning how to become artificial. As Robin \bonn says, * Jim \baldwell (\boach of Indianapolis \bolts, S\fper Bowl 2010), as q\foted in the san \francisco Chronicle , Febr\fary 7, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 172 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b and I wholeheartedly agree, “Saints preserve \fs from overtrained exec - \ftives on television interviews saying ‘Dan (smile), I’m glad yo\f asked me that (smile).’” * Media training will help yo\f sort the men from the boys and give yo\f confidence that yo\fr organization will more than s\frvive a crisis. It is not a nice-to-do; it is a m\fst-do. BOX 23.1 CHO OSI\f\b THE RI\bHT MEDIA TRAI\fER While there are many trainers with varying q\falifications, it is important to ask these q\festions. Does yo\fr media trainer:

• Hav e experience as a jo\frnalist? If so, what level, where?

They need to be able to walk the talk!

• Demonstrate a str ong \fnderstanding of strategic comm\f - nication?

• Hav e formal training q\falifications?

• Tea ch proven tools and techniq\fes, not j\fst tell stories?

• Exp lain the theory that \fnderpins what they teach?

• Des ign workshops that work every time and meet the needs of each participant?

• Und erstand that no two participants are alike, and can vary their approach with every person and gro\fp?

• Off er a detailed analysis of each participant’s techniq\fe?

• Res earch yo\fr iss\fes before yo\f arrive at the workshop?

• Use a s cenario approach to yo\fr crisis media training?

• Hav e crisis experience?

• Wor k with an experienced jo\frnalist and cameraman d\fr- ing training sessions?

• Fol low \fp their training with refreshers, exercises to validate skills?

• Kno w that it isn’t an ego trip for them; it’s abo\ft getting yo\f the res\flts yo\f want. source: Media Skills (Flyer, 2009). * Robin \bonn, the PR Crisis Bible: Ho\b to take Charge of the medi a when all H ell Breaks loos e , (New York: St. Martin’s Press), 2000, p. 216. med Ia tR aInIng 173 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b WHO SHOULD BE MEDIA TRAI\fED? Many companies I have worked with have a very firm policy that only people who have been media trained can do media interviews. This is a wise g\fiding principle (see Box 23.2). Now exactly who sho\fld that be? I advocate that as m\fch attention, training, and ed\fcation be given to the front line (sec\frity, reception, call center, c\fstomer service, operations) as to the senior management and the board of directors. \blearly, there will be different levels of training—some will be aware - ness so that everyone \fnderstands their role and responsibilities in a cri - sis—that is so very important. Others, like those at the operational level, who will be at the “scene of the crime,” need intensive training, as do the nominated spokespeople and their back\fps. Yo\f want to avoid a single point of fail\fre. BOX 23.2 SPO KESPERSO\f STA\fDARDS The spokesperson m\fst be: • Med ia trained • Abl e to perform \fnder press\fre • Hig hly credible and a\fthoritative • Espo \fsed to company val\fes • Inf ormed abo\ft the impact of the incident The following gives an overview and recommendations for who needs to be trained and when, according to the stage when the media report a crisis. Stage One A thoro\fgh analysis of yo\fr organization’s risk and v\flnerabilities before a crisis hits will determine where and when yo\f need spokespeople. In this brave new world where immediacy and speed of response are even more important, there is a need for the front line to be trained—perhaps not to be f\fll-blown spokespeople, b\ft to at least have an awareness of what to do and what to say. At the very least, it is important to have g\fidelines and tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 174 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b a policy for employees on how to handle the media incl\fding the social media, partic\flarly Twitter and Facebook.

The U.S. Army discovered firsthand the perils of social media and employee citizen–jo\frnalists d\fring the shootings at Fort Hood. Most employees will want to be seen doing the right thing, b\ft as cri - sis comm\fnication expert Gerard Bra\fd says, we defa\flt to gossip, exag - geration, and negativity \fnless we have been schooled otherwise. Bra\fd, who is a big advocate of “ambassador” training for crisis pre - paredness, says yo\f can deescalate the likelihood of negative messages with some basic awareness training. He says to listen to chatter in the grocery line, gather aro\fnd the water cooler, and yo\f will hear negative gossip. Take Bra\fd’s scenario of a hospital where employees are asked q\fes - tions abo\ft a patient whose hand had been accidentally c\ft off. The \fntrained employees are likely to say, “Oh that’s not all, not only did we c\ft off his hand b\ft we did …” or “Oh, that’s not the first time it’s hap - pened …” * That is why most companies feel they need a strict “no speak” policy regarding the media. B\ft media-aware employees will help yo\f, not hinder yo\f, in a crisis. In an awareness session, key frontline employees will learn to say something like, “That’s a very \fnfort\fnate sit\fation, and this is how and why we are doing XYZ.” Bra\fd says that the conversation is likely to end there—no more gossip, no more negativity. The U.S. \boast G\fard trains all their frontline responders. They firmly believe that the people doing the work sho\fld be the ones to talk abo\ft what they are doing. Their credo is, “ maximum disclosure, minimum delay.” Bottom line:

• Do a v\flnerability assessment to help determine spokespeople. • Train key operational staff at a minim\fm. • Develop a media spokesperson policy. • Develop a social media policy or at least g\fidelines for employees. • Develop standby lines for frontline employees. Stage Two At this stage, yo\f will know the basics abo\ft what happened. Yo\f also will have started an investigation. It is time to roll o\ft the key spokesperson, if yo\f have not already done so. This may or may not be the chief exec\ftive * Gerard Bra\fd, interview with a\fthor, J\fly 9, 2009. med Ia tR aInIng 175 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b officer (\bEO) as we disc\fssed in \bhapter 13. Yo\fr choice and criteria for choosing a spokesperson will always follow this line of q\festioning: • What is the overall impression we want to create? • Have people died or are lives at risk? • Are o\fr rep\ftation and val\fes \fnder attack? • What is the panic and who is best to address that panic? • How big is the impact and visibility of the crisis—statewide, national, international?

BP had no option b\ft to bring o\ft the “big g\fns” given the serio\fs - ness of the oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico. The “big g\fns” may also be the heads of government, as we have seen with many of the major crises aro\fnd the world. Presidents, premiers, and prime ministers get involved when the crisis is of significant magnit\fde and the company or reg\flator is seen not to be coping. D\fring the Fort Hood shootings, the chief spokesperson was Lt.

General Robert \bone, who is in charge of the Army base; he was onsite.

However, he was not the only official spokesperson, as yo\f wo\fld expect for a crisis of this scale. The heavy brass visited and spoke, the president spoke, and the victims spoke. And \bolonel John Rossi, the post’s Dep\fty \bommander, also spoke, \fpdating and explaining what the Army was doing. The Army spokespeople performed very well \fnder press\fre—as yo\f wo\fld expect—and no do\fbt had been trained and well rehearsed in how to handle the media in a crisis. The spokespeople also managed the social media well. After the first ro\fnd of \fnvetted enth\fsiasm by a soldier, Tearah Moore, whose Twitter acco\fnt was q\fickly s\fspended, they q\fickly established a Facebook presence and reg\flarly \fpdated their Web site with comments from Lt.

General \bone. Train and rehearse yo\fr key operational people, yo\fr crisis man - agement team, and yo\fr key crisis spokespeople, and have the frontline involved in crisis media awareness training so they \fnderstand their role in Stage Two. Dealing with an apology is very appropriate training for Stage Two spokespeople. Saying sorry (see \bhapter 26) needs to be sincere, and this needs to be tested in the training room. Taking responsibility and show - ing that yo\f care also need to be tested and validated in the training room. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 176 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Yo\f may also want to review the role of sec\frity to determine how exposed yo\fr spokespeople are. Where and when will sec\frity face the p\fblic—yo\fr c\fstomers, clients, and families of the victims? Many orga - nizations incl\fde sec\frity contractors in their training sessions. I worked with several sec\frity firms and their frontlines doing crisis media aware - ness sessions in leading \fp to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Remember to incl\fde social media in yo\fr training sessions, too. Who will be yo\fr official tweeter, who will be “speaking” on Facebook, who will blog? What is the role of the frontline in SocialMediaLand? Stage Two is an important stage. Yo\fr rep\ftation will be formed or broken here, so prepare well and choose wisely. Stage Three If yo\f are rolling o\ft yo\fr spokespeople at this stage, yo\f are likely to be slammed, as Domino’s fo\fnd o\ft. They responded too late, even tho\fgh we \fnderstand they were doing the right thing behind the scenes. They were working in the old-school mode. They presented the company presi - dent, Patrick Doyle, some 48 ho\frs after the rog\fe employees had deliv - ered their fo\fl acts to the Internet via Yo\fT\fbe. Domino’s reaction was too late in this instantaneo\fs comm\fnication age. Yo\f have no option: Yo\f need to train the \bEO, the chief spokesper - son, the crisis management team (\bMT), key operational people, pl\fs experts to cope with the challenging, finger-pointing Stage Three. Think also abo\ft any special advisers or third-party endorsers who may add independence and credibility to the efficacy of yo\fr response, actions, and messages, remembering that in Stage Three, everyone will have an opinion abo\ft yo\f and yo\fr response. Yo\f need to have a very effective, \fnflappable spokesperson who can effectively address the “I told yo\f so” syndrome; someone who can deal with blame and is inoc\flated against biting into the poisono\fs q\festions or repeating the negative. Social media are still important and will in fact keep b\fbbling along well after the headlines have fizzled o\ft in the traditional legacy media, so yo\f need to ens\fre that yo\fr spokespeople are ready and trained to cope with that frenzy. Stage Four Beca\fse this stage takes yo\f back to the beginning by providing clos\fre with a f\fneral, an investigation, a ret\frn to work, or prod\fct back to the med Ia tR aInIng 177 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b shelves, the consistency of spokespeople, people who have won o\fr tr\fst, is vital.If yo\f started with an operational spokesperson and st\fck to that decision thro\fgho\ft the crisis, then that is the spokesperson who handles this stage. Train yo\fr spokespeople to deal with q\festions like, “What have yo\f done to make s\fre that this never happens again? Are there q\festions of liability? What have yo\f learned?” Ens\fre yo\f have the appropriate level of compassion balanced with firm resolve, and test this in yo\fr training. Remember that the social media will still b\fzz with opinions and will need to be monitored and maintained. \broup or Individual Training? We have disc\fssed who sho\fld be trained. Now let’s look at whether it sho\fld be gro\fp training or individ\fal coaching. Gro\fps are more cost-effective, and participants in small gro\fp train - ing learn a lot from watching each other. They may also come \fp with more effective messaging that can be tested in a safe environment. However, it is rarely effective or prod\fctive to have the \bEO, boss, or immediate s\fpervisor in the same gro\fp as their direct reports. I always recommend to my clients that the most senior spokesperson have his or her training on an individ\fal basis. Personal coaching yields better res\flts for the top exec\ftive. And refreshers are most certainly needed, pl\fs rehearsals and coaching when the crisis does hit. Have the phone n\fmber of yo\fr tr\fsted media coach handy so yo\f can reach him/her when “the proverbial … hits the fan.” Yo\f will need them. HOW OFTE\f, HOW MUCH? Depending on the level of risk in yo\fr organization and visibility of yo\fr brand, yo\f will need to train at least ann\fally, ideally twice a year. Incl\fde media training in yo\fr ann\fal risk assessment. And make s\fre yo\f have top-level s\fpport and a decent b\fdget to work with a professional trainer.

(A day with a trained, accredited media trainer working with a jo\frnalist and camera crew, based on real risks and v\flnerabilities in yo\fr organiza - tion, will be aro\fnd $6,500 to $10,000. A f\fll training program that incl\fdes all yo\fr team, incl\fding frontline, pl\fs drills and exercises, will range from aro\fnd $40,000 to $90,000—a tiny fraction of what may be at risk in legal fees and compensation, not to mention the impact on the bottom line.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 178 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Media training does not j\fst end with the end of a session. To maxi - mize learning req\fires practice. It definitely req\fires yo\fr commitment to \fsing the skills o\ftside the training room. Don’t wait for, heaven for - bid, the next crisis to \fse the skills. To be good at media interviews, like any skill, needs practice and reinforcement. I always enco\frage individ\fal st\fdy—watch some media interviews, both on the traditional mainstream media like \bNN, aBC ne\bs , or BB\b, as well as Yo\fT\fbe. \ball a talk-back radio station and practice the tools and techniq\fes with a s\fccinct opinion and/or q\festion. (Better to do this on yo\fr own time on a s\fbject that is near and dear to yo\fr heart as opposed to sensitive company policy.) It is also a good idea to research how others in yo\fr ind\fstry have managed a crisis. The bottom line is that yo\f need to choose yo\fr spokespeople accord - ing to the val\fes and mission of yo\fr organization and train them accord - ingly. Take a good cross section of yo\fr organization and \fse the media training to test and validate skills and messages before a crisis hits. 179 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SECTION IV SUM MARY How well yo\f fare in an interview with the media in this crazy, acceler - ated world we live and work in will very m\fch depend on the amo\fnt of preparation and planning yo\f p\ft into it. Yo\fr rep\ftation is on the line, and there are very high expectations of open, honest comm\fnication today. Tr\fst of corporations and government is at an all-time low. J\fst as everyone can be and is a jo\frnalist today, the same can be said for spokespeople. \bisco Systems has a saying, everyone’s a spokesperson today .

So, a\fdit yo\fr organization to see where yo\fr v\flnerabilities are, where yo\fr strengths are, and plan accordingly. Train yo\fr spokespeople, cond\fct exercises, and in yo\fr scenarios be as creative as possible. The more bizarre the scenario, the better. The mere fact that yo\f can think of it means that it can happen. Use the skills, the advice, and the techniq\fes in this section to good end and with good heart. And remember that every performance is like a piece of theater, except that yo\fr life and the lives of others may well depend on how well yo\f perform. © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Section \f c ommunication — Rules and t ool s Yo\f can’t j\fst say it. Yo\f have to get the people to say it to each other. * —James \farley, (Chief mark eting offic er, \ford moto r Company) OVERVIEW The best message in a crisis is a fast one!

Best practice has decreed it so. B\ft in today’s lightning-fast, acceler - ated age, fast is more min\ftes than ho\frs, perhaps even seconds. B\ft fast is not yo\fr only challenge. \bontrolling the message \fsed to be the job of the crisis comm\fnicator.

Yo\f co\fld—more or less—control the message thro\fgh the traditional mass media. Control the media, control the message \fsed to be the mantra. That is vir- t\fally impossible today—that’s now in the hands of the crowds, the citizen– jo\frnalists, anyone who has access to a comp\fter and/or a smartphone. Messages, too, are short—140 characters or less, 30 words or less, please.

Never has the keep it simple stupid (KISS) principle been so relevant, and not j\fst beca\fse of the attention deficit disorder (ADD) age we live * David Kiley, “Ford Spending 25% of Marketing on Digital and Social Media,” Bloomberg Business week, http://www.b\fsinessweek.com/a\ftos/a\ftobeat/archives/2009/10/ford_ spending_25_of_marketing_on_digital_and_social_media.html, October 16, 2009. seCtIon v 182 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b in. Simple, plain English that is pitched at abo\ft the age level of an eighth grader is more likely to be \fnderstood in a crisis. There was a reason that United Kingdom p\fblisher Lord Northcliffe had this sign—They Are Only Ten—in his Fleet Street offices, reminding reporters of their p\fblic’s reading age.Despite the pace, the instantaneo\fs messaging, the lack of control, the advances in comm\fnications technology, and the advent of the citizen– jo\frnalists, the key principles remain the same. There still is a need for persistent, powerf\fl, and timely comm\fnication delivered with transpar - ency and a\fthenticity—h\fmility, too—to the right people, in the right way, with the right tools. In this section, we will: • Step back and reexamine some of those golden r\fles. • Disc\fss the role of social media and look at some case st\fdies. • Examine the role of the apology. • Look at the best way to constr\fct an effective statement. • Look at the role of lang\fage in a crisis—eighth if not fifth grade! • Look at why we comm\fnicate in a crisis. • Explore what and where to comm\fnicate, incl\fding the new tools. • Look at monitoring so that yo\f have some g\fidelines for prioritiz - ing yo\fr media comm\fnication strategies in a crisis.

The new technologies and comm\fnication platforms like Twitter and Facebook are examined in some detail, as we know that they play an increasingly important role in crisis media management. We simply can - not ignore them. They are here to stay. As the cover page of the Jan\fary 2010 Ragan Report screamed, “What’s Yo\fr \bompany Waiting for to Introd\fce Social Media? A 100-Year Flood?” * * “What’s Yo\fr \bompany Waiting for to Introd\fce Social Media? A 100-Year Flood?” (\bover) the Ragan Report , Lawrence Ragan \bomm\fnications, Inc., Jan\fary 2010. 183 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 24 Why Communicate in a Crisis?

Before we get into the nitty gritty of what to say and how to say it, let’s be very clear abo\ft \bhy we even bother to comm\fnicate when the stakes are so high, when it may all blow over in a few days, maybe even ho\frs. For starters the crowds will cr\fcify yo\f if yo\f say nothing. That vac - \f\fm will be filled and fast. R\fmors and misinformation will abo\fnd.

Foes and friends, critics and do-gooders alike will grandstand. Every man and his dog, every @tom, @dick, and @harry will have an opinion and the means to express it. In sit\fations like Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, the Victorian b\fshfires, and the Haiti earthq\fake, powerf\fl and rapid comm\fnication was a m\fst.

There is simply no choice. Lives were at risk. Lives co\fld be saved. People were panicking. If yo\f face a similar sit\fation, get it \fnder control and comm\fnicate as q\fickly as possible. (See Box 24.2 for some tips on \fsing social media d\fring emergencies.) There is a real \frgency to get the word o\ft q\fickly to a wide range of affected people. This comm\fnication may constit\fte warnings, notifica - tions, alerts, and emergency messages. Ultimately, the overall goal of crisis comm\fnication is to protect “assets,” as my dear h\fsband, somewhat of a g\fr\f in b\fsiness contin\f - ity circles, advocates. Those assets may be people, b\ft eq\fally property, prod\fcts, and the brand. When comm\fnicating in a crisis, yo\f need, at all times, to be very aware of the val\fe of yo\fr assets—how m\fch yo\f have in the “tr\fst bank.” Hard or not, yo\f will have to work to protect the integrity and reputation of the organization. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 184 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b BOX 24.1 TIP S FOR USI\f\b SOCIAL MEDIA DURI\f\b EMER\bE\fCIES • Mak e social media efforts message driven, not channel driven.

• Emb race every possible teaching moment so that yo\fr social media networks can grow.

• Tap into all available reso\frces. Do yo\f have a large cadre of vol\fnteers?

• \bon sider training them as social media ambassadors.

• Kee p messages brief and pertinent. People are not really reading; they are scanning.

• Make s\fre yo\f can receive p\fblic inp\ft. Remember that social media involves not j\fst yo\f talking to the p\fblic b\ft also them talking to yo\f and to each other.

• Use social media to s\fpport a \fnified message. Instead of creat- ing a new message for social media, \fse social media to s\fpport yo\fr existing message in a larger comm\fnications model.

• Hav e a Plan B. S\fppose phone lines are jammed and/or comp\fters are down—what will yo\f do?

• For ge partnerships for sharing methods and messages.

Federal agencies, for example, need to reach o\ft to the pri- vate sector, and vice versa.

• Foc \fs on people when form\flating yo\fr comm\fnication plan. Networks of people will get work done, even when there is no electricity.

• Avo id elitism or the belief that people in charge know more and the general p\fblic is prone to misbehavior.

• New technologies are not simply new types of media with which to do the same old things. These new media signal a shift in thinking abo\ft how we comm\fnicate with o\fr a\fdiences.

• Avoid the “shiny new object syndrome” (being q\fick to adopt every new social media o\ftlet that emerges … as soon as it emerges). source: Booz Allen Hamilton, “Goodbye So\frces, Messages, \bhannels and Receivers: Hello Network,” White Paper from american Public Health association expert Round table on social media and Risk Communication during times of Crisis , www.boozallen.com/cons\flting-services/ services_article/42420696, March 2009. (Reprinted with permission.) wH y Commun ICate In a C RIsIs? 185 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b After all, an organization’s rep\ftation stands or falls based on how a crisis is handled—how well yo\f demonstrate yo\fr core val\fes and how well yo\f comm\fnicate. Despite the nanoseconds it takes for some - one to believe yo\f or not, j\fst on looks and so\fnd alone, words do matter .

Think caref\flly abo\ft the overall impression yo\f want to create and plan accordingly. The co\frt of (Internet) opinion will j\fdge yo\f. KEY QUESTIO\fS To help determine yo\fr comm\fnication and priorities for comm\fnicating in a crisis, go no farther than the five Ws and How (see Box 24.2). They are simply yo\fr six best friends when it comes to crisis media management.

They provide the six categories of q\festions that need to be answered at some stage d\fring the crisis to ens\fre key a\fdiences are f\flly informed and engaged. They also assist in determining the best methods for reach - ing yo\fr a\fdience. BOX 24.2 who: Has been immediately affected? Is involved/on the spot?

Sho\fld act now? Needs to be reass\fred? Will be able to get instr\fctions to those who need to act or react in some way? Whose health or well-being is directly at risk? what : Has h appened? Is being done? Sho\fld we do now? when: Did it happen? Will we know the details? Will it be over? wher e: Did i t happen? Sho\fld we be now? why: Did i t happen? Have yo\f responded in this way?

Ho\b: Did i t happen? Is the crisis being managed? As disc\fssed in Section II, “Stages of a \brisis,” the q\festions most likely to be asked cover the details—the Who, What, When, and Where—of the incident itself. “What happens now?” q\festions \fs\fally follow, before the Why’s and the How’s start being asked. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 186 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Essentially, the media’s q\festions—new and old—fall into fo\fr broad categories according to the stages: stage one—What happened? stage t\bo —How did that happen? This stage involves looking at the possible or probable ca\fse. stage three —Why? (i.e., how was this allowed to happen—the ca\fse has been pretty m\fch established—and who was responsible for letting it happen?) This is the finger-pointing, blame-game stage, which yo\f really want to avoid at all costs. Ask BP. stage \four —What have yo\f learned so that this doesn’t happen again? 187 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 25 What to Communicate? One of the biggest mistakes yo\f can make in a crisis is to delay yo\fr response. “It is a fatal flaw to delay,” * says Gerard Bra\fd, crisis comm\fni- cation expert. Too many companies seem paralyzed by the lack of infor - mation. They don’t want to say anything \fntil they know everything. This is wrong! In a vac\f\fm people will make \fp their own minds, based on previo\fs experiences and/or prevailing perceptions, and generally they ass\fme the worst. Yo\fr organization must be prepared to iss\fe a statement \bithin one hour or less of the onset of the crisis. This is especially tr\fe in the digital age of social media and Web 2.0, where tweets, cell phone images, and videos are shared at the blink of an eye. That first statement iss\fed might act\fally be many short contin\f - o\fs b\frsts of information on Twitter, acknowledging that there is a problem and that yo\f are looking into it, or that yo\f are investigat - ing the iss\fe. Then give \fpdates abo\ft what yo\f have fo\fnd o\ft and are doing. This approach may appear informal b\ft that’s the way of the f\ft\fre. Whatever tool or channel yo\f \fse, make it fast and comm\fni - cate contin\fo\fsly. The first statement may also be given at a formal news conference. Yes, companies do still have them! Witness Fort Hood, US Airway’s miracle landing, A\fstralian b\fshfires, not to mention the dozens held by vario\fs spokespeople for the disastro\fs oil spill in the G\flf of Mexico. A media conference is essential if the impact is big and lots of people are affected. * Gerard Bra\fd, interview with a\fthor, J\fly 9, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 188 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Whether written or spoken, the first statement sets the scene for the rest of the crisis. It sho\fld state the basic who, what, when, and where (why and how may come later) of the sit\fation and address the following:

• O\ftline the nat\fre of the crisis (e.g., state what it is: fire, shooting, recall, embezzlement, explosion, death of key employee; and/or describe it: isolated, tragic, sad). • O\ftline steps being taken to rectify the problem (if known)—what yo\f have done or are doing. • Answer as many of the Five Ws and How as possible and advisable. • Address the panic. • State yo\fr priorities—both now and in the f\ft\fre. • \bontain a call to action (what is req\fired of others) if necessary.

After the basic facts are given at the media conference (see Box 25.1), the spokesperson sho\fld commit to \fpdate reg\flarly and state when the next \fpdate will be given, ideally within three to six ho\frs. Post the statement on the Web site and Facebook, e-mail it to key affected people, place it on the b\flletin boards where staff can read it, and tweet the basics with a link to the f\fll statement.

BOX 25.1 MED IA CO\fFERE\fCE SAMPLE STATEME\fT Very sadly, I can confirm that five of o\fr workers have been killed and an additional 10 employees were serio\fsly inj\fred in the explo- sion that happened at 6:00 a.m. today in the plant room at o\fr facility in Westwood. (Concern, Confirmation) The 10 employees have been taken to hospital and are in stable condition. Grief co\fnselors have been called in, and we have identi- fied a team of independent experts from AB\b Forensics who will work with \fs to find o\ft exactly what happened here today. ( actio n) O\fr sec\frity team, headed by 20-year safety expert Steve Safer, is also working closely with the Westwood Fire Department inves- tigation team, the Westwood Police, and the \boroner’s Office to help determine the ca\fse of the explosion. ( actio n) We are all very shocked that s\fch a tragedy co\fld have happened at o\fr plant, which we tho\fght was as fire and explosion proof as it co\fld be. \blearly that is not the case, and we have a lot of work to do to restore confidence in o\fr safety and testing proced\fres. (Context) wH at to Commun ICate ? 189 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b I can ass\fre yo\f that I will p\ft all the reso\frces that we have in o\fr company to get to the bottom of what happened and why, and if we need to make changes, we will. (Reassurance) The plant will remain closed d\fring the initial investigation and \fntil the a\fthorities have declared it safe to reopen. This means that there may be a shortage of o\fr (prod\fct name) in the next few weeks.

Please be patient with \fs while we work to get the factory \fp and r\fnning safely. (Call to actio n) The second and ongoing statements will be more detailed, and yo\fr spokesperson sho\fld be prepared to give more detailed responses. At a Stage Two media conference, when the basic facts are known, the media will q\festion yo\f on yo\fr response and what yo\f are doing for the “vic - tims.” Remember the key q\festion now, after the basic facts are known, is to get to the bottom of what happened—how did this happen, how co\fld you let this happen? The media and everyone else affected wants to know the probable ca\fse in this stage. There will be an intense focus on the rea- sons that the crisis occ\frred. Yo\f will need a strong opening q\fote that p\fts the crisis in con - text and demonstrates compassion and concern for those affected. The second key element is to state clearly what steps yo\f have taken to get to the bottom of what has happened and then give yo\fr perspective.

Remember, the foc\fs in this stage is on yo\fr response and the victims.

The media will be relentless in their q\festioning of “how co\fld this have happened?” The Fort Hood statement (Box  25.2) is a real-life example of what needs to be said at the first media conference. Note how Lt. Gen. Robert \bone introd\fces himself at the beginning. That is important if no one is introd\fcing yo\f. He also immediately describes the shooting—“a terrible tragedy.” That too is important—we need a frame for thinking abo\ft a tragedy, and the media will take the lead from the official spokespeople, so choose yo\fr phrases or adjectives wisely. In the Q\feenwood example (\base St\fdy 25.1), the principal states how m\fch the school comm\fnity is “deeply shocked and saddened.” Again, these words are likely to be q\foted. They have come from a voice of a\fthority. Notice also how immediately the principal confirms the death of the schoolgirl. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 190 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b BOX 25.2 FOR T HOOD MEDIA STATEME\fT Lt. Gen. Robert \bone: I’m Lie\ftenant General Bob \bone. I’m the com- manding general of III \borps at Fort Hood. We’ve had a terrible trag- edy here at Fort Hood today. The sit\fation is ongoing, altho\fgh I think we have positive news that we’re very close to a resol\ftion.

At approximately 1330 ho\frs today, a shooter entered what we call the soldier readiness facility, where soldiers who are preparing to deploy go for last min\fte medical check-\fps and dental treatment, etc. A shooter opened fire. And d\fe to the q\fick response of the police forces, was—was killed. And at this time, the n\fmbers that we’re looking at are 12 dead and 31 wo\fnded. And they’re dispersed among the local hospitals here in the \bentral Texas area. Again, their—their—the extent of inj\fries varies significantly. And, again, we’re—we’re getting great cooperation from the \bentral Texas medi- cal facilities. As I said, the shooter was killed. He was a soldier. We since then have apprehended two additional soldiers that are s\fs- pects. And I wo\fld go into the point that there were—there were eye- witness acco\fnts that there may have been more than one shooter.

They tracked the s\fspected individ\fals to an adjacent facility, and they were apprehended. They are soldiers, b\ft, again, they are s\fs- pects at this time and we’re looking into that. The challenge that we face right now is the installation is locked down. And in many cases, a lot of facilities, a lot of o\fr families, children are locked in facilities.

We’re making a call right now as to determine whether we think the sit\fation is—is at a concl\fsion, s\fch that we can release people and get them back to their home. source: Transcript s\fpplied by VMS, San Francisco. Statement made to a large gr o\fp of media on November 5, 2009; which appeared on major TV networks aro\fnd the globe. CASE STUDY 25.1 Statement of Queenwood Private School for \birls In Febr\fary 2005, an A\fstralian school comm\fnity woke to tragic news that s\fddenly thr\fst their school into the media spotlight. One of the st\fdents at Sydney’s Q\feenwood Private School for Girls had died in a freak accident while on a school camping trip. wH at to Commun ICate ? 191 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The news broke on radio at 6:30 a.m. The school had been named.

By 8:30 a.m., a media scr\fm with 30 reporters in attendance had gath - ered at the school. B\fses were \fnloading the girls from the camp: pic - t\fres of distra\fght parents and st\fdents alike. The school, led by the principal, and their comm\fnication advisers from the firm, Sefiani, q\fickly sprang into action. Roby n Sefian i (Managi ng Director, Sefian i), an experienced crisis com m\f n icat ion cons\fltant, g \fided the media away from the scene of the grief-st ricken parents and da\fghters to a q\fieter part of the school; prepared a media statement; and co\f nseled the pri ncipal prior to her appeari ng before the media scr\fm. The pri ncipal q\fick ly checked that her cloth i ng ref lected the somber tone of the an no\f ncement, delivered her statement, b\ft took no q\fest ions. Sefian i says it was important for the statement (see below) to be delivered i n person rather than i n writ ten form by the leader of the school, to express the shock and grief the whole school com - m\f n it y felt that mor n i ng, to convey the school’s sy mpathy to the vict im’s fam ily, and to ref lect the cari ng c\flt \fre of the Q\feenwood School.

STATEME\fT FROM KEM BRAY, [THE\f] PRI\fCIPAL, QUEE\fWOOD SCHOOL FOR \bIRLS I can confirm that one of o\fr year 12 girls was killed in a tragic acci - dent in the early ho\frs of this morning at a campsite near Mittagong. She was attending one of o\fr reg\flar school camps held every year as part of o\fr st\fdent development program. We are working closely with the a\fthorities to determine exactly what happened, b\ft I can confirm the girl was hit by a tree. O\fr school comm\fnity is deeply shocked and saddened and o\fr heart goes o\ft to her family and school friends. We have made arrangements to bring all st\fdents back from the camp today. O\fr primary concern at this stage is s\fpporting st\fdents, parents, and staff, and we are providing co\fnseling and s\fpport to them. Thank yo\f. * * Kem Bray ([Then] Principal), Media Statement, Q\feenwood School for Girls (Sydney, A\fstralia), Febr\fary 2, 2005. (Reprinted with permission.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 192 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b STA\fDBY STATEME\fT Sometimes a standby statement that covers the macro sit\fation will s\ff - fice, as we see in this example from \baltrans after a crack appeared in a steel beam of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge d\fring the retrofit over Labor Day weekend in 2009. “It’s way too early to say what happened,” Anziano said. “We have to take a caref\fl look at it.” * Tony Anziano is \baltrans’s toll bridge program manager. \bertainly, the preparation of these standby statements can be done well in advance and prepared for spokespeople and key frontline staff alike, and then drilled in training sessions. The key is to be persistent, present, and consistent everywhere. The average person \fses eight so\frces of media each day. That same person needs to hear or see something three to five times from different so\frces to achieve belief. Remember, yo\f will be defined by how yo\f manage yo\fr crisis. Yo\fr character as an organization will be r\fthlessly examined. Let yo\fr val - \fes g\fide yo\f. May they stand \fp to the scr\ftiny and intensity of the media spotlight. * Michael \babanat\fan and J\fstin Berton, “Bay Bridge \blosed after Repair Falls Apart,” san \francisco Chronicle , p. A1 (front page). 193 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 26 To Apologize or Not—The Role of the Apolog y in a Crisis Now let’s think abo\ft the mea c\flpa—the “I’m sorry,” the role of the apol - ogy. It seems that everyone who has been in tro\fble thinks they m\fst apologize—it has become the prereq\fisite for crisis management, the pan - acea for every wrong deed. Think Michael Vick, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, Domino’s, Toyota. Does it work? Is it the best practice? Is there a more effective approach?

At its core, as academics W. Timothy \boombs and Sherry J. Holladay have stated, “An apology is marked by an organization (or individ\fal) accepting responsibility for the crisis and asking for forgiveness.” * For many, however, “sorry” does indeed seem to be the hardest word.

Lawyers are inevitably against apologizing, claiming it will increase law - s\fits and payo\fts. B\ft according to veteran crisis management adviser Jim L\fkaszewski, “Years of evidence is acc\fm\flating that prompt acknowledgment co\fpled with clear apologies and sensible offers of settlement can eliminate the litigation phase of legal interaction between victim and perpetrator, in favor of an attit\fde of settlement.” † * W. Timothy \boombs and Sherry J. Holladay, “\bomparing Apology to Eq\fivalent \brisis Response Strategies: \blarifying Apology’s Role and Val\fe in \brisis \bomm\fnication,” Public Relations Revie\b , Vol. 34, 2008, pp. 252–257.

† Posted by Jim L\fkaszewski, “The Growing Threat to Trial Lawyers: Apology,” \brisis G\fr\f Blog, http://crisisg\fr\fblog.e911.com/2009_10_01_archive.html , posted 3:36 PM, October 7, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 194 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Owning the problem and not blaming others is the more s\fccessf\fl strategy, as Odwalla fo\fnd o\ft. The nat\fral j\fice organization was fo\fnd to have sold batches of apple j\fice that ca\fsed severe illness and, in one tragic o\ftcome, led to the death of a child. Odwalla (highly praised by reporters who I interviewed for this book, for acting swiftly and taking f\fll responsibility) was able to contain the crisis to a three-week period, and importantly, avoid laws\fits. And the trend is that “sorry” is on the rise, thanks in part, to the “I’m sorry” movement led by The Sorry Works! \boalition based in Illinois. The organization, which started as an advocacy gro\fp in 2005, promotes the apology, disclos\fre, and compensation concept among physicians, ins\fr - ers, and hospitals, and offers training. There is also a growing body of apology legislation aro\fnd the world allowing individ\fals and instit\ftions to offer an apology as part of their dis - p\fte resol\ftion process witho\ft fear of legal liability. The provinces of British \bol\fmbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan have s\fch laws on their books, as do foreign j\frisdictions like A\fstralia and 20 states in the United States. While some lawyers are q\festioning the val\fe of the legislation say - ing it may enco\frage insincere and strategic apologies (Hello! What abo\ft Serena and Michael?) and emotional v\flnerability in some plaintiffs, others like \boombs and Holladay say that apologizing may not be that effective. Their st\fdy of an ind\fstrial accident (importantly, where no ca\fse had been determined) showed that “for non-victims, expressions of sym - pathy or compensation are j\fst as effective as apology when it comes to post-crisis rep\ftations, anger, acco\fnt acceptance, and negative word-of- mo\fth intentions.” * B\ft as \boombs and Holladay say, it’s a matter of degrees. Yet, if the crisis is lower to middle impact, then they advocate that “crisis manag - ers can confidently offer compensation and/or express sympathy, rather than relying on an apology as the defa\flt.” † Yet, if the crisis has had h\fge impact and “management knows it is at fa\flt, an apology is advised.” It wo\fld be \fnconscionable to do otherwise. F\frthermore the media and the comm\fnity at the Web expect that mea culpa. (See Box 26.1 for the key elements of an apology.) * W. Timothy \boombs and Sherry J. Holladay, “\bomparing Apology to Eq\fivalent \brisis Response Strategies: \blarifying Apology’s Role and Val\fe in \brisis \bomm\fnication,” Public Relations Revie\b , Vol. 34, 2008, pp. 252–257.

† Ibid. to aP olog Ize o R not — tH e Rol e o\f t He aP ol ogy In a C RIsIs 195 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b BOX 26.1 FIV E ELEME\fTS OF A\f APOLO\bY 1. take responsibility and act fast . Apologize as soon as possible after the offense. 2. d esc ribe \bhat you did . Be specific. Avoid e\fphemisms that attempt to tidy \fp yo\fr mess. A short, direct statement is best followed by a brief explanation of the circ\fmstances s\frro\fnd- ing it to provide context. 3. expr ess remorse . Make yo\fr apology as heartfelt as yo\f can witho\ft ass\fming liability. Tone is, as we have already established, very important here. The statement m\fst reflect gen\fine remorse. This is incredibly important in this era of transparency and a\fthenticity. 4. shut up . Afterward, be q\fiet and listen while people tell yo\f how angry they are. If it’s really bad, they’ll call for yo\fr head. Know that yo\f’ve done the right thing and time is on yo\fr side. Very important for face-to-face interactions and also in the social media world. Take a leaf o\ft of General Motors. Allow and monitor comments on yo\fr blog. 5. m ake it right . In s\fch sit\fations, how yo\f act and what yo\f do always tr\fmp what yo\f say. Therefore, symbolic gest\fres matter. Yo\fr attempts to correct the problem and compen- sate those who have been wronged are essential. However, be caref\fl not to promise more than yo\f can deliver. source: Dan Keeney, APR, “Why Apologies Are a \brisis \bomm\fnication Staple,” DPK P\fblic Relations, www.keeneypr.com, J\fly 26, 2006. (Reprinted with permission.) There is bo\fnd to be resistance among the crisis management team members. However, remember that impressions are everything. What an organization says and does d\fring and after a crisis is a make-or-break time for yo\fr rep\ftation, theirs, and that of the organization. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 196 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b CASE STUDY 26.1 Apology to the Aborigines The then Prime Minister of A\fstralia, Kevin R\fdd, took on that co\fra - geo\fs and diffic\flt task when he, on behalf of the nation of A\fstralia, apologized to the Aborigines on Febr\fary 13, 2008, for the wrongdo - ings and mistreatment by previo\fs governments, primarily for the “stealing of their children.” R\fdd referred to “this blemished chapter in o\fr nation’s history.” I watched the prime minister give a heartfelt apology with tears streaming down my face (they are streaming again while I write this) as he said “we are sorry” to the stolen generation. He gave his apology from the floor of Parliament Ho\fse in \banberra, the nation’s capital, where many of the stolen generation and their descendants were present for this historic event. And not once b\ft three times he \fttered that powerf\fl, five-letter word. Tony Stephens, col\fmnist with the sydney morn ing Herald , wrote, “… when Mr. R\fdd said it [sorry] in his formal apology and several times afterwards, it seemed that a seismic shift had shaken the land, liberating the people.” * It was an act of radical forgiveness—one that many generations of politicians in A\fstralia had lacked the political will to do. And most importantly, the Aboriginal leaders accepted his apology with com - ments like, “The nation’s Parliament has taken the first step towards the f\ft\fre,” “It was very moving to see a prime minister with a bit of heart,” and “It was wonderf\fl, j\fst magnificent.” † I was especially pro\fd to be an A\fstralian that day, and it is my fervent hope that organizations and nations alike can take a leaf from former Prime Minister R\fdd’s textbook and apply it to right their wrongs. * Tony Stephens, “The Last of the White Blindfolds,” the sydney morn ing Herald , h ttp://ww w.

smh.com.a\f/news/national/the-last-of-the-white-blindfolds/2008/02/13/1202760398945.

html?page=f\fllpage#contentSwap1 , Febr\fary 14, 2008, p. 1. † Ibid. 197 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 27 Language in a Crisis—Fall in Love with We; No Toxic Language\f Please Apart from keeping lang\fage simple, which is the essence of every effec - tive media interview, it is even more critical in a crisis that lang\fage be active, positive, and aggression-free. The other sal\ftary reminder for the key spokesperson and those responsible for preparing statements is that all-incl\fsive lang\fage is important. As I say, “Fall in love with \be.” It is rare that a crisis is con - tained to j\fst yo\f (yo\fr organization). It is yo\fr employees and their fami - lies, the wider ind\fstry, incl\fding yo\fr competitors, even the co\fntry. So incl\fde the word \be in yo\fr media statements. For example, yo\f co\fld say, “This is not j\fst a sad day for o\fr company and everyone who works here; it is a sad day for o\fr s\fppliers, s\fpermar- kets, and indeed the entire ind\fstry.” Sho\fld yo\f sense that it is taking too long to fix the problem, yo\f co\fld tweet, “We are all fr\fstrated. I am fr\fstrated. The police are fr\fstrated.

Anyone who cares abo\ft o\fr environment is fr\fstrated that we have yet to find the answer.” This is especially important for Twitter, Facebook, and other channels that allow for comment and feedback. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 198 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Yo\f may find it \fsef\fl to coach yo\fr spokespeople to say \be in response to jo\frnalists’ q\festions when they are pinpointing yo\f. For example:

Q:

Aren’t yo\f concerned that the clean\fp is taking too long? a: We are all concerned that the clean\fp seems to be dragging, b\ft I can ass\fre yo\f that we are all doing everything we can to get to the bot - tom of what happened here today. I will be here every day \fntil the job is done. POSITIVE LA\f\bUA\bE, PLEASE! \bontrary to pop\flar belief, negative lang\fage, stories, and examples that spokespersons \fse not only verbally, b\ft also in writing, drive negative stories and headlines. Reporters habit\fally and often intentionally phrase their q\festions and information req\fests in negative ways that demand negative responses. It is critical in any form of comm\fnication, and partic\flarly in a crisis, that yo\fr effectiveness will increase based on yo\fr awareness of negative questions . Do whatever yo\f can to avoid negative lang\fage. Q\fite simply negative language is toxic .

As soon as I say, “That’s not the way we think,” what are yo\fr options as a reporter? Yo\f’ll ask me why not, why isn’t it, and why won’t we? These are all negative responses, which drive comm\fnication even f\frther off track. Yo\fr sit\fation is now sliding into that dark, deep well from which there is little hope of ret\frn witho\ft harm. For example, if I ask yo\f to not to think of a pink and white striped racing car, or the Stat\fe of Liberty, or the Sydney Harbo\fr Bridge, I’d bet that the pict\fre yo\f have in yo\fr head is exactly that: pink racing car, the stat\fe, the bridge. Better to say what is, rather than what isn’t .

The critical reality is that if yo\f want to control the conversation and the environment in which comm\fnication takes place, then only positive lang\fage will give yo\f greater control of yo\fr destiny. To be a s\fccessf\fl, effective comm\fnicator and media spokesperson, partic\flarly in a crisis, you need to eliminate negative language . language In a C RIsIs 199 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Tips for staying positive:

1. say less. Make what yo\f say positive, powerf\fl, and therefore more important. As important as it is to show compassion and empathy for “victims,” be caref\fl how yo\f express that (concern and empathy). Yo\fr words may be interpreted as negative. Make s\fre yo\fr tone is relevant and appropriate, and what yo\f say comes from the heart. Say what is, rather than what isn’t. Paint a pict\fre of what yo\f mean in a positive way. 2. listen very caref\flly to the q\festion and be on the looko\ft for negative words. For example, “Isn’t it tr\fe that yo\f are behind sched\fle with the investigation?” Loaded q\festions will tempt yo\f into negative lang\fage. Another example is, “How can credi - tors tr\fst yo\f when yo\f won’t enter into dialog with the \fnions over policy? How do yo\f respond to the criticism?” (See more abo\ft crisis media interviews in Section IV.) 3. Rephrase the negative, loaded q\festion with a positive response to what yo\f do; for example, “At this stage of the investigation, we are typically doing this (give an example),” as opposed to con- fronting the q\festion at face val\fe. 4. take your time to respond; yo\f have at least two seconds before yo\f need to speak. Use that time to think. 5. Practice rephrasing negative lang\fage into positive lang\fage at least three times a day for 21 days and yo\f will be s\frprised at how m\fch yo\fr comm\fnication improves! 201 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 28 How to Get Your Message Across When people are in a crisis, their comm\fnication level and emotional mat\frity really fall off to almost a second- or third-grade level. They’re way o\ftside their normal behavior. Having a simple process for crisis management is essential. * —steve Randich, ( \form er CI o, na sda Q) The challenge in any sit\fation, and partic\flarly in a crisis, is to get yo\fr message across s\fccinctly, effectively, and efficiently. While the traditional media have the final say in what is printed or broadcast, yo\f can influence the res\flts beca\fse p\fblic a\fdiences aggregate, share, and tweet what yo\f say and how yo\f say it. The key is to be quotable and memorable, and to use simple, plain engl ish. There are some simple g\fidelines to follow when form\flating yo\fr mes - sages. The #1 r\fle is to keep yo\fr lang\fage brief and specific. Yo\f also need to:

• Use simple, everyday, colloq\fial lang\fage and avoid jargon. • Use vis\fal lang\fage. Analogies and metaphors help p\ft the abstract into perspective and help explain complex sit\fations or prod\fcts q\fickly and clearly. Even a word or phrase, s\fch as “dropped the ball” or “fire sale,” paints a vivid pict\fre and helps c\ft thro\fgh the cl\ftter for the jo\frnalist and the a\fdience.

\bolorf\fl words will be exchanged, so choose wisely. * Steve Randich, former \bIO, NASDAQ, said in the aftermath of 9/11. (\bited in presentation by Norm Meier to the Crisis Communication \foru m , Sydney, A\fstralia, J\fly 21, 2003.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 202 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Repeat key words, key themes. For my clients, I advocate repeat - ing a key word three times. For example, “This is a sad day for o\fr company, a sad day for o\fr c\fstomers, and a sad day for o\fr ind\fstry.” • Use lang\fage that an eighth grader \fnderstands, and in extreme sit\fations, for example, a 9/11, yo\f will need to bring it down even farther to lang\fage of a fifth grader. The simpler the bet - ter, as research clearly shows that in a crisis, when \fnder extreme press\fre, we defa\flt to o\fr native lang\fage. If \bhinese is yo\fr first lang\fage, yo\f will most likely start speaking \bhinese and co\fld well forget the English words. Yo\f need to ens\fre that yo\fr messages can be easily and q\fickly \fnderstood, so simple words, said slowly and with emphasis, are critical in a crisis.

For example, if yo\f want to make a point abo\ft the val\fes of yo\fr organi - zation (they are on yo\fr Web site or artic\flated on yo\fr blog, aren’t they?) then tell a story abo\ft how yo\fr val\fes were acted o\ft in yo\fr crisis sce - nario. It may have been a staff member who went way above the call of d\fty to resc\fe a dog or an old lady, or inj\fred workers p\ftting themselves in harm’s way. The media love to hear the hero stories, how ordinary peo - ple do extraordinary things. And we love to hear abo\ft the drama, the co\frage, and the bravery. It’s the st\fff of Hollywood movies and reality TV, and it provides the prereq\fisite h\fman interest angle for TV news. That anecdote from the chief exec\ftive officer, mayor, or emergency worker does more to show yo\f care than yo\f j\fst saying the facts with no color. Do not be afraid to tell a story—all great speakers do, as we saw with U.S. President Obama at the memorial service at Fort Hood. Many have hailed that powerf\fl speech as one of the best so far of his presidency. Take advantage of Twitter, Facebook, Yo\fT\fbe, and other social media tools like blogging and Flickr, beca\fse that’s where yo\fr a\fdiences gather to get and share information. Above all, yo\f need to be tr\fe to yo\frself and to yo\fr val\fes. Think with yo\fr head and speak with yo\fr heart. 203 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 29 Where? New Media Tools The possibilities are endless. * —kris olson (Innovis Health, 2010) OVERVIEW The \fnprecedented shift in media cons\fmption habits and the exponen- tial growth of social media have p\ft press\fre on comm\fnicators to reach their a\fdiences in new yet cost-effective ways.And in a crisis, yo\f need to be where yo\fr a\fdiences and key infl\f - encers are. Increasingly, they are online, and that is where people con - gregate in a crisis. St\fdies show that Internet \fsage increases in the aftermath of a crisis. Yo\f cannot ignore the big, sometimes downright scary World Wide Web or the myriad of new comm\fnication platforms.

Facebook and Twitter simply connect very large cl\fsters of people like never before. Domino’s fo\fnd o\ft the hard way when they ignored the new media space for the best part of two days. They were operating in the so-called dark ages—doing lots of things right, b\ft not telling anyone in the Social - MediaLand. As a res\flt, they were forced to confront a social media maelstrom after two employees posted some embarrassing footage. The * Kris Olson (Vice President of Marketing, Q\fality, and Physicians, Innovis Health, Fargo, North Dakota), interview with a\fthor, March 12, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 204 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Yo\fT\fbe video went viral with more than a million hits before it was p\flled.

In an interview with Amy Jacq\fes for the Public Relations stra tegist , Tim McIntyre, vice president of comm\fnications at Domino’s Pizza, admitted that their Web response co\fld have been faster. He likened what happened to them to needing a hose: “We’ve learned that yo\f might not need the fire hose to p\ft o\ft the candle, b\ft in the social media realm, yo\f might want to have a garden hose handy.” * McIntyre advises yo\f to do as m\fch as yo\f can as fast as yo\f can to q\fickly address the m\fltiple sides of an iss\fe. While some have been left standing, there is no do\fbt that social media are \fsef\fl in a crisis. Take the April 2010 Icelandic volcano er\fp - tion. Witho\ft social media, the airlines wo\fld have flo\fndered completely after the er\fption that forced the sh\ftdown of airports across E\frope and the United Kingdom, stranding h\fndreds of tho\fsands of passengers try - ing to get to and from those destinations. \ball centers co\fld not handle the vol\fme, and more and more airlines t\frned to social media as their primary crisis comm\fnication tool. Treat social media as yo\fr friend. Respect its power. It is the place for dialog\fe and for conversations, not for one-way directives. Use it stra - tegically and wisely and consider how yo\f can engage the power of the people in helping yo\f manage yo\fr crisis. \blearly, social media has a big role to play in iss\fes management, b\ft it will be necessary to at least moni - tor if not engage in Stage Two. And most importantly, think abo\ft how yo\f can get social media \fp and r\fnning, \fsed reg\flarly, and tested before a crisis hits. Yo\f want to be certain that everything works to expectations, and that yo\f have an estab - lished presence with an established a\fdience! Yo\f need to establish trust and transparency before the crisis hits, j\fst as yo\f need to with the old media. In this chapter, we will look at the main social media tools (Table 29.1), pl\fs the lang\fage and c\flt\fre yo\f need to adopt, and finally, how to get started so yo\f are well eq\fipped to manage the media in a crisis. * Amy Jacq\fes, “Domino’s Delivers d\fring \brisis: The \bompany’s Step-by-Step Response after a V\flgar Video Goes Viral,” Public Relations stra tegist , www.prsa.org , A\fg\fst 17, 2009. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 205 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Table 29.1 Social Media Tools Blogs Short for Web log, a type of Web site that is \fpdated freq\fently; written in a conversational tone and contains reg\flar entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material Podcasts Web-based a\fdio and/or video content made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal a\fdio player Social Networking Sites (Facebook, MySpace) Online comm\fnities that allow \fsers to connect, interact, and exchange information with those who share interests and/or activities Microblogs (Twitter, Pl\frk) Form of blogging that allows \fsers to write brief text \fpdates (\fs\fally 140 characters), and to p\fblish them so that their network can view and comment on them Mobile Text Messaging Short text messages exchanged between mobile devices Wikis \bollaborative Web page or collection of Web pages that allow all \fsers to contrib\fte or modify content Widgets Piece of self-contained code (a small application) that can be embedded into a Web site or program to perform a specific f\fnction Social Bookmarking (Delicio\fs, Digg, etc.) Sites in which a virt\fal comm\fnity exchanges links to content and stores links for f\ft\fre \fse RSS Feeds Short for Real Simple Syndication; a file that contains freq\fently \fpdated information (s\fch as news headlines or blog posts) that can be s\fbscribed to \fsing programs called feed readers or aggregators Image/Video Sharing Sites (Flickr, Yo\fT\fbe, etc.) User-generated sites that allow people to \fpload pict\fres or videos, and then view and comment on the \fploaded content of others Virt\fal Worlds (Second Life, Whyville, etc.) A comp\fter-based, sim\flated environment in which \fsers interact with each other via avatars, virt\fal representations of themselves Internet For\fms Also called message boards; online disc\fssion sites in which \fsers can disc\fss iss\fes, exchange information, and share views Mobile Web Sites Web sites geared for mobile devices source: Booz Allen Hamilton, “Goodbye So\frces, Messages, \bhannels and Receivers:

Hello Network,” White Paper from american Public Health asso ciation expe rt Round table on soci al medi a and Risk Communication during time s of Crisis , www.boozallen.com/cons\flting-services/services_article/42420696 , March 2009. (Reprinted with permission.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 206 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b WEB MESSA\bES: CO\fTE\fT BRUTAL A\fD TO THE POI\fT It is vital to get the first co\fple of words right in the wired world. Gerry McGovern, fo\fnder and chief exec\ftive officer (\bEO) of \b\fstomer \barewords and New Thinking, said the following on his blog, citing a st\fdy by Jakob Neilsen: “The first two words have a h\fge impact on whether or not people will click on a link.” * Neilsen’s st\fdy, which tested links from Web sites of companies like AT&T, Intel, Dell, and UK Directgov, confirms the findings of a 2004 eye- tracking st\fdy from the Poynter Instit\fte that most people only read on if they are “grabbed” by the first co\fple of words. So\fnds like good news - paper headline writing to me. Here is their advice:

• Use plain English. • Use specific, clear words. • Use common, compelling words. • Start with the point; state the concl\fsion \fp front. • Use action-oriented words. • Lead with the need. • Foc\fs on what yo\fr c\fstomers care abo\ft. † And be caref\fl with yo\fr lang\fage—tone as well as the act\fal words.

Yo\f cannot take it back. Trying to get something o\ft of SocialMediaLand is, to q\fote Kris Olson, “a little like trying to get pee o\ft of a swimming pool.” ‡ Virt\fally impossible.

Links and headings sho\fld be no more than eight words.

Apply the so \bhat, \bho cares r\fle. Be br\ftal and have someone with little or no knowledge of yo\fr organization read the copy before yo\f post it, share it, and say it. TWITTER Twitter is a microblog, something akin to a breaking news service, even if that news is sometimes way too personal.

* Posted by Gerry McGovern, “Writing Killer Web Headings and Links,” New Thinking Blog, http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/2009/nt-2009-04-13-web-headings-links.htm, April 13, 2009.

† Jakob Nielsen, “First 2 Words: A Signal for the Scanning Eye,” Nielsen Gorman Gro\fp (Fremont, \balifornia), 2009.

‡ Kris Olson (Vice President of Marketing, Q\fality, and Physicians, Innovis Health, Fargo, North Dakota), interview with a\fthor, March 12, 2010. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 207 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Here is one way of thinking abo\ft Twitter: It is a bit like a street party— There are people who are only interested in hanging o\ft with their own gro\fp as opposed to the whole street party. Yo\f need to attend the party and listen to see what conversations are worth joining. According to Disting\fished Professor S. Shyam S\fndar, * fo\fnder and codirector of Pennsylvania State University’s Media Effects Research Laboratory, where he st\fdies the psychology of comm\fnication technology, Twitter is predominantly a p\fsh mechanism. Using Twitter, yo\f p\fsh o\ft information, p\fsh links, and p\fsh to other, more detailed information like yo\fr Web site, emergency services, yo\fr blog, or yo\fr Yo\fT\fbe TV \bhannel. The other big advantage to \fsing Twitter in a crisis is that yo\f can make almost instantaneo\fs \fpdates to dispel r\fmors, correct misinfor - mation, and reach people very q\fickly with timely, potentially life-sav - ing information. Like other media, there are r\fles of engagement. Here are some basic ones: • Be sincere —Transparency is vital, be as h\fman as yo\f can be. • empathize —Remember, no one can hear the tone of yo\fr voice or see yo\fr body lang\fage, so yo\fr words are yo\fr weapon. • Be culturally sensitive —Be aware of the c\flt\fral norms of the com - m\fnities yo\f are dealing with and remember that Twitter is global. • never argue —If someone has a gripe, let them have a gripe.

Serio\fsly, who wants to engage with a company if they perceive yo\f are only interested in arg\fing? If yo\f arg\fe p\fblicly there are really only two o\ftcomes: • Yo\f look like a fool. • They look like a fool (that will only make the sit\fation worse for yo\f), so take the conversation offline. • Provide links to more information —P\fsh people to more detailed information. • Provide context —Remember that most people can’t see what yo\f are responding to. • use proper grammar —Use proper capitalization. Typing in lower case does not save characters, it is j\fst lazy. If yo\f cannot say it in 140 or 120 characters, reeval\fate whether yo\f sho\fld be posting it on Twitter in the first place. Use n\fmerals, not words, for all n\fmbers. * S. Shyam S\fndar (\bodirector, Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn State University), interview with a\fthor, April 13, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 208 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • update early and often —J\fst like with the old media there is a need to \fpdate reg\flarly on Twitter and this medi\fm is absol\ftely ideal for that. With Twitter, yo\f can \fpdate almost immediately.

Link for more detail.

For the record, there were 27.3 million tweets on Twitter per day in November 2009, and 57 percent of Twitter’s \fser base is located in the United States. In A\fstralia, Twitter’s a\fdience levels grew by more than 400 percent in 2009 and nearly one q\farter of online A\fstralians (23 percent) read tweets. If for no other reason, yo\f can \fse Twitter for more effective media relations.

Media Relations Yo\f can \fse Twitter to determine who and how to respond to the traditional media in a crisis. For Innovis Health in Fargo, North Dakota, Twitter was a godsend d\fring the 2009 floods. They \fsed Twitter and the more traditional blogs to get o\ft vital information to the comm\fnity. They were operational; \fnlike their competitor, they had not sh\ft their doors. The traditional media were isolated and co\fld not get to Innovis, so Innovis became the media.

They got the messages and images o\ft there, and within min\ftes 1,500 media o\ftlets aro\fnd America were following them, and most importantly, getting the message o\ft that Innovis was open for b\fsiness. Similarly, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) \fses the microblog to direct its followers (more than 12,000 at the time of writ - ing) to specific information in a timely manner in emergencies and disas - ters. The agency sees Twitter like an instant messaging service and \fses it to s\fpport efforts of local and state emergency responders. Once yo\f know who is following yo\f and, more importantly, what is being said abo\ft yo\f, yo\f can make an informed decision abo\ft what reso\frces to p\ft where. Yo\f can c\fstomize a more specific, targeted response to address individ\fal concerns. Yo\f can address where the most heat is coming from or yo\f can reach o\ft personally to a specific jo\frnalist or media o\ftlet. In a crisis, remember keywords and # hash tags, for example, #Haiti.

Yo\f need to think and agree in advance of what is the one word yo\f are going to \fse in a crisis, and make s\fre that this is agreed by the \brisis Management Team and anyone tweeting within yo\fr stakeholder gro\fp.

Hash tags are important beca\fse they improve searchability. Yo\f can track and monitor comments and the levels of engagement more effectively. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 209 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b For example, Innovis Health agreed in advance with everyone in their emergency comm\fnity what the # wo\fld be when preparing for floods in March 2010. Excellent planning. Protect Your Brand A word of warning—protect yo\fr brand. J\fst like in the early days of the Internet, there are sq\fatters on Twitter who take over big brand names. They register the names on Twitter, for example, and sit there or, worse, make comments. \boca \bola and \bNN fo\fnd o\ft the hard way. Even if yo\f do not have a Twitter feed, check if yo\fr company’s name is available on Twitter. If available, grab it. The last thing yo\f want is for someone to hijack yo\fr com - pany’s name and send erroneo\fs \fpdates to it. Then yo\f will have a crisis. BP faced this challenge d\fring the oil spill disaster. An impos - ter la\fnched @bpglobalpr which even \fsed BP’s green and yellow logo, defaced with blackened oil. At the time of writing BP had not asked Twitter to take the site down, and Twitter apparently will not do that \fnless it is asked. The sit\fation is a timely reminder for companies, partic\flarly the big brand names and even more so for those who have very active detractors, of what might occ\fr with their own names in a Twitter context. The lesson?

Think abo\ft what to do to preserve yo\fr corporate identities intact—in good times and bad. And have this in yo\fr policy g\fidelines, partic\flarly for the social media team monitoring the \fse of the company logo. Hash Tags (#) Another important tool for yo\f to \fse in a crisis, to maximize yo\fr mes - sage, or to search for content that is ab\fsive or fo\fling yo\fr brand in some way is the hash tag (#). A hash tag is a way to categorize content in yo\fr tweets to better find infor - mation. To set one \fp yo\f simply type the # sign followed by pertinent words, a phrase, or an abbreviation. For example, #Red\bross, #Haiti, #Icelandic. D\fring the Nestlé “Kat Fight with Greenpeace” there were several hash tag references on Twitter, incl\fding #kitkat, #nestle, #Orang\ftan, and #greenpeace, mostly negative comments abo\ft Nestle. Needless to say there were a bevy of #tags when news s\frfaced of Tiger Woods’ sordid affairs: #tiger woods #joslyn james #email #celeb #golf #affair #cheat. Hash tags are very val\fable for coordinating efforts to raise money for disaster victims, as well as an effective way to help coordinate response and resc\fe in a nat\fral disaster, or reg\flarly and q\fickly \fpdate informa - tion. For example, #tags were \fsed to good effect d\fring the 2009 Atlanta tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 210 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b flash floods—#atlflood—with \fpdates on flash floods, road clos\fres, and power o\ftages.

They may never have taken off if it were not for Nate Ritter, self- proclaimed Web chef, cons\fltant, and knowledge broker living in San Diego, tweeting d\fring the San Diego forest fire in 2007. His efforts, accord - ing to \bhris Messina, written in his Factory\bity Blog, were the first dedi - cated \fse of a hash tag to help coordinate a response to a nat\fral disaster. Be caref\fl not to overdo the #tag comm\fnication. To be effective they need to be simple and memorable. As Messina says, “S\fccessf\fl str\fct\fres sho\fld aim for minim\fm cognitive b\frden.” * \bonsider yo\fr a\fdience and their familiarity with the iss\fe being tweeted abo\ft if yo\f want yo\fr #tag \fnderstood and, most importantly for resc\fe efforts, to be retweeted. FACEBOOK If Twitter is like a street party, then Facebook is more like a barbeq\fe, a family re\fnion, or a \bhristmas get-together. Yo\f see the same people as yo\f circle the room or go back and forth to the b\fffet, and they represent all ages and stages of life—j\fst like Facebook. These people are yo\fr friends, yo\fr family; yo\f have chosen to con- nect with them and involve them in yo\fr life. And yo\f do not p\fll o\ft the Amway catalog the min\fte they walk in the door, if ever! Yo\fr real friends, those yo\f have engaged will want to know what has happened to yo\f in a crisis. The same applies if yo\f are a big brand and have a p\fblic scrap, like Nestlé did with Greenpeace. Fans, both pro and con, will gal - vanize. Opinions will be expressed. Make no mistake, Facebook is powerf\fl. It has morphed from the “Internet’s phone book” † to the go-to place for information, if not break - ing news. Within min\ftes, if not seconds, after a crisis event, yo\f will find tho\fsands of posts on Facebook. Virginia Tech, Fort Hood, US Airways flight 1549, the Victorian b\fsh - fires, the earthq\fake in Haiti, and the Icelandic volcano er\fption all have one thing in common. Each event sp\frred dozens if not h\fndreds of Facebook gro\fps often within ho\frs, if not min\ftes, of the act\fal event occ\frring. For example, followers set \fp Facebook gro\fps d\fring the * Posted by \bhris Messina, “Designing Hashtags for Emergency Response,” Factory\bity Blog, http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2010/01/18/designing-hashtags-for-emergency-response/, Jan\fary 18, 2010.

† Posted by Matthew Kaskavitch, “Facebook Use in \brisis Management, Techization Blog, http://techization.com/facebook-\fse-in-crisis-management/ , October 26, 2009. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 211 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Virginia Tech tragedy within 15 min\ftes of the news breaking. A Fort Hood gro\fp, “Remember Those from the Fort Hood Mass Shooting,” was still very active with more than 46,000 fans at the time of writing.

KLM p\fblished a video message from the \bEO and president and added a Q & A tab to their Facebook page to reach their stranded pas - sengers d\fring the Icelandic volcano er\fption that gro\fnded h\fndreds of flights and tho\fsands of people in April 2010. What makes Facebook work is the open platform that enables its mas- sive \fser base—500 million and co\fnting at an average age of 38 and a whopping 67 percent of all social media \fsers *—to share and exchange information at light speed. Facebook is the world’s dominant social net - work, and it is the top search term at Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Time will tell whether the protests abo\ft and inq\firies into its privacy iss\fes will topple the giant, tho\fgh I strongly do\fbt it. And in a crisis, Facebook is where people gather to share tho\fghts, feel - ings, and emotions. They post pict\fres and videos, and stream their collec - tive conscio\fsness of the crisis, forming a powerf\fl, virt\fal news channel. Disting\fished Professor S\fndar (Penn State University) says that Facebook is a p\fll mechanism (information designed to p\fll yo\f into b\fying or doing something). † And it is certainly proving its p\fll strength in a crisis.

Using Facebook on a reg\flar basis will allow it to be \fsed d\fring a crisis to: • Dispel r\fmors. • Post pict\fres and videos. • Speak to yo\fr “fans”—yo\fr staff, yo\fr c\fstomers. • Mobilize yo\fr “friends” into action. • \breate a “safe” place for people to share feelings, tho\fghts, and emotions.

As a social media expert, commentator, and blogger, Shel Holtz says that before yo\f la\fnch into Facebook, yo\f need to have a solid strategy. ‡ And * The Nielsen \bompany, “Led by Facebook, Twitter, Global Time Spent on Social Media Sites \fp 82% Year over Year,” Nielsen Wire Blog, http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire, Jan\fary 22, 2010.

† S. Shyam S\fndar (\bodirector, Media Effects Research Laboratory, Penn State University), interview with a\fthor, April 13, 2009.

‡ Posted by Shel Holtz, “Six Q\festions to Ask before La\fnching a Facebook Fan Page,” A Shel of My Former Self Blog, http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/comments/ six_q\festions_to_ask_before_la\fnching_a_facebook_fan_page/ , March 23, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 212 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b even if yo\f already have a Facebook presence, yo\f wo\fld be well advised to take on this advice: • What are yo\fr goals and who exactly are yo\f trying to reach? • What will yo\f do if critics see yo\fr page as an opport\fnity to express even more hostile feelings? • Who will manage yo\fr page? As Holtz says, yo\f need to keep the page \fpdated. If yo\f leave an open space \fnattended for a while, what happens? Weeds grow, it is vandalized, or sq\fatters take over. * The same happens in SocialMediaLand. • Who will monitor the page? \bompanies look cl\feless when noth- ing is posted, or no one responds to fans’ q\festions and com - ments. It is a m\fst in a crisis and needs to be done with sensitivity and, hopef\flly, experience. • How q\fickly will yo\f respond when a crisis strikes? Exactly who will respond? For example, General Motors enlisted their environmental chief when they were “attacked” by environmental activists. Facebook Dark \broups With ne\b scientist research showing that social networking sites like Facebook spread warnings and information more efficiently than tradi - tional comm\fnication channels, organizations are looking to \fse Facebook in their crisis management plans. University of Wisconsin–Sto\ft, is one s\fch organization. With the assis - tance of Information and \bomm\fnication Technologies st\fdent Matthew Kaskavitch, the \fniversity is \fsing Facebook to create dark gro\fps. Like dark Web sites, dark gro\fps are visible only to the creator and a handf\fl of people responsible for the crisis planning efforts. They are pre - loaded with crisis plans and messages. Once the crisis occ\frs, yo\f simply go live. Kaskavitch says to invite the first 10 to 15 people to follow, become a fan.

The gro\fp, he says, “will grow exponentially” † with little administration.

Kaskavitch, who is also the \fniversity’s St\fdent Life Services Web Programmer and New Media cons\fltant, says that in crisis management, yo\f need to consider a few things before \fsing Facebook as a platform: * Posted by Shel Holtz, “Six Q\festions to Ask before La\fnching a Facebook Fan Page,” A Shel of My Former Self Blog, http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/comments/ six_q\festions_to_ask_before_la\fnching_a_facebook_fan_page/ , March 23, 2010.

† Matthew Kaskovitch (University of Wisconsin–Sto\ft, St\fdent Life Services Web Programmer and New Media \bons\fltant), interview with a\fthor, Febr\fary 24, 2010. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 213 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Will yo\f incl\fde photos and videos in the gro\fp? If so, will only administrators be allowed to \fpload media or will everyone be allowed to contrib\fte? • Do yo\f want to enable the “wall” to allow open conversation? • Do yo\f want the disc\fssion board enabled? • Who will manage it in the event of a crisis? * Another key consideration is whether yo\f lock down a gro\fp in a crisis.

Is that wise? What impression will that create?

Kaskavitch says no! “Locking down the gro\fp and making it a bill - board inside a walled garden is not effective.” † Kaskavitch, who has cons\flted and researched widely on Facebook and general social media crisis strategies within the \fniversity system, says yo\f have to be willing to open \fp and let information flow across the channel in an \fnfiltered manner. “The speed at which it can go back and forth across this medi\fm co\fld be incredibly \fsef\fl d\fring an emer - gency. Yo\f want yo\fr message to get o\ft, and yo\f sho\fld want feedback from yo\fr receiving a\fdience as well.” ‡ \breating dark gro\fps will not, of co\frse, stop other gro\fps from form - ing, b\ft having an official channel allows yo\f to:

• Direct message all members of yo\fr gro\fp instantly. • \bontrol the message and information presented within the gro\fp. • \bensor information (only if absol\ftely necessary).

Like with everything else in crisis planning, yo\f need to think ahead of time how yo\f will \fse the channel. As Kaskavitch points o\ft, there is a constraint with creating gro\fps ahead of time. Yo\f need to name the dark gro\fp when yo\f set it \fp, and yo\f cannot change it later on. Also, yo\f will not be able to p\ft act\fal sit\fation-specific information in the gro\fp name. I am a big fan of dark sites in general and the concept of a dark gro\fp is so\fnd. Kaskavitch s\fggests, and I agree, that setting \fp yo\fr comm\fnica - tion in a Word doc\fment is more practical. Yo\f may lose precio\fs time—\fp to 20 min\ftes—in set\fp time. B\ft yo\f will have a sit\fation-specific name that can be easily identified by yo\fr key a\fdiences. That is important. * Matthew Kaskovitch (University of Wisconsin–Sto\ft, St\fdent Life Services Web Programmer and New Media \bons\fltant), interview with a\fthor, Febr\fary 24, 2010.

† Ibid.‡ Ibid. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 214 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Facebook: The Future Is there no end to the Facebook capability in a crisis? Perhaps not. F\ft\frist Brian Solis certainly sees the social media darling as a key foc\fs for comm\fnicators. * Solis, globally recognized as one of most prominent tho\fght lead - ers and p\fblished a\fthors in new media, says Facebook—with twice as many registered \fsers as Twitter—will be the main way to comm\fnicate with a\fdiences. There is also talk that it will become the #1 spot for people to get their news. It has a massive \fser base. Stalwarts of news like the wall street Journal are already p\fblishing content to the pop\flar networking site, and Facebook itself is actively enco\fraging \fsers to set \fp news lists. they \bant to be your ne\bs source .

If this is not eno\fgh to convince yo\f, Facebook is the most \fsed network for professional p\frposes; the social media powerho\fse is the n\fmber one choice for research for mainstream media. According to a s\frvey of 1,400 jo\frnalists, nearly 40% \fse Facebook once a week or more freq\fently to research stories. Facebook is also the social network that jo\frnalists join—an overwhelming 90% s\frveyed reporting mem - bership. † They will find yo\f. Why Facebook? All the information is con - veniently in one place. H\fffington Post, usa today , the washington Post , not to mention co\fntless blogs, are b\ft some o\ftlets linking content to Facebook. Web strategists say that Facebook fan page brand-jacking is the new form of tree h\fgging. Expect more of this in the f\ft\fre, not less. Is Facebook part of yo\fr crisis media strategy? If not, then hop to it.

Yo\f are missing o\ft on a vital news channel. At the very least, make s\fre yo\f have yo\fr company name registered, or someone will take it and deface it! Univision: An Alternative to Facebook—Useful for the U.S. Army Sometimes the c\flt\fre and goals of the organization, in addition to the type of crisis, determine different choices. For example, the U.S. Army \fndertook an initiative in 2007 to reach the Hispanic comm\fnity. They * Brian Solis, Ragan third annu al soci al medi a for Communicators Conference , \boca-\bola \bompany World HQ, (Atlanta, Georgia), Febr\fary 23, 2010. † “2010 Jo\frnalist S\frvey on Media Relations Practices,” Bulldog Reporter, TEKGROUP International, October 2010. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 215 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b \fsed Univision, a Spanish-lang\fage television network in the United States and P\ferto Rico, rather than the ever-pop\flar Facebook. This choice was driven partly beca\fse of the lang\fage capability and partly beca\fse Univision offers a moderating service that checks \fser \fpdates for appro - priateness before posting them to its site. Video and YouTube The growing \fse of video-sharing sites means that video comm\fnication m\fst play an integral part of an organization’s crisis comm\fnication plan. Video is hot! Internet \fsers contin\fe to watch more and more videos online. Year to year fig\fres (March 2009 to March 2010) show that video views j\fmped a whopping 80 percent! The average online viewer watched a staggering 173.3 videos in that month (March) alone. And by 2014, \bisco Systems predicts that a staggering 91% of Internet networking cons\fmer traffic will be online video. * Yo\fT\fbe leads the way. The total n\fmber of videos served on Yo\fT\fbe in one day is a staggering 1 billion. † Twenty ho\frs of video is \fploaded EVERY min\fte. ‡ and more than 12 billion videos are viewed each month in the United States. § With these n\fmbers, yo\f can safely become yo\fr own broadcaster and take control of yo\fr message. Anyone can post content. Toyota did d\fring its massive global recall in 2010. Domino’s did. JetBl\fe did. United Airlines felt the power of Yo\fT\fbe when \banadian singer–song - writer Dave \barroll posted a “United Breaks G\fitars” m\fsic video to the site. ¶ The song q\fickly became a page of Internet history. The video went viral and has been viewed more than 5.5 million times and has prompted more than 22,000 comments, many from people telling their own horror stories abo\ft airport baggage handling in general and United Airlines in partic\flar. To be s\fccessf\fl and effective with Internet video, yo\f need to be timely and relevant—j\fst like traditional TV news. B\ft \fnlike TV news and c\frrent affairs, yo\f do not need to be as slick nor as professional. It is often more abo\ft speed than glamo\fr. * \bisco Systems, “\bisco Predicts Online Video to Be 91% of Global \bons\fmer Traffic by 2014,” Press Release, http://www.hardware.com/news/voip/cisco-predicts-online-vid - eo-to-be-91-of-global-cons\fmer-traffic-by-2014/ , A\fg\fst 2010.

† “Internet in N\fmbers,” Royal Pingdom, http://royal.pingdom.com, Jan\fary 22, 2010.‡ “Yo\fT\fbe Fact Sheet,” Yo\fT\fbe, www.yo\ft\fbe.com/t/fact_sheet , December 15, 2010.§ “Internet in N\fmbers,” Royal Pingdom, http://royal.pingdom.com, Jan\fary 22, 2010.¶ Dave \barroll, Dave \barroll M\fsic, http://www.davecarrollm\fsic.com/\fbg/story/ , J\fly 6, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 216 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Kaskavitch explains. His video of the st\fdent against the infamo\fs Westboro Baptist \bh\frch co\fnterprotest in April 2008, taken with a sim - ple six-megapixel \banon camera, was a hit on Yo\fT\fbe with nearly 50,000 views within ho\frs of posting. * Why? Timeliness and relevance.

With the eye of a TV news jo\frnalist, he made s\fre he got all the right angles to tell the story. Kaskavitch “p\ft the lens where it needed to go,” † cap - t\fring newsworthy and compelling shots s\fch as \fndercover cops arrest - ing st\fdents. He edited the footage and aired it within 35 min\ftes of the protest being sh\ft down. While it may not have been of the highest q\fality, it did the job and (at the time of writing) had more than 100,000 views. Video offers a real-time h\fman response that yo\f can control. Yo\f can show the “whites of yo\fr eyes,” which is so very important in a crisis to achieve credibility. Yo\f can demonstrate empathy and compassion, which is hard to achieve in formal, written statements. Yo\f do need to have a credible video response and an established promotion channel as part of yo\fr response plan. B\ft j\fst like every other comm\fnication channel, partic\flarly in the social media world, yo\f need to have an established presence before a crisis hits to be viable.

According to Do\fglas Simon, president and \bEO of DS Simon Prod\fctions, a broadcast p\fblic relations (PR) firm, organizations need to already have “an established video channel that informs—or entertains — yo\fr key a\fdiences so that yo\f have b\filt an a\fdience and goodwill before a crisis hits.” ‡ He says that “having an online Web presence will increase the speed of distrib\ftion and reach of yo\fr crisis response.” § Simon says there are three key components to s\fccessf\fl online videos: 1. Content creation —Yo\f need a spokesperson who is comfortable in front of a camera. Be professional b\ft not overdone. A\fthenticity is key. 2. Promotion plan —Syndicate to Yo\fT\fbe and other key sites, make s\fre that the content can be easily shared and posted to sites like * Matthew Kaskovitch (University of Wisconsin–Sto\ft, St\fdent Life Services Web Programmer and New Media \bons\fltant), interview with a\fthor, Febr\fary 24, 2010.

† Ibid.‡ Do\fglas Simon (Simon Prod\fctions), “Fast Forward: Using Web Video to Respond in a \brisis,” Public Relations tact ics , http://www.prsa.org/intelligence/tactics/articles/view/814 9/101/ fast_forward_\fsing_web_video_to_respond_in_a_crisi?\ftm_campaign=PRSASearch&\ftm_ so\frce=PRSAWebsite&\ftm_medi\fm=SSearch&\ftm_term=Do\fglas%20Simon%20J\fly%20 7%2\b%202009 , J\fly 7, 2009. § Ibid. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 217 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Facebook and Twitter, and aim for coverage on sites like Digg and St\fmbleUpon. As Simon says, yo\f need yo\fr allies in a crisis, so remember to make the content available to tr\fsted b\fsiness-to- friend (B2F) networks. 3. measurement —Yo\f can meas\fre the hits to yo\fr video on yo\fr Web site, on Yo\fT\fbe, or thro\fgh a Google search. However, if the crisis is very big, yo\f will need a more detailed meas\frement to see the impact on the brand. * I wo\fld add the following:

1. Take a leaf o\ft of TV news—Go for the angles that will be relevant to the a\fdience. 2. Keep it short—Nothing over fo\fr min\ftes, ideally TV news length, aro\fnd one-and-a-half min\ftes. 3. Incl\fde a “talking head.” 4. Make s\fre yo\f are telling the h\fman side of the story with com - pelling vis\fals. 5. Link the content and make s\fre yo\f have the right tags.

Video is not the panacea to solving yo\fr crisis, b\ft it is a tremendo\fsly \fsef\fl tool in helping to disseminate a powerf\fl vis\fal message. Many people prefer to learn from watching footage rather than from reading something. A simple video recorded on a Flip camera may be all that it takes to p\ft the iss\fe into perspective. I recommend that every comm\fnication department, indeed everyone who is in b\fsiness today, needs to have a Flip camera. They are a very val\fable crisis management tool—right \fp there with the mobile phone. Always \fse the mantra “What is the overall impression I want to create given sit\fation X.” This will help yo\f decide exactly how yo\f will create yo\fr content, the look and the feel, and who will be yo\fr talking head. Determining the appropriate person for different sit\fations and deter - mining the shooting location will be very important. And it might not be the corporate video st\fdio. * Do\fglas Simon (Simon Prod\fctions), “Fast Forward: Using Web Video to Respond in a \brisis,” Public Relations tact ics , http://www.prsa.org/intelligence/tactics/articles/view/8149/101/ fast_forward_\fsing_web_video_to_respond_in_a_crisi?\ftm_campaign=PRSASearch&\ftm_ so\frce=PRSAWebsite&\ftm_medi\fm=SSearch&\ftm_term=Do\fglas%20Simon%20J\fly%20 7%2\b%202009 , J\fly 7, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 218 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b CASE STUDY 29.1 YouTube—Macquarie Bank, a Model, and Internet Fame A\fstralia’s Macq\farie Bank fo\fnd itself at the center of \fnwanted global media attention in Febr\fary 2010 when David Kiely, a midlevel client adviser, was inadvertently capt\fred on live TV ogling semin\fde photos of A\fstralian s\fpermodel Miranda Kerr d\fring a live cross to the bank trading room (Fig\fre 29.1). Kiely, who had been opening \fp the photos of the scantily clad Kerr on his work P\b, and Macq\farie Bank q\fickly became Internet sensations.

The episode, which zoomed aro\fnd the world in ho\frs, is again an example of how q\fickly a company can face a media crisis when material goes viral in the social media age. As soon as the video was \fploaded to Yo\fT\fbe, the footage was seen by millions within days; and as with the Domino’s rog\fe employees’ case, the effect was rapidly m\fltiplied by the impact of sharing via Facebook and Twitter. Not only was the video q\fickly picked \fp by the traditional media aro\fnd the globe, b\ft the e-mail address for the bank’s media team was shared across the world when a London-based Web effort was la\fnched to save Kiely’s job. A London-based Web site for financial markets, Here Is the \bity News, called on its readers to e-mail Macq\farie Gro\fp headq\farters FIGURE 29.1 Screen capt\fre of Macq\farie Bank worker David Kiely, in the backgro\fnd, left, was the s\fbject of a global viral campaign after he was seen viewing pict\fres of a seminaked s\fpermodel. (The video went viral Febr\fary 2, 2010, on Yo\fT\fbe with millions of hits. See Yo\fT\fbe: http://www.yo\ft\fbe.com/ watch?v=vfX0yHTztNg . Retrieved December 15, 2010.) wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 219 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b in Sydney with the words “Don’t fire David Kiely” as the s\fbject title. * Needless to say, their Web site attracted more than its fair share of commentary, too. Here are some of the comments p\fblished on their Web site: • Macq\farie will be making a PR mistake if David Kiely is sacked. • Hopef\flly management at Mac Bank will see this for what it is— trivial. And think abo\ft all that free p\fblicity! • I \fsed to work with Dave, and he is definitely a good bloke. The pics were harmless, and Mac Bank sho\fld stand by him. • This co\fntry is becoming more like the Bible Belt in America. For God’s sake, give the g\fy a break. • I’m not a banker, b\ft I have joined the campaign regardless. The g\fy doesn’t deserve to be dismissed! † Not s\frprisingly, Facebook s\fpport gro\fps also sprang \fp, calling on the bank not to sack Kiely. His voye\frism also made it to Digg, ‡ the social media platform that enables yo\f to post yo\fr articles, where others can vote on whether or not they like yo\fr story. More f\fel was added to the media frenzy when Miranda Kerr offered to sign the petition to save Kiely’s job. The s\fpermodel was q\foted in the Herald sun as saying, “I am told there is a petition to save his job and of co\frse I wo\fld sign it.” § The bank la\fnched a forensic internal investigation; Kiely got to keep his job. Whether it was the gro\fndswell of very p\fblic s\fpport for the banker, a prank gone wrong, or Macq\farie Bank showing its heart, we may never really know. What we do know is that if yo\f are going to be on TV, please look at what is behind yo\f! That is the n\fmber one golden r\fle. Second, have a policy or two in place that g\fides behavior of yo\fr employees, partic\f - larly as it relates to social media; and third, expect compelling content to make its way on to the Net very, very q\fickly. ¶ One final point—content is king, j\fst like on s\fccessf\fl TV shows. It is the drama, the clever, and the comedy that go viral. \brisis is the st\fff of * “Help Save Macq\farie Banker ’s Job—Join O\fr \bampaign,” Here Is the \bity News (London), http://news.hereisthecity.com/news/b\fsiness_news/9902.cntns , Febr\fary 4, 2010.

† Ibid.‡ Digg, http://digg.com/news .§ Fiona Byrne, “S\fpermodel Miranda Kerr Speaks O\ft in S\fpport of Embarrassed Bank Broker David Kiely,” Herald sun, www.heralds\fn.com.a\f/entertainment/confidential/ s\fpermodel-miranda-kerr-speaks-o\ft-in-s\fpport-of-embarrassed-bank-broker-david- kiely/story-e6frf96o-1225826947714, Febr\fary 5, 2010. ¶ With thanks to Neil McMahon, jo\frnalist with The Media Skills Network for his initial report and research. McMahon is a Sydney-based freelance jo\frnalist. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 220 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b h\fman drama: \bompelling content \bill be shared. “Hey yo\f’ve got to see this” is the prevailing mantra in Yo\fT\fbeLand. BLO\b\bI\f\b Blogging is another very effective tool in a crisis, if for no other rea - son than the technologies that enable blogs, incl\fding the Internet and text messaging, tend to be more resilient. For example, d\fring 9/11, the text-messaging capability of the BlackBerry proved to be one of the most effective so\frces of information exchange between individ\fals. According to research on the \fse of blogs d\fring H\frricane Katrina by the University of Georgia, BlackBerries are effective beca\fse \fpload - ing and downloading of Web content can occ\fr wirelessly. D\fring pro - longed power o\ftages, the BlackBerry can r\fn 24 ho\frs a day for \fp to a week off a single charge, making blogging a very viable tool in a crisis or emergency. * Blogs are one of the established social media and have evolved from online diaries, where people wo\fld keep a r\fnning acco\fnt of their daily lives. We have seen that they have h\fge infl\fence, and they n\fmber in the millions! More than 130 million blogs have been indexed by Technorati since 2004. † Blogs are \fsef\fl to:

• Share ideas and sol\ftions. • Get information o\ft q\fickly. • Send messages. • Share news. • Post news releases and other direct-to-cons\fmer information. • P\fsh o\ft pertinent information. • Dispel r\fmors; correct information. • Give a voice and access to “average” people, and provide an o\ftlet for expressing p\fblic emotion abo\ft tragic events. • Anchor yo\fr social comm\fnication efforts (see Innovis case st\fdy). * Wendy Macias, Karen Hilyard, and Vicki Freim\fth, “Blog F\fnctions as Risk and \bomm\fnication d\fring H\frricane Katrina,” Journal of Computer- medi ated Communication , Vol. 15, No. 1, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01490.x/abstract , October 2009. † Leslie Gandy, “Majority of Internet Users Still Don’t Share,” Technorati, http://technorati.

com/state-of-the-blogosphere/#ixzz18D8GFTdS , December 28, 2001. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 221 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Blogging is most acceptable and commonly \fsed in the United States, b\ft may be less common in other co\fntries. For example, for\fms are more pop\flar in A\fstralia, according to the \bonference Report from the 2nd Ann\fal \brisis \bomm\fnication and Social Media S\fmmit. * Following are some tips to help yo\f navigate yo\fr way thro\fgh a cri - sis in the blogosphere:

Plan —Preparation and detailed planning are cr\fcial to developing a corporate blog that s\fccessf\flly carries yo\f thro\fgh the good times and the bad. Plan to start yo\fr blog before a crisis occ\frs.

This gives yo\f ample time to develop relationships and b\fild tr\fst with yo\fr key a\fdiences, who will be more likely to believe what yo\f say when a crisis crops \fp.

Blogs sho\fld be part of any comm\fnicator’s distrib\ftion list for press releases and other anno\fncements, taking their place next to jo\frnalists, partner organizations, and stakeholders in receiv - ing comm\fnication messages. who—Appointing the appropriate person to be the official blogger is a critical decision. Anyone can blog, b\ft it takes more than j\fst words. What is important is that the person gen\finely wants to connect with others, \fnderstands that time is of the essence d\fr - ing a crisis, and has been trained on what to say and what not to say d\fring a crisis. It does not necessarily have to be the \bEO or the official spokes - person. It co\fld be another senior exec\ftive; a midlevel man - ager; or someone in PR, corporate comm\fnication, or c\fstomer service. The person does not even need to be a prolific writer. \bEO Bill Marriott dictates his posts into a digital recorder, which is transcribed word-for-word by someone on his staff. At Hewlett- Packard, a senior exec\ftive calls his posts into a voice mailbox.

The posts are then transcribed by staff for posting (see Section III, “Spokespeople—Speed Matters and Perception Is Everything”). what —D\fring a crisis, yo\fr official blogger needs to comm\fnicate the who, what, why, when, and where as q\fickly as the information is * \braig Pearce, \bonference Report from the second annual Crisis Communication and soci al media summit (Frocomm), Sydney, A\fstralia, http://craigpearce.info/wp-content/ \fploads/2009/11/\brisis-\bomm-and-Social-Media-09_\bonference-Report_FINAL4.pdf , A\fg\fst 12–13, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 222 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b known. If the facts are not known at the beginning of Stage One, some kind of statement s\fch as, “We know an incident occ\frred today. We do not know any details yet, b\ft we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of the sit\fation.” That can also be posted on Twitter. It is only 28 words, or 137 characters, within the 140- character limitation. Mind yo\f, on yo\fr blog yo\f can say more! As the facts \fnfold, yo\fr blogger sho\fld contin\fally comm\f - nicate \fpdates to prevent misinformation from spreading, avoid possible panic, and protect the company’s image. When writing yo\fr blog, it is worth keeping in mind that yo\fr headline is key. It is the first and perhaps only impression yo\f make. Keep it short and sweet. Tell the story in five to seven words. And remember search engine optimization. Yo\f need to think abo\ft how yo\f want “Lord” Google people to find yo\f in a crisis. And remember, what appears on the Internet stays on the Internet—forever. \feedback —Yo\fr blogger needs to be ready to interact and receive good and bad feedback. Blogging is a two-way street. It is not the corporate broch\fre, altho\fgh there may be times when yo\f can comm\fnicate the company perspective after yo\f have b\filt eno\fgh credibility. Yo\f have to be prepared for and ready to deal with the good, the bad, and the downright \fgly. D\fring a crisis, people will post eyewitness acco\fnts, poten - tially false, and ask q\festions. It is important to be monitoring yo\fr blog d\fring this time, so yo\f can q\fickly comm\fnicate acc\frate information and demonstrate relevant concern and com - passion. Yo\f need to be able to post fast \fpdates.

Regulations —Yo\fr blogger sho\fld be mindf\fl abo\ft the Sec\frities & Exchange \bommission (SE\b) and reg\flations to avoid tro\fble with the a\fthorities, which co\fld ca\fse yet another crisis. There are certain topics that are simply off limits. S\fn Microsystems \bEO Jonathan Schwartz does blog abo\ft S\fn’s b\fsiness, b\ft he is savvy eno\fgh abo\ft SE\b reg\flations and avoids writing anything that wo\fld ca\fse tro\fble. A wall street Journal article s\fms it \fp nicely: “Blogs and tweets can r\fn afo\fl of SE\b reg\flations on corporate comm\fnications. B\ft sanitizing s\fch posts risks h\frting credibility with online a\fdiences.” * * \bari T\fna, “\borporate Blogs and ‘Tweets’ M\fst Keep SE\b in Mind,” the wall street Journal , http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124078135070257099.html, April 27, 2009. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 223 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b statistics —Eighty-one percent of Fort\fne 500 companies spon - sor p\fblic blogs, incl\fding Walmart Stores Inc., \bhevron \borp., and General Motors \borp., according to the Society for New \bomm\fnications Research. monitoring —Yo\f sho\fld reg\flarly monitor yo\fr blogs d\fring a cri - sis, not only in the traditional mode of PR s\frveillance b\ft also to aid resc\fe and recovery efforts thro\fgh an important alternative comm\fnication channel. And p\ft the infl\fential blogs in yo\fr ind\fstry very high on the radar scale d\fring a crisis. The blogo - sphere will be smoking.

Blogs are the anchor for yo\fr social media efforts. Treat them as yo\fr h\fb where yo\f can direct and drive yo\fr comm\fnication efforts. Not only that, b\ft they can easily and q\fickly become the official news channel, partic\flarly in emergencies when other more traditional channels are thwarted for whatever reason. In March 2009, blogs (and Twitter) became a lifeline for Innovis Health (and, to a great extent, the comm\fnity of Fargo, North Dakota) d\fring the record-setting floods in March 2009. As Kris Olson, VP of Marketing, Q\fality, and Physician Services, says, “We became the media.” * Blogs Are a Must Have in Your Crisis Media Toolkit CASE STUDY 29.2 Innovis Health—“We Became the Media” (March 2009) Wet, floods, roads closed. The other main hospital evac\fated. A state of emergency. Panic for many. Innovis Health was f\flly operational, b\ft few knew. The media were not mentioning their name. The media were isolated, too, and co\fld not get to Innovis. So, Kris Olson, VP of Marketing, Q\fality, and Physician Services, j\fmped into action and onto the social media bandwagon, blogging and tweeting. They had to get their story o\ft—and fast. Lives were at risk. “We needed to be the media,” † says Olson. The mainstream media, which Innovis had relied on in the past to get critical news o\ft, were overwhelmed, \fnderstaffed, and not mobile. * Kris Olson (Vice President of Marketing, Q\fality, and Physicians, Innovis Health, Fargo, North Dakota), interview with a\fthor, March 12, 2010.

† Ibid. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 224 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The advertising agency came to the resc\fe. They t\frned Olson’s “brain-d\fmp, a stream of conscio\fsness” * of what was happening at the hospital into a newsworthy, fact-finding blog. “At 5:15 p.m., the blog went live, and by 5:30 p.m., 1,500 media o\ftlets were monitoring \fs,” † says Olson. In 15 min\ftes, Innovis had become an important member of the citizen–jo\frnalism force. “The scope blew me away,” ‡ says Olson. Not only did the blog inform key media and stakeholders aro\fnd their affected comm\fnity and the co\fntry, b\ft it allowed the staff to get on with their critical jobs, too. Olson explains how the Director of N\frsing, with a son in Brazil, a sister in New York \bity, and another son in San Francisco, was able to point her concerned family to the company blog for information. The director went back to her job with peace of mind that her family knew the facts and what was happening. The ad agency worked aro\fnd the clock for 10 days, and not once did Olson make a phone call. Everything was done via e-mail. This, she says, highlights how incredibly important it is to have a very high level of tr\fst with yo\fr service providers. They need to \fnderstand yo\fr mission, goals, and strategic objectives. The blog was a very powerf\fl tool that really worked for Innovis and helped other members of the comm\fnity who didn’t have the capacity, incl\fding the local shopping malls. Even the competition was getting information from their blog and Twitter acco\fnt. Innovis \fsed Twitter to p\fsh o\ft key information and link to their blog. Wearing a news director hat, Olson and her team tho\fght caref\flly abo\ft what wo\fld be of interest that wo\fld also tell the story of what Innovis was doing to help the comm\fnity. There was also the inevi - table “reality TV” moment when they had to b\fild a special landing pad in the hospital parking lot for the Blackhawk helicopters to land.

That was a definite photo opport\fnity, as was the first landing of the helicopter after the resc\fe of a fo\fr-year-old girl and her cat. Olson’s goal thro\fgho\ft the ordeal was to be as transparent as possible and to get the message o\ft that Innovis Health was f\flly operational and co\fld handle whatever and whoever came in. There were real-time dialog and contin\fo\fs \fpdates. It was a 10-day, 24/7 commitment by Olson and her team, and one that not only the Fargo comm\fnity appreciated, b\ft the wider news media and concerned family and friends of the hospital staff appreci - ated, too. * Kris Olson (Vice President of Marketing, Q\fality, and Physicians, Innovis Health, Fargo, North Dakota), interview with a\fthor, March 12, 2010.

† Ibid.‡ Ibid. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 225 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Event\fally, the floodwaters receded, b\ft not the social media efforts. Training for employees has been implemented so that every - one \fnderstands their roles and responsibilities, and a formal moni- toring system is in place to track media mentions of Innovis Health, both good and bad. Social media are also playing a large role in hos - pital operational management. Doctors in the emergency room have Flip cameras, and they record what happens over a b\fsy weekend. They edit and send an \fpdate to the local TV stations every week. Needless to say, the media love the footage. B\ft it’s the strategy behind the news gathering that’s impressive; Innovis can \fse the information for the benefit of p\fblic health. For instance, if there is a spike in the n\fmber of people with fl\f-like symptoms, Innovis can alert patients to go to the clinic. That infor - mation is vital as it helps alleviate the overcrowding in emergency rooms. Great comm\fnity service and an important comm\fnication strategy for Innovis Health. As Olson says, the opport\fnities for social media—crisis or not— are endless. LI\fKEDI\f LinkedIn, * yo\f ask? Do I need to think abo\ft that as yet another tool in a crisis? Yes! Remember, LinkedIn is where the professional and b\fsiness peo - ple hang o\ft. “Facebook for b\fsiness” is one way to describe the fast growing, b\fsiness-only social net working site. LinkedIn matters in a crisis as it is highly likely that yo\fr (potential) rep\ftation-killer crisis will end \fp being disc\fssed at length in the vario\fs news gro\fps, for example, eMarketing Association (over 231,000 members), Marketing & PR In novators (over 92,000 members), or PR Wise (over 5,000 mem - bers), \brisis \bomm\fnication (over 1,000 members). These gro\fps have infl\fence. Yo\f can also b\fild \fp a very large network on LinkedIn that will enable yo\f to comm\fnicate directly with people who matter to yo\f and yo\fr company in the event of a crisis. “Lord” Google has also recognized the impact of LinkedIn, as LinkedIn is now searchable by keywords in a Google search. So, p\ft LinkedIn on yo\fr watch list, or at least monitor the news gro\fps for active disc\fssion of yo\fr brand. * LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/. (Retrieved December 15, 2010.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 226 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b DI\b\b More than Yo\fT\fbe, Digg is another place where yo\fr crisis—news, vid - eos, images—co\fld be bookmarked and seen by millions! At Digg, con - tent, which comes from j\fst abo\ft anywhere, is voted on. As it says on its Web site, Digg s\frfaces the “best st\fff” as voted on by its \fsers. Yo\f will not find editors at Digg—it’s simply a platform where people can collec - tively determine the val\fe of content. Once something is s\fbmitted, other people see it and Digg what they like best. “If yo\fr s\fbmission rocks and receives eno\fgh Diggs, it is promoted to the front page for the millions of o\fr visitors to see.” * Many blogs, and even the traditional media, provide links to Digg, which has more traffic than the ne\b york times , with more than 23 million \fniq\fe visits per month and more than 4.5 million page views (Technorati). (In com - parison, abo\ft 25 million people visit Disneyland every year; more than 23 million people visit \bhina every year. We are talking per month for Digg!) P\ft Digg on yo\fr watch list. FLICKR Not the first with online pict\fre sharing, b\ft probably now the dominant force, Flickr has more than 4 billion images on its site. As they say on their Web site, “Share yo\fr photos, watch the world; we want to help people make their content available to the people who matter to them.” † And they do. The image-sharing Web site, which has only been aro\fnd since 2004, has played a major role in vario\fs crises. Harrowing and sometimes graphic images are shared. These images often tell the real story of what is happening, as they did in the deadly Victorian b\fshfires. Flickr is like a giant message board or memorial wall with people’s feelings expressed thro\fgh images, defined by Wikipedia as “an image hosting and video hosting Web site, web services s\fite, and online comm\fnity.” ‡ It is widely \fsed by bloggers to host images they embed in their blogs and other social media. Flickr enables yo\f to “get photos and video into and o\ft of the system” § in as many ways as yo\f can—from j\fst abo\ft anywhere, incl\fding mobile * Digg, http://abo\ft.digg.com/abo\ft. (Retrieved December 15, 2010.)† Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/abo\ft . (Retrieved December 15, 2010.)‡ Wikipedia, “Flickr,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flickr . (Retrieved December 15, 2010.)§ Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/abo\ft. (Retrieved December 15, 2010.) wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 227 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b devices and home comp\fters, and from almost any software yo\f are \fsing to manage yo\fr content. Flickr in ret\frn will p\fsh o\ft yo\fr images by many methods incl\fding the Flickr Web site, RSS feeds, and e-mail, posting to o\ftside blogs.

Know that it will be \fsed in a crisis. Have someone monitor it, as that is where the victims’ stories will be told, and that is where the media will look, too. Yo\f can also post relevant images there and embed them in yo\fr blog. WIKIPEDIA If yo\f are not looking at Wikipedia, then yo\f need to! That is the opinion of Marcia Watson DiStaso (Pennsylvania State University) and Marc\fs Messner (Virginia \bommonwealth University), who have been st\fdying the impact of the socially generated encyclopedia on corporate rep\ftation since 2006. Wikipedia is important, if for no other reason than its infl\fence over search engine res\flts. The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit has gained search engine prominence, essentially dominating Yahoo!, MSN, and Google searches. According to KDPaine’s PR Meas\frement Blog, * in one year, an average of 780,053 people viewed articles abo\ft 10 of America’s most visible companies: Walmart, Exxon, General Motors (GM), Ford, General Electric, \bhevron, \bonocoPhillips, \bitigro\fp, AIG, and IBM. Wikipedia is worth watching beca\fse if yo\f are in the headlines, the degree of edits and \fsers will increase—significantly. GM and AIG, for example, had a significantly higher n\fmber of edits and GM had more than 1.6 million views (as of March 2010). On the other hand, companies that have embraced social media and engaged in conversations in the marketplace, s\fch as Ford and Walmart, have seen a decline in both the n\fmber of edits and the n\fmber of \fsers.

(At the time of writing, Walmart was facing a massive antidiscrimination laws\fit, so the edits and visits may j\fmp dramatically.) Some q\festion the reliability and acc\fracy of Wikipedia. It appears that it is self-editing and has a higher degree of acc\fracy than one may think. The Web-based encyclopedia q\fickly became the go-to news so\frce after the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech. * “Wondering abo\ft Wikipedia? Yo\f Sho\fld Be,” KDPaine PR Meas\frement Blog, htt p://kdpaine.blogs.com/kdpaines_pr_m/2010/03/wondering-abo\ft-wikipedia-yo\f- sho\fld-be.html , March 24, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 228 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASE We have come a long way since Ivy Lee, considered the father of modern PR, wrote the first press release for Pennsylvania Railroad after a crash that killed 50 people. The afternoon of October 8, 1906, changed the media landscape.

One co\fld arg\fe that May 23, 2006, almost 100 years later, changed the landscape again when Todd Defren introd\fced a template for the social media release (SMR). If yo\f are playing in SocialMediaLand, then yo\f will need to consider \fsing an SMR to disseminate information in a crisis. As Ane Howard from the United Kingdom–based R\fsh PR says, “SMRs are not j\fst pretty conversational anno\fncements, they have a real mission.” * SMRs can q\fickly help yo\f disseminate critical content that can be easily shared and bookmarked. Another key advantage is that yo\f can embed links (e.g., a Yo\fT\fbe video, Flickr, Facebook) to a variety of media o\ftlets, both yo\fr own and other key a\fdiences, s\fch as yo\fr all important allies and friends. MediaShift defines an SMR “as a single page of Web content designed to enable the content to be removed and \fsed on blogs, wikis, and other social channels.” † SMRs typically feat\fre m\fltiple embedded links and blocks of text similar to those fo\fnd in traditional news releases (e.g., q\fotes and contact information). (See sample SMR in Appendix \b.) Social Media \fewsroom The social media newsroom is yet another tool at yo\fr disposal in helping to effectively manage comm\fnication in a crisis. Ian \bapstick, a \banadian media cons\fltant, writing in a MediaShift blog, ‡ says that social media newsrooms are more comprehensive than the SMR. “They allow an organization to host all of their social media releases, contact information, and links to social channels in one place.” Social media newsrooms also allow for that all important search engine optimization (SEO). Yo\f m\fst be able to track news coverage, * Ane Howard, “Deb\fnking the Social Media Release,” R\fsh PR News Blog, http://www.

r\fshprnews.com/2009/11/03/deb\fnking-the-social-media-release-smr , November 3, 2009.

† Ian \bapstick, “Social Media Releases M\fst Evolve to Replace Press Releases,” MediaShift Blog, http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2010/04/social-media-release-m\fst-evolve-to-r eplace- press-release113.html , April 23, 2010.

‡ Ibid. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 229 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b regardless of where it is, in a crisis; and keyword searches help yo\f do that.

As Robyn Sefiani, managing director of the A\fstralian-based Sefiani \bomm\fnications Gro\fp and respected PR and crisis cons\fltant, says: Today, a newsroom isn’t simply abo\ft posting press releases on the com - pany website. Organizations need to incorporate f\fnctionality to s\fp - port SEO, m\fltimedia content, and the option to share content thro\fgh social media platforms s\fch as Twitter and Facebook. * Social Media War Room Every major crisis has a war room. Yo\f have seen the vision of the BP (oil spill) war room with videos, whiteboards, comp\fters, and a virt\fal Army of people, literally working aro\fnd the clock—in shifts—to fix the problem. Now yo\f need a social media \bar room —one that is set \fp before yo\f need it. It does not have to be in an \fndergro\fnd b\fnker, b\ft it is best to be in a specified room—a room that yo\f have tested before the crisis hits— tested with well tho\fght o\ft and creative scenarios. Yo\fr team needs to know the drill. I advise my clients to r\fn ann\fal exercises, at a minim\fm. If yo\f are in a high-risk ind\fstry, like an oil refinery, the airline ind\fstry, or p\fblic transportation, yo\f will need to be validating yo\fr training and planning at least every six months. In the digital age, as Ari Newman says, “Yo\f need to activate person - nel and proced\fres with a single tweet.” † Newman’s q\festions will help g\fide yo\f in establishing a social media war room:

• Who will “live” in the war room? • Whose job is it to engage with social media on a daily basis, and who is empowered to respond to emerging sit\fations? • Which other stakeholders will be p\flled into the war room in the event of a crisis? Every man and his dog will want to get involved in the drama—it is exciting for many people. As Ari says, that is a “s\fre path to chaos.” • Who will sign off on yo\fr response? * Robyn Sefiani, Sefiani \bomm\fnications Gro\fp, personal e-mail with a\fthor, March 5, 2010.

† Ari Newman, “Social Media War Rooms [and Why Yo\f Need One], iMedia \bonnection Blog, http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/26607.asp , April 28, 2010. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 230 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • What is the plan? What is the first thing that happens when a crisis is detected, and what steps follow as yo\f rally the team and form yo\fr plan? What are the r\fles of engagement? Which social media critics will yo\f respond to, and how? • Who has access to the social media monitoring and messaging systems that power the war room, and what are they allowed to do with them? (Yo\f do need to decide exactly who is a\fthorized to tweet and post on the company’s behalf, and this needs to be well \fnderstood before a crisis hits.) * WHAT TOOL TO CHOOSE W HEN? So we know social media tools have their place in crisis media manage - ment. How do yo\f decide which one to \fse when? First things first! Like any good, professional comm\fnicator, yo\f need to establish goals for yo\fr social media o\ftreach. Yo\f need to know who is o\ft there. What are the social media habits of yo\fr key a\fdiences, and how do they connect with yo\f and the traditional media in a crisis. Matthew Kaskavitch, new media cons\fltant, says yo\f need to \fnder - stand what tool is going to give yo\f the most val\fe. Understand the likely ret\frn on investment. J\fst beca\fse there is another application on the iPhone does not mean yo\f have to \fse it! Beware the shiny new object syndrome. Make s\fre yo\fr social media efforts are “message driven not channel driven … foc\fs on people when form\flating yo\fr social media crisis plan” † is the advice from the American P\fblic Health Association Expert Ro\fnd Table on Social Media and Risk \bomm\fnication d\fring Times of \brisis. And make s\fre, too, that yo\fr goals are foc\fsed on b\filding a strong, active comm\fnity and a\fthentic two-way relationships based on tr\fst.

\breating Facebook and Twitter acco\fnts is j\fst the first step. It is easy to get started in social media, b\ft yo\f need to stay engaged to get the solid ret\frn on yo\fr investment. The right engagement, no matter how chal - lenging, pays off in a crisis. Table 29.2 gives a brief overview of what tools might work and when, according to the stage methodology. * Ari Newman, “Social Media War Rooms [and Why Yo\f Need One], iMedia \bonnection Blog, http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/26607.asp , April 28, 2010.

† Booz Allen Hamilton, “Goodbye So\frces, Messages, \bhannels and Receivers: Hello Network,” White Paper from american Public Health asso ciation expe rt Round tabl e on soci al media and Risk Communication during time s of Crisis , www.boozallen.com/c ons\flting- s ervice s/services_article/42420696 , March 2009, p. 3. wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 231 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Table 29.2 Tips for Using Social Media d\fring Emergencies Stage One Stage Two Stage ThreeStage Four Twitter covers breaking news. P\fblish tweets with links to yo\fr Web site for more details (remember to incorporate # tags). Post \fpdates on Facebook to show what yo\f are doing to fix the problem and to ens\fre it doesn’t happen again. Tweet \fpdates on Twitter.

Video posted to Yo\fT\fbe. Establish Facebook presence. P\fblish video \fpdates on Yo\fT\fbe if needed. On Facebook, post \fpdates abo\ft stories learned, pict\fres of team meetings, pict\fres of the memorial service, pict\fres of the prod\fcts back on the shelves.

Antifan \bl\fb established on Facebook. P\fblish messages on Facebook for more personal contact. Tweet \fpdates and links to more information. Flickr, too, for the all important h\fman interest and to show yo\fr people in action.

Manage r\fmors; provide \fpdates, reports, and context on key social media sites.

Post relevant pict\fres, videos, and footage on Facebook and Yo\fT\fbe, showing the h\fman side of the story.

Respond to criticism, dem - onstrating the action yo\f are taking; tweet and blog.

P\fblish links to interviews with talking heads and apologies on Web site, Facebook.

(continued) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 232 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b I\fTE\bRATE SOCIAL MEDIA I\fTO PLA\f\fI\f\b Now, how to integrate the Web and social media into the crisis planning, partic\flarly if yo\f have a tiny staff or there is j\fst one of yo\f:

1. Find a partner to collaborate with yo\f. Or have an intern—working to strict g\fidelines and criteria—from one of the many comm\fni - cation schools work with yo\f to help b\fild yo\fr online presence. 2. Partner with an o\ftside agency with excellent Web credentials and have them be part of yo\fr crisis drill. It is critical that yo\f have complete tr\fst in them, as Kris Olson of Innovis Health advocates.

She did not even speak once with her agency d\fring their 10-day flood emergency in Fargo, North Dakota, in March 2009. They comm\fnicated by e-mail the entire time, so the team co\fld get on with their jobs. Olson says they \fnderstood the val\fes of the organization and were able to clearly interpret her e-mail “brain- d\fmp.” * That type of service is inval\fable in a crisis. * Kris Olson (Vice President of Marketing, Q\fality, and Physicians, Innovis Health, Fargo, North Dakota), interview with a\fthor, March 12, 2010.

Table 29.2 Tips for Using Social Media d\fring Emergencies (\bontin\fed) Stage One Stage Two Stage ThreeStage Four \bonsider p\fblishing a statement on LinkedIn in any gro\fps in which yo\fr company or employees are active.

Showcase heroes on Yo\fT\fbe, Flickr, Facebook.

On Flickr, post relevant pict\fres that show yo\fr actions.

Demonstrate care and concern and show employees working. (Flip cameras are an inval\fable tool.) wH eRe? new med Ia tool s 233 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 3. Integrate the Web team and social media team into yo\fr drills and planning so yo\f know yo\fr media relations efforts will r\fn smoothly when the proverbial … hits the fan.

One thing is for s\fre: Yo\f not only need a technically savvy person b\ft a social media–savvy person working in sync with yo\f in a crisis. Yo\f do not want to be fig\fring this o\ft when the spotlight is on yo\f and yo\f have only ho\frs if not min\ftes to respond. 235 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 30 Monitoring: Your Best Defense in a Crisis Yo\f’ve got to have the ability to stop it in its tracks before those tracks t\frn o\ft to be a big honking tank bearing right down on yo\f. * gerald Baron, Crisisblogger Speed, dare I say it again, is an essential ingredient of effective digital-age crisis media management.

That lightning-fast speed is a do\fble-edged sword. While the real- time nat\fre of digital comm\fnication does present challenges in a crisis, it also provides sol\ftions, partic\flarly to mitigate and manage hot iss\fes.

When organizations actively monitor the online space, they can often nip crises in the b\fd or even prevent them altogether. There is no do\fbt that listening and monitoring is critical in managing a media crisis in the digital age. As Brian Solis, principle of F\ft\freWorks, says, r\fmor management is becoming the biggest and most important job in crisis comm\fnication. There are literally billions of conversations happening abo\ft yo\f, yo\fr organization, and yo\fr prod\fcts on blogs and for\fms galore. And if there’s an iss\fe brewing, the p\frists, as we have seen, will j\fmp into action—and fast; and before yo\f can blink, yo\f have a viral campaign r\fnning against yo\f. A smoldering fire, as we have seen, can q\fickly ignite and become a wildfire within ho\frs, if not min\ftes.

* Gerald Baron, “Searching and Monitoring—More Important and More Powerf\fl Than Ever,” \brisisblogger Blog, http://crisisblogger.wordpress.com , posted 4:35 PM, November 10, 2009. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 236 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The first place those directly affected are most likely to go to voice their concern is Twitter—often before traditional news o\ftlets even have a chance to pick \fp the story. So, yo\f need a strong listening and monitoring strategy and system in place, not only to monitor iss\fes b\ft to help yo\f avert a f\fll-blown cri - sis. And when yo\f have hit that triggering moment in time and yo\f are r\fshing—whether yo\f want to or not—into the \fnfolding drama of Stage Two, it will need to be all-systems-go. Listening and monitoring is really a means for discovering j\fst who yo\fr fans and yo\fr foes are and what they are really saying. What are the key words; what is their trigger word? Yo\f will be listening and t\fning in to their “party lines.” A good monitoring system first listens to the conversations to learn how people perceive yo\fr organization. Yo\f’ll learn their lang\fage and what yo\f need to address. B\ft don’t r\fsh in to join the conversation. Listen before yo\f leap. “If yo\f don’t know the r\fles, yo\f’ll walk into a bear trap,” * says Dan Spiers of Mediascape. Research the iss\fes, take a look at the trends, respond free of emotion and bias. Think caref\flly before yo\f engage. Yo\fr words will be recorded for all to see for a very long time. As we have heard a few times in this book, the damage is done—yo\f can’t take that sin back. When companies set \fp a process for listening and monitoring, it \fs\fally involves an employee or two reading blog posts and tweets, and reviewing videos and images. They then decide whether or not the posts and comments deserve a response, or a more formal monitoring system needs to be in place. In the middle of the crisis, yo\f have no choice; yo\f m\fst have a rob\fst system in place. J\fst a few years ago, it was almost eno\fgh to have a media monitoring service dedicated to yo\fr crisis, giving \fpdates as they happened. Many times I have had monitors on the other end of the phone or even in the war room providing that all important real-time analysis. Now, I advise clients to have at least two streams r\fnning in a f\fll-blown crisis—one for social media and one for the mainstream media (MSM). Overwhelmed? Not knowing where to start or what and how to \fse social media monitoring? So many conversations, so many channels. So, where do yo\f start? Dan Spiers recommends starting with the blogs ger - mane to yo\fr area. He also recommends h\fman analysis beca\fse yo\f can read between the lines and \fnderstand the tone and emotion behind the words better than technology can. * Dan Spiers (Mediascape, United Kingdom), interview with a\fthor, November 27, 2009. mon Ito RIng: you R Be st de\fen se In a C RIsIs 237 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b At the very least, set \fp a Google alert. Erik Deckers, 14-year mar- keting and p\fblic relations cons\fltant, recommends, “If nothing else, p\ft some Google Analytics on yo\fr blog. It’s lightweight and \fpdates every 24 ho\frs, b\ft it’s free.” * His company \fses Yahoo! Analytics beca\fse it has real-time \fpdates. To most effectively identify looming crises via Twitter, consider invest - ing in a comprehensive social media monitoring tool s\fch as Techrigy, Radian6, or Sco\ftLabs. For a monthly fee, these services make it easy to track all conversations related to partic\flar topics of interest, whether they be direct mentions of yo\fr brand, disc\fssions of partic\flar pain points, or references to growing problems in yo\fr ind\fstry. These services will help yo\f identify and track spikes in conversation, ca\fses for increased conversation, tones of dialog, and links shared to other online so\frces. These services also help manage workflow to ens\fre any necessary follow-\fp takes place. Orange8 Interactive, a Swiss agency for online marketing and part of the international Goldbach Media Gro\fp, tested a series of social media monitoring tools. Their comprehensive test covered a wide array of req\firements incl\fding: • Localization of co\fntries and lang\fages. • Widespread \fse of data. • Lists of posts with information reach and \fser profiles. • E-mail alerts on delicate topics. • Workflows. • Mood analysis. † It also incl\fded practical things like costs, interface, and the main compe - tency of analyzing and reporting. The interface is very important, says Mike Schwede of Orange8. Yo\fr monitoring tool needs a modern application interface beca\fse “a great variety of people have to work with it on a daily basis.” ‡ Needless to say there were “winners and losers,” b\ft as Schwede says, “there are tools matching o\fr point of view and other great tools a bit less.” § One to be watched incl\fded the A\fstralian-foc\fsed Dialogix. * Posted by Erik Deckers, “ Five Essential Tools Any \brisis \bomm\fnication Pro Needs ,” Problog Service, http://problogservice.com/category/posts/p\fblic-health/, Jan\fary 4, 2010.

† Mike Schwede, Orange8 Interactive (Switzerland), http://www.orange8.com/, received by a\fthor via e-mail, May 28, 2010.

‡ Ibid.§ Ibid. tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 238 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The big winners were Sysomos and Radian6. Following is how Schwede rates the tools:

• Sysomos is a great, easy-to-\fse tool for monitoring with some possibilities of workflows and engagement. The perfect tool for companies starting a social media strategy or for companies with small social media teams. • Radian6 is the most flexible tool with the widest range of f\fnc - tions. This tool is for advanced \fsers, for companies with bigger social media teams where yo\f define and roll o\ft complete indi - vid\fal dashboards, manage engagement workflows deeply, and have comprehensive possibilities of (e-mail) reporting. The new Radian6 Engagement \bonsole is a perfect addition for comm\f - nity managers who like to work with tools like TweetDeck. * Here are some other tools yo\f can \fse: the t\bitter time s —A personalized newspaper based on Twitter content. It tracks what the people yo\f follow talk abo\ft and the tweets of the friends of the people yo\f follow. Rss \feeds —All blogs prod\fce a \fniq\fe RSS feed, incl\fding text, images, links, a\fdio, and video. When a blogger p\fblishes a new post, the associated RSS feed is a\ftomatically \fpdated and passed along to its s\fbscribers. klout —Analyzes content from millions of people on Twitter to iden - tify the top infl\fencers on any given topic. t\beet deck —The pop\flar Adobe Air desktop application for social networks, TweetDeck is yo\fr personal browser for staying in to\fch with what’s happening now, connecting to yo\fr contacts across Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn.

Jeff B\fllas, an A\fstralian-based digital and technology personality whose years of experience in several ind\fstries make his posts worth every min\fte they take to read, has this so\fnd advice for what’s worth monitoring on yo\fr social media channels. His list is reprod\fced below:

BlogUniq\fe visitors per month to yo\fr blog Total posts read S\fbscribers to yo\fr RSS feed * Mike Schwede, Orange8 Interactive (Switzerland), http://www.orange8.com/, received by a\fthor via e-mail, May 28, 2010. mon Ito RIng: you R Be st de\fen se In a C RIsIs 239 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Total e-mail s\fbscribers Independent credibility ratings by external a\fthorities s\fch as Klo\ft, Adage, \bompete.com, or H\fbspot (with its Web site and blog gradings) N\fmber of comments Who is commenting (small players or major players) Links Time on site Facebook N\fmber of fans Types of fans (ordinary or high val\fe) \bomments Twitter N\fmber of followers How many lists yo\f are on How many ReTweets yo\f are generating N\fmber of Direct Messages Klo\ft rating Yo\fT\fbe N\fmber of views N\fmber of s\fbscribers Q\fantity of comments * Erik Deckers, vice president of operations and creative services for Pro Blog Service and former risk comm\fnication director for the Indiana Department of Health, also has a val\fable list of \fsef\fl applications for crisis comm\fnication.

NearbyTweets—Web site search application to find Twitter \fsers in yo\fr city or state.

bit.ly—URL shortener. Use it on TweetDeck, and then track it with Twitalyzer or Bit.ly’s click tracker.

Stat\bo\fnter—Meas\fres Web site or blog traffic from min\fte to min\fte. † * Jeff B\fll\fs, “20 Social Media Ratings Yo\f Sho\fld be Monitoring“ Jeff B\fll\fs Blog, http:// w w w.jeff b\fllas.com/2010/04/18/20 -social-media-rat i ngs-yo\f-sho\fld-be-mon itori ng , April 18, 2010. (Reprinted with permission.) † Erik Deckers, Crisis Communication and soci al medi a for gove rnment Crisis Communicators (E-book: http://problogservice.com/crisis_comm\fnication_ebook/Social%20Media%20 and%20\brisis%20\bomm\fnication%20for%20Government%20\bomm\fnicators.pdf ), 2010, pp. 9, 12. (Reprinted with permission.) tH e \fou R stag es o\f H IgHly e\f\fe CtIve C RIsIs mana gemen t 240 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Once yo\f identify who is driving conversations and what the impor - tant iss\fes are, yo\f are ready to shape yo\fr strategies and engage in the conversation. Here are a few important tips to keep in mind:

1. Pick yo\fr battles. 2. Tap into people’s need for comfort. 3. Be prepared for negative feedback. 4. Start before a crisis occ\frs. 5. Listening and monitoring sho\fld be a constant, ongoing effort. From blogs to message boards to Facebook, Twitter, and whistle-blowing sites like WikiLeaks (see \bhapter 15), people are having conversations abo\ft their experiences and yo\fr organization. Embrace a listening and monitoring strategy to find and participate in the social media conversa - tion—that will help yo\f keep those smoldering iss\fes \fnder control. Most of all yo\f will need a comprehensive monitoring system in place and tested before a crisis hits. Otherwise yo\f will waste precio\fs time and money if yo\f haven’t already got one \fp and r\fnning. 241 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SECTION V SUM MARY Are yo\f f\flly prepared for creating and sending the right message, to the right people, at the right time, in the right format, \fsing the right tools?

The bottom line—sloppy thinking, negative lang\fage, and poor com - m\fnication techniq\fes are not the ticket in a \fniverse where there is so m\fch information and so many ideas to choose from. In a crisis, yo\f have to choose yo\fr words caref\flly and foc\fs on the a\fdi - ence most affected . Where’s the concern? What abo\ft some compassion?

Do what yo\f can to eradicate any crippling fear of the new media or p\fblic reaction that will prevent yo\f and yo\fr organization from connect - ing to the people who matter, the people who have the power to withdraw their permission for yo\f to operate. They are increasingly in cyberspace, where distance is n\fllified and where people can join in from all parts of the globe—and they do. Social media mirrors life, and that gives a false facade, making \fs feel that it is vastly different. It’s act\fally not. It’s f\fll of real people with real expectations. They want to engage, and they have the tools to do so. And that’s the power shift. In SocialMediaLand yo\f do not “own” the brand; yo\f share that ownership with yo\fr comm\fnity, an active, engaged gro\fp of people who thrive on a\fthenticity and tr\fst. Old-school a\fthoritarianism j\fst doesn’t belong, as Nestlé fo\fnd o\ft: It’s not okay for people to \fse altered versions of yo\fr logos, b\ft it’s okay for yo\f to alter the face of Indonesian rainforests? How? * This is the best example of how a big corporation can screw \fp, and has no one to blame b\ft themselves, what abo\ft emotional intelligence? The man\fal says, that yo\f sho\fld not ins\flt yo\fr c\fstomers, or fans … and so it goes on. † Wow what a hypocrite nestle is! Where were yo\fr sensitivities when yo\fr involvement was destroying rain forests? We will contin\fe \fsing altered version of yo\fr logos. Yo\f can keep deleting them. ‡ * Posted by: J\fg\flar Bean, Nestlé’s \facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/?ref=mb&sk= - messages#!/Nestle/posts/107128462646736 , March 19, 2010.† Posted by: Diego \bast, Nestlé’s \facebook page, March 24, 2010. ‡ Posted by: Vikram Sharmato, Nestlé’s \facebook page, April 2, 2010. seCtIon v summ a Ry 242 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Learning while doing is painf\fl. Hint: Having a light to\fch changes everything in social sit\fations, real world or virt\fal. Oh, and starting a stat\fs \fpdate with, “To repeat …” is like waving a red flag at a b\fll. * Watch yo\fr tone, be compassionate, and engage with yo\fr stakehold - ers. In a crisis, this has always been the r\fle. Take a look at \base St\fdy 30.1 regarding Nestlé for some reinforcement of the r\fles. Monitor early and monitor often. Before the crisis yo\f will need to have mapped the key infl\fencers and detractors of the brand. D\fring the crisis yo\f, obvio\fsly, will need to be monitoring those detractors, and engaging yo\fr “friends.” And remember to deploy key words across major search engines so yo\f can more easily track what’s being said where.

CASE STUDY 30.1 Facebook Face-Off: \breenpeace and \festlé in a Kat Fight There are lessons to be learned from the Nestlé Facebook debacle over its \fse of \fns\fstainable palm oil so\frced from rain forests. While Facebook has proved to be a very important tool for the 1.5 million local b\fsinesses that are on it, things can get sticky and do not always r\fn according to the plan, as Nestlé fo\fnd o\ft. The sit\fation began when Greenpeace, known for their \fnortho - dox methods of gaining attention, created a video parody on Yo\fT\fbe of Nestlé’s Kit Kat. The video parody s\fggests that the prod\fction of a key ingredient in the prod\fct, palm oil, leads to the destr\fction of the rain forests, which in t\frn threatens the endangered species, s\fch as the orang\ftan, living in it. Nestlé demanded that Yo\fT\fbe take down the video, citing copy - right infringement. Instead the video went viral. Of co\frse, Nestlé had the right to defend its intellect\fal property, and indeed many appla\fded the food giant for tackling Greenpeace, b\ft that’s not the point here. What is important is the man ner in which Nestlé managed the incident, which, needless to say, attracted mainstream media attention with the inevitable headlines: “Greenpeace and Nestlé in a Kat Fight.” † It was as m\fch abo\ft the tone as it was abo\ft Nestlé’s and Greenpeace’s behavior. Nestlé did itself no favors when the individ\fal * Posted by: Tom G\farriello , Nestlé’s \facebook page, March 19, 2010. † Robin Shreeves, “Greenpeace and Nestlé in a Kat Fight,” Forbes.com, http://www.forbes.

com/2010/03/18/kitkat-greenpeace-palm-oil-technology-ecotech-nestle.html , posted 12:00 PM EDT, March 19, 2010. seCtIon v summ a Ry 243 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b tasked with responding to messages on their Facebook page behaved rather r\fdely (for which he or she later apologized). \bonsider these responses:

Thanks for the lesson in manners. \bonsider yo\frself embraced. B\ft it’s o\fr page, we set the r\fles, it was ever th\fs. * Here, there are some r\fles we set. As in almost every for\fm. It’s to keep things clear. † Not s\frprisingly, this agitated rant back from Nestlé only drew more attention to the online protest. Next post:

This [deletion] was one in a series of mistakes for which I wo\fld like to apologize. And for being r\fde. We’ve stopped deleting posts, and I have stopped being r\fde. ‡ What matters in cyberspace matters in real life: Manners do matter.

Organizations that decide to play in SocialMediaLand need to \fnderstand that social media mirror real life. Distance disappears; anyone, anywhere, anytime can join in; so be very aware of any skeletons in the closet. They will come o\ft to bite yo\f again, as they did with Nestlé—many posts on Facebook compared the palm oil sit\fation to the milk scandal in So\ftheast Asia:

Like others I have only joined this gro\fp in order to comment on this thread. I have avoided Nestlé prod\fcts for years after they shipped tonnes of baby form\fla to Africa after it was banned in the West. The form\fla was given away “free” and … § So, the following are some tr\fisms:

• Expect a fight at some stage—poor p\fblicity is inevitable. At some stage yo\f will do something that will \fpset someone somewhere in the world. • The train has left the station—even if yo\f’re not \fsing social media, lots are, and chances are that they will find a way to express themselves and let it be known that they are disappointed, \fpset, conf\fsed. The word will spread. Be prepared. * Posted by: Nestlé’s, Nestlé’s \facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/?ref=mb&sk= messages#!/Nestle/posts/107128462646736 , March 19, 2010. † Posted by: Nestlé’s, Nestlé’s \facebook page, March 19, 2010. ‡ Posted by: Nestlé’s, Nestlé’s \facebook page, March 19, 2010. § Posted by: Rick Hennessy, Nestlé’s \facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/?ref=mb& sk=messages#!/Nestle/posts/107128462646736 , March 30, 2010. seCtIon v summ a Ry 244 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Expect yo\fr crisis to go viral and expect coordinated attacks if yo\f behave badly or are perceived to have behaved badly. • Poor tone begets poor tone—if yo\f are r\fde then expect r\fde - ness back. • Social media is time-cons\fming and challenging if yo\f want to make it work and to remain engaged. • Live for the best, b\ft plan for the worst.

And above all, remember that SocialMediaLand is the mirror of life. If yo\f commit a sin, fess \fp, apologize, and treat yo\fr c\fstomers and fans with respect. They are people. Treat them that way. H\fmility goes a long way in life; same in the online world. While there is no do\fbt that the Nestlé fiasco with Greenpeace may have dented its rep\ftation, ca\fsed a h\fge headache for its social media team, and given fodder galore for bloggers, tweeters, and activists aro\fnd the world, the reality is that sales of the pop\flar Kit Kat bar only took a small hit. Same is the story for Domino’s. Time will tell what the real story will be for sales of Toyota or for BP’s bottom line. So, crisis media management really hasn’t changed that m\fch, b\ft then again it has. A crisis is still a rep\ftation-defining moment.

Behaviors and expectations have not changed, but there is no do\fbt that we are in a new dawn of crisis comm\fnication, and it will be here for a long time. Find what works for yo\f; match it to yo\fr organizational goals; be strategic; beware the “shiny new object” syndrome; and be open, transpar - ent, and h\fman. That is the only defense yo\f have when yo\f are defend - ing yo\fr rep\ftation, whether in the kingdom of “Lord” Google, “King” R\fpert, or “Dame” Arianna. 245 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX A: GUI DELINES FO R BRIEFING SPOKESPEOPLE Once a spokesperson is selected for a partic\flar crisis and/or a partic\f - lar a\fdience, it is important to provide a thoro\fgh briefing, especially if fronting a media conference. • Provide date, time, and location of interview/news conference. • Provide backgro\fnd on jo\frnalist(s) and nat\fre of media o\ftlet (incl\fding a\fdience). • Fill in backgro\fnd on previo\fs company’s relationship with par - tic\flar media and reporter. • O\ftline the iss\fes likely to be raised. • Detail who else has spoken on the iss\fe and what they have said. • Alert to possible “minefields.” • Provide 5 Ws and How. • Update all information. • Provide a selection of facts and fig\fres (only those with impact). • Identify opport\fnities for inserting the corporate message. • Provide “h\fman interest” angles, where appropriate. • Provide specific examples of the impact of the crisis. • \boach, if necessary, on relevant legislation. • Provide latest information from the \bommand \benter. • Provide prognosis where advisable. • O\ftline action that has been taken. • Provide relevant backgro\fnd and context (e.g., precedents, previ - o\fs crises, and comparable incidents). 247 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX B: SAM PLE MED IA CONTACT INF ORMATION LOG (Use this log to capt\fre information when calls come in. This is partic\f - larly helpf\fl for frontline employees.) Repor ter ’s name : Time of call : Media: TV Print Radio Cable Social (name of news organization; e.g., \bNN, Fox, XYZ Blog) Reporter’s contact details: Deadline: Information requested:

(Be caref\fl to note key phrases, q\festions.) What we told the reporter:

Your name: Dept: Contact details: Follow-up: T hank you for your coopera\fion. 249 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX C: SAM PLE NEWS RELEASE In Section IV are statements, samples, and act\fal examples, incl\fding Lt. General Robert \bone’s statement. Following is an example of what a crisis news release might look like and what yo\f need to consider when preparing one. It is a very good idea to have these templated so that yo\f will not be wasting time when a crisis happens.

What yo\f need to consider:

1. Describe the incident— \bhat happened. 2. \bonfirm \bho is involved—how many employees, how many members of the p\fblic, what emergency services and how many of them, what eq\fipment was involved (e.g., n\fmbers of fire \fnits or personnel and other known facts). 3. when — give the exact timing of events, the beginning, significant elements, d\fration or likely d\fration of incident. 4. Exactly \bhere did it happen and what areas/locations were involved/affected by the incident.

Other information: 1. why and ho\b did it happen—Note: Be caref\fl to avoid spec\flation of ca\fse; instead, say that’s what the investigation is for. Explain the process for the investigation and who will be involved, and make a commitment to finding o\ft why and how it all hap - pened. Do incl\fde background information on the size and scale of the company. 2. Do incl\fde spokesperson contact details and/or Web site/blog for additional information. 3. If a police investigation is also involved, refer the media to the police spokespeople for specific facts dealing with their investigation. aPP end Ix C 250 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SAMPLE MEDIA RELEASE EXPLOSIO\f AT [ NA ME \bF BANK/C\bMPANY ] BRA\fCH [Place, e.g., New York ] [Da\fe ] An explosion occ\frred at approximately 4:25 p.m. today in the banking chamber of the [ name of bank/company] branch at [ name of location ]. The explosion is believed to have been deliber - ately ca\fsed by a bomb placed in the bank’s premises. The explosion res\flted in the deaths of 12 people, incl\fding 10 employ - ees of [ name of bank/company ] and two emergency services personnel. An additional 50 people were inj\fred in the explosion and are receiving spe - cialized care at [ name or names of hospital/s ].

[ a spokesperson and/or title ] for [ name of bank/company ], [ mr./ms. 1st name, 2nd name ], said, “We are shocked and saddened by this tragic event, and we extend o\fr very deepest sympathy to families of the victims and to those people who were inj\fred by the explosion, as well as to o\fr employ - ees who shared this tragic event. “The bank is working with emergency services and the relevant a\fthor - ities to cond\fct a f\fll investigation into the incident. We are increasing o\fr already stringent sec\frity meas\fres in all other branches to ens\fre the safety of o\fr c\fstomers and employees,” said [ mr./ms. 1st name , 2nd name ].

At 3:45 p.m. today the bank received an anonymo\fs telephone call advising that a bomb had been placed in the banking chamber at [ Branch locale ]. The branch is one of [ no.] branches serving the metropolitan area. The premises and s\frro\fnding b\fsinesses were immediately evac\f - ated and the [ city name] Fire Department established a sec\frity cordon aro\fnd the b\filding in the area bo\fnded by [ include specific streets]. At 4:05 p.m. members of the [ city name] Fire Department began to search for pos - sible devices. The explosion occ\frred shortly afterward. At this stage there is no information as to who placed the device or why the bank was targeted. Together with emergency services and the relevant a\fthorities, the bank is cond\fcting a f\fll investigation into the incident. “We are appealing to anyone who has any information abo\ft this inci - dent, or who may have seen anything s\fspicio\fs in or aro\fnd the [ Branch locale ] branch today, to call the investigation team at [ 1-800- xxx -xxx x ],” said [ mr./ms. 1st name , 2nd name ].

[ mr./ms. 1st name , 2nd name ] ass\fred c\fstomers that deposits and bank records were completely safe and not affected by the tragic events.

“[ name of bank/company ] is contin\fing to provide f\fll banking services to aPP end Ix C 251 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b all c\fstomers. \b\fstomers req\firing assistance, information abo\ft their acco\fnts, or alternative branch locations sho\fld call the c\fstomer service center at [ 1-800- xxx -xxx x ],” he/she said.

For f\frther information please contact: [1st name, 2nd name , cell and land - line for company contact] or visit [ web site ]. For specific details on the device and police activity, please contact [ 1st name, 2nd name of police spokesperson ]. 253 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX D: NINE STEPS TO A CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN * Step Tree:Identify KeyAudiences Step Five:Identify Spokespeople \fnd Est\fblish \bolicies Step Seven:Set Down Crisis Communic\ftion \brocedures Step Eight:Tr\fining, Rehe\frs\fls, \fnd Testing Step Six:Est\fblish \fCrisis Communic\ftion Center Step Four: Est\fblish \f CrisisM\fn\fgement Te\fm Step T\fo:Set Go\fls \fndObjectives Step One: Identify \fnd Assess Risk Step Nine: Ev\flu\fte Crisis Response * “Media Skills Methodology,” Media Skills, (\brows Nest, NSW, A\fstralia), 2002. 255 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX E: USE FUL RESOURCES In addition to the references from Erik Deckers (see Social Media Reso\frces for \brisis \bomm\fnicators in Appendix G) there is a wealth of material on the Web. Here are some reso\frces that I have fo\fnd \fsef\fl and reliable.

The list is a mix of Web sites, white papers, blogs, and people. CRISIS COMMU\fICATIO\f • \b\b\b.e911.com—Web site where yo\f will find dozens of excellent articles and reference material from the veteran comm\fnication cons\fltant Jim L\fkaszewski, known to some as “Yoda.” Read his blog: http://crisisg\fr\fblog.e911.com. • dr. Robert C. Chandler —Director of the Nicholson School of \bomm\fnication, University of \bentral Florida. Dr. \bhandler often gives webinars for Everbridge, and they are well worth listening to.

Always a n\fgget or two or a dozen! See: http://everbridge.com. • vie\b from the Bridge Blog —http://www.signalbridge.com/blog.

htm, from Bill Salvin. Always a good read; good practical infor - mation and case st\fdies. PUBLIC RELATIO\fS/COMMU\fICATIO\f • Richard edelman —\bhief exec\ftive officer and president of Edelman P\fblic Relations, a heavyweight in the p\fblic relations (PR) world.

His blog is always on the mark, and he has the ear of some of the world’s most powerf\fl: http://www.edelman.com/speak_\fp/ blog/. • James grunig —Professor emerit\fs, Department of \bomm\fni - cation, University of Maryland. For me, Dr. Gr\fnig is the g\fr\f.

Read anything that he has p\fblished. Weighty, academic, b\ft excellent: http://www.comm.\fmd.ed\f/fac\flty/jgr\fnig.html. aPP end Ix e 256 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • shel Holtz —Principal of Holtz \bomm\fnication and Technology.

A\fthor and coa\fthor of six books on comm\fnication, incl\fding Public Relations on the net, Corporate Conversations , Blogging for Business , and tactical transparency . \bohost of the twice-weekly PR-foc\fsed podcast “For Immediate Release” with Neville Hobson. A heavyweight in comm\fnication, social media, and cri - sis. \bheck o\ft his blog: http://shelholtz.com. • mindjumpers —Danish-based social media agency. \breative, smart. Good blog: www.mindj\fmpers.com. Follow Jonas Nielsen on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Mindj\fmpers. • Craig Pearce —A\fstralian PR cons\fltant, his blog is always good val\fe. He has a\fthored some very good research reports: http:// craigpearce.info/. SOCIAL MEDIA • Jeff Bullas —A\fstralian with an international a\fdience. Very good analysis. Interesting statistics. Very easy to read. \b\fts thro\fgh all the noise that is becoming more widespread on social networks by consistently writing content that is engaging and insightf\fl:

http://jeffb\fllas.com/. • mashable —The social media g\fide. Has a following of nearly 3 million. The social media bible, well at least for me it has been! At the time of writing, they had j\fst p\fblished 90+ Essential Media Reso\frces: http://mashable.com/. • laurel Pap\borth —A\fstralian blogger. Infl\fential, irreverent, and o\ftspoken. Good val\fe. She has been creating and managing vir - t\fal comm\fnities for 20 years and also has social media co\frse - ware. Her blog is entertaining to read: http://la\frelpapworth.

com. • Brian solis —Digital analyst, sociologist, and f\ft\frist. He has p\fblished a co\fple of interesting books— Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and engage— and is the creator of the Conversation Prism. His 2.0 blog is always good val\fe, high level, high brow, and on top of the trends. One of the heavy hitters in the Web 2.0 scene: http://www.briansolis.com. aPP end Ix e 257 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b RESEARCH/WHITE PAPERS • Erik Deckers, Crisis Communication and socia l medi a for gover nment Crisis Communicators (E-book: http://problogservice.com/crisis_ com m\f n ication_ebook/Social%20Media%20and%20\brisis%20 \bom m\f n icat ion%20for%20Gover n ment%20\bom m\f n icators.

pdf), 2010. • Booz Allen Hamilton, “Goodbye So\frces, Messages, \bhannels and Receivers: Hello Network,” White Paper from american Public Health associ ation exper t Round tabl e on socia l medi a and Risk Communication during time s of Crisis , www.boozallen.com/ cons\flting-services/services_article/42420696 , March 2009. • Frocomm—A\fstralian-based, Frocomm, is an independent con - ference prod\fcer that “is dedicated to providing world-class, val\fe-for-money conferences.” Worth checking o\ft if only for past conference papers. They also prod\fce the PR Report : www.

frocomm.com.a\f. • Holmes Report—P\fblished by the British-based Holmes Gro\fp.

Fo\fnded in 2000 by Pa\fl Holmes, editor and p\fblisher, they p\fb - lish weekly e-newsletters and Ann\fal Report \bards on the p\fblic relations ind\fstry: http://www.holmesreport.com. • Mediascape— A\fstralian-based, Mediascape monitors, analyzes, and provides strategic s\fpport for comm\fnication campaigns.

They provided major s\fpport for the Victorian Government d\fr - ing and after the deadly Victorian b\fshfires. See: http://www.

mediascape.com.a\f . • Ragan \bomm\fnications—P\fblisher of Ragan’s daily Headlines with great case st\fdies, tips, and techniq\fes. They also prod\fce conferences: www.ragan.com. • Pew Research \benter—Excellent and free research, mostly American. As they say on their Web site: N\fmbers, Facts, and Trends (Shaping Yo\fr World). P\fblisher of the ann\fal s\frvey “State of the News Media.” Their research was inval\fable for this book, and I highly recommend it: www.pewresearch.org. • “Not Shaken b\ft Stirred: Ten \bommandments for Leaders in To\fgh Times”—a report by Martin Newman for The \bompany Agency Leadership \bo\fncil, London, November 2008: http://www.

thecompanyagency.com/pdfs/T\bA-LeadershipInTo\fghTimes.

pdf. 259 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX F: SOC IAL ME DIA POLICY RESOURCES 1. http://socialmedia.policytool.net/\belcome/\bizard—This is a free 12-q\festion q\fiz that writes yo\fr policy as yo\f answer the q\fes - tions. It is a template predetermined by whether yo\f answer yes or no. It will get yo\f started. Has some good reference material for each q\festion. See Iqbal Mohammed’s sample reprod\fced from their q\festions. (“Sample Policy” below.) 2. http://socialmedia.defense.gov/ —U.S. Department of Defense policy on new/social media, released early in 2010. 3. htt p://socialmediagover nance.com/ policies.php — \bomprehen sive database of social media policies and g\fidelines from govern - ments and corporations alike incl\fding A\fstralia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The list, which is U.S. centric, incl\fdes American Red \bross, the BB\b, \boca-\bola, Dell, Harvard Law School, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Microsoft, National P\fblic Radio, Telstra, and the U.K. Government. 4. \b\b\b.af.mil/shared/media/document/ a\fd -09 0406-036.pdf —This is  an excellent reso\frce that is fast becoming the base doc\fment for cor - porations and academic st\fdy alike. TOOLKIT A toolkit is available for aro\fnd $149 from: www.toolkitcafe.com. Accor - ding to their Web site, the Social Media Policies Toolkit provides a “straight - forward set of doc\fments that yo\f can p\ft to \fse immediately at yo\fr organization.” The kit contains two PowerPoint presentations that can be c\fstomized and 16 policy templates, pl\fs a directory of reso\frces. The tools in this kit are in HTML, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft PowerPoint formats. aPP end Ix \f 260 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b SAMPLE POLICY Iqbal Mohammed, a creative planner and brand and global social media cons\fltant based in India, p\ft together a mock policy for his company.

Posted originally on his MisEntropy Blog (http://www.misentropy.com, “How to P\ft Together a Social Media Policy in 5 Min\ftes,” March 10, 2010), the policy is easy to read and f\fll of good ideas. Iqbal is a reg\flar panelist and speaker on brands and social media, and his “scribbles” are definitely worth a read. I am most gratef\fl to Iqbal for his kind permission to reprod\fce the policy. He says that the following is what a policy for his own company “(if and when I start one)” wo\fld look like. The MisEntropy policy is based on his answers to the 12-q\festion q\fiz noted in the list above “(and relative lack of paranoia).” MisEntropy Social Media Policy This policy governs the p\fblication of and commentary on social media by employees of MisEntropy and its related companies (“MisEntropy”).

For the p\frposes of this policy, social media means any facility for online p\fblication and commentary, incl\fding witho\ft limitation, blogs; wikis; and social networking sites s\fch as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, and Yo\fT\fbe. This policy is in addition to and complements any existing or f\ft\fre policies regarding the \fse of technology, comp\fters, e-mail, and the Internet. MisEntropy employees are free to p\fblish or comment via social media in accordance with this policy. MisEntropy employees are s\fbject to this policy to the extent they identify themselves as a MisEntropy employee (other than as an incidental mention of place of employment in a personal blog on topics \fnrelated to MisEntropy). P\fblication and commentary on social media carries similar obliga - tions to any other kind of p\fblication or commentary. All \fses of social media m\fst follow the same ethical standards that MisEntropy employees m\fst otherwise follow.

Do \fot Tell Secrets It is perfectly acceptable to talk abo\ft yo\fr work and have a dialog with the comm\fnity, b\ft it’s not okay to p\fblish confidential information.

\bonfidential information incl\fdes things s\fch as \fnp\fblished details abo\ft o\fr software, details of c\frrent projects, f\ft\fre prod\fct ship dates, financial information, research, and trade secrets. We m\fst respect the aPP end Ix \f 261 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b wishes of o\fr corporate c\fstomers regarding the confidentiality of c\frrent projects. We m\fst also be mindf\fl of the competitiveness of o\fr ind\fstry.

Protect Your Own Privacy Privacy settings on social media platforms sho\fld be set to allow anyone to see profile information similar to what wo\fld be on the MisEntropy Web site. Other privacy settings that might allow others to post information or see information that is personal sho\fld be set to limit access. Be mindf\fl of posting information that yo\f wo\fld not want the p\fblic to see.

Be Honest Do not blog anonymo\fsly, \fsing pse\fdonyms or false screen names. We believe in transparency and honesty. Use yo\fr real name, be clear who yo\f are, and identify that yo\f work for MisEntropy. Nothing gains yo\f notice in social media more than honesty—or dishonesty. Do not say any- thing that is dishonest, \fntr\fe, or misleading. If yo\f have a vested interest in something yo\f are disc\fssing, point it o\ft. B\ft also be smart abo\ft pro - tecting yo\frself and yo\fr privacy. What yo\f p\fblish will be aro\fnd for a long time, so consider the content caref\flly and also be ca\ftio\fs abo\ft disclosing personal details.

Respect Copyright Laws It is critical that yo\f show proper respect for the laws governing copy - right and fair \fse or fair dealing of copyrighted material owned by others, incl\fding MisEntropy’s own copyrights and brands. Yo\f sho\fld never q\fote more than short excerpts of someone else’s work, and always attri - b\fte s\fch work to the original a\fthor/so\frce. It is good general practice to link to others’ work rather than reprod\fce it.

Respect Your Audience, MisEntropy, and Your Coworkers The p\fblic in general, and MisEntropy’s employees and c\fstomers, reflect a diverse set of c\fstoms, val\fes, and points of view. Don’t say anything contradictory or in conflict with the MisEntropy Web site. Don’t be afraid to be yo\frself, b\ft do so respectf\flly. This incl\fdes not only the obvio\fs (no ethnic sl\frs, offensive comments, defamatory comments, personal ins\flts, obscenity, etc.) b\ft also proper consideration of privacy and of top - ics that may be considered objectionable or inflammatory—s\fch as poli - tics and religion. Use yo\fr best j\fdgment and be s\fre to make it clear that the views and opinions expressed are yo\frs alone and do not represent the official views of MisEntropy. aPP end Ix \f 262 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Protect MisEntropy Customers, Business Partners, and Suppliers \b\fstomers, partners, or s\fppliers sho\fld not be cited or obvio\fsly refer- enced witho\ft their approval. Never identify a c\fstomer, partner, or s\fp - plier by name witho\ft permission, and never disc\fss confidential details of a c\fstomer engagement. It is acceptable to disc\fss general details abo\ft kinds of projects and to \fse nonidentifying pse\fdonyms for a c\fstomer (e.g., \b\fstomer 123) so long as the information provided does not violate any nondisclos\fre agreements that may be in place with the c\fstomer or make it easy for someone to identify the c\fstomer. Yo\fr blog is not the place to “cond\fct b\fsiness” with a c\fstomer.

Controversial Issues If yo\f see misrepresentations made abo\ft MisEntropy in the media, yo\f may point that o\ft. Always do so with respect and with the facts. If yo\f speak abo\ft others, make s\fre what yo\f say is fact\fal and that it does not disparage that party. Avoid arg\fments. Brawls may earn traffic, b\ft nobody wins in the end. Don’t try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into inflammatory debates. Make s\fre what yo\f are saying is fact\fally correct.

Be the First to Respond to Your Own Mistakes If yo\f make an error, be \fp front abo\ft yo\fr mistake and correct it q\fickly.

If yo\f choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear that yo\f have done so. If someone acc\fses yo\f of posting something improper (s\fch as their copyrighted material or a defamatory comment abo\ft them), deal with it q\fickly—better to remove it immediately to lessen the possibility of a legal action.

Think about Consequences For example, consider what might happen if a MisEntropy employee is in a meeting with a c\fstomer or prospect, and someone on the c\fstomer’s side p\flls o\ft a printo\ft of yo\fr blog and says, “This person at MisEntropy says that prod\fct s\fcks.” Saying “Prod\fct X needs to have an easier learning c\frve for the first-time \fser” is fine; saying “Prod\fct X s\fcks” is risky, \fns\fbtle, and amate\frish. Once again, it’s all abo\ft j\fdgment: Using yo\fr blog to trash or embarrass MisEntropy, o\fr c\fstomers, or yo\fr coworkers is dangero\fs and ill-advised.

Disclaimers Many social media \fsers incl\fde a prominent disclaimer saying whom they work for, b\ft that they’re not speaking officially. This is good practice aPP end Ix \f 263 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b and is enco\fraged, b\ft don’t co\fnt on it to avoid tro\fble—it may not have m\fch legal effect.Wherever practical, yo\f m\fst \fse a disclaimer saying that while yo\f work for MisEntropy, anything yo\f p\fblish is yo\fr personal opinion and not necessarily the opinions of MisEntropy.

Don’t Forget Your Day Job Make s\fre that blogging does not interfere with yo\fr job or commitments to c\fstomers.

Social Media Tips The following tips are not mandatory b\ft will contrib\fte to s\fccessf\fl \fse of social media. The best way to be interesting, stay o\ft of tro\fble, and have f\fn is to write abo\ft what yo\f know. There is a good chance of being embarrassed by a real expert, or of being boring if yo\f write abo\ft topics yo\f are not knowledgeable abo\ft. Q\fality matters. Use a spelling checker. If yo\f’re not design oriented, ask someone who is whether yo\fr blog looks decent, and take their advice on how to improve it. The speed of being able to p\fblish yo\fr tho\fghts is both a great fea - t\fre and a great downfall of social media. The time to edit or reflect m\fst be self-imposed. If in do\fbt over a post, or if something does not feel right, either let it sit and look at it again before p\fblishing it, or ask someone else to look at it first.

Enforcement Policy violations will be s\fbject to disciplinary action, \fp to and incl\fding termination for ca\fse. 265 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX G: SOC IAL MED IA RESOURCES FOR CRI SIS COMMUNICATORS * BLO\b POSTS, PDFS, A\fD POWERPOI\fT SLIDE DECKS What \ban Swine Fl\f Teach Us abo\ft \brisis \bomm\fnication thro\fgh Social Media www.problogservice.com/swine-fl\f-teach-social-media/ Responding to \brisis Using Social Media (downloadable PDF) www.google.com/\frl?sa=t&so\frce=web&ct=res&cd=25&\frl=htt p%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketsentinel.com%2Ffiles%2F\brisisres ponse\fsingsocialmedia.pdf&ei=QID6Sa31LInyMpnshMAE& \fsg=AFQj\bNG2-h3F3UMMQQrbiQz8UYQMHdrhSw Social Media and Impact on \brisis \bomm\fnication, \brisisBlogger (a blog abo\ft crisis comm\fnication) c r i si s blog ger.wordpr e s s.com/20 07/10/21/s o c i a l-me d i a-a nd- impact-on-crisis-comm\fnication/ \brisis \bomm\fnications for the Social Web (PowerPoint slide deck) www.slideshare.net/geoliv/crisis-comm\fnications-on-the-social- web-presentation \brisis \bomm\fnications for the Social Web www.livingstonb\fzz.com/2008/11/03/crisis-comm\fnications- for-the-social-web/ * Eric Deckers (Vice President of Operations and \breative Services), Professional Blog Service, http://problogservice.com . (Reprinted with permission.) aPP end Ix g 266 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b \brisis \bomm\fnications and Social Media, Advergirl Blogleigh ho\fse.t y pepad.com/advergirl/2008/04/crisis-com m\f nic. html Reinventing \brisis \bomm\fnications for Social Media, BrianSolis.com w w w.bria nsolis.com/2008/11/rei nvent i ng-crisis-com m\f n ica - tions-for.html Using Social Media for \brisis \bomm\fnications, \bonversationblog w w w.conversat ionblog.com/jo\f r n a l/20 08/2/7/\f si ng- so c ia l- media-for-crisis-comm\fnications.html Social Media and \brisis \bomm\fnications: My Talk Is \bheap Presentation, DaveFleet.com davefleet.com/2007/11/social-media-and-crisis-comm\fnications/ comment-page-1/ Social Media Reading for Traditional \bomm\fnicators, DaveFleet.com davef leet.com/20 09/01/socia l-media-readi ng-for-t radit iona l- comm\fnicators/ \brisis \bomm\fnications and Social Media, ActiveMetrics Blog activemetrics.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/crisis-comm\fnications- and-social-media/ The New Disaster Media, In \base of Emergency Blog, BreakGlass.netbreakglass.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/the-new-disaster-media/ 267 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX H: 30 THI NGS YOU SHOULD NOT SHA RE ON SOCIAL MED IA This is an am\fsing b\ft good reminder of what not to post on social media sites. * So, to protect yo\fr rep\ftation, personal brand, yo\fr bank acco\fnt, and yo\fr privacy, yo\f need to be very caref\fl what yo\f write and post on social media channels. 1. What chook yo\f are pl\fcking or cow yo\f are milking on Farmville on Facebook 2. How many yo\f have killed on Mafia Wars or where they are b\fr - ied … again on Facebook 3. Party photos showing yo\f inebriated or a hand placed where it sho\fldn’t be 4. That yo\f are having a party … yo\f might get more g\fests than yo\f co\fnted on 5. Photos  revealing  yo\f flirting with the boss’s wife at the ann\fal work \bhristmas party 6. That yo\f are having an affair 7. That yo\f are thinking of having an affair 8. \bomplaints abo\ft yo\fr boss 9. That yo\f hate yo\fr job and want to leave … yo\f might get yo\fr wish … invol\fntarily 10. Don’t share photos or an event that reveals that yo\f were not sick that day at work 11. That are yo\f are planning to take a sickie (\fna\fthorized sick leave) 12. Drama with yo\fr friends 13. Iss\fes with yo\fr parents * I am gratef\fl to A\fstralian blogger Jeff B\fllas for this sage advice. \bheck o\ft the f\fll post - ing on Jeff B\fllas Blog, http://jeff b\fllas.com/, March 21, 2010. His blogs are very worth - while. (Reprinted with permission.) aPP end Ix H 268 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 14. Passwords … \fnless yo\f have more money than brains 15. Hints abo\ft passwords like dogs’ names 16. Images and videos of yo\fr children 17. Updates on Facebook after yo\f have escaped from jail and are on the r\fn (don’t la\fgh, it has happened) 18. Revealing yo\fr tho\fghts abo\ft a co\frt case … when on j\fry d\fty 19. Don’t link personal sites to professional b\fsiness sites like LinkedIn … don’t mix b\fsiness with pleas\fre 20. Financial information s\fch as how m\fch money yo\f do or don’t have in yo\fr bank acco\fnt 21. Personal information 22. How to get more friends or followers … it already so\fnds like a scam 23. Yo\f are leaving on a holiday 24. The dates yo\f are away on yo\fr holiday 25. Yo\fr daily sched\fle … b\frglars have been known to \fse these little hints to their advantage 26. Showing yo\f doing something st\fpid … not good for personal branding 27. Yo\fr bodily f\fnctions 28. Revealing extreme views on race, religion, or politics 29. What yo\f had for breakfast 30. Finally, if yo\f are not comfortable abo\ft it … don’t share it What wo\fld be on yo\fr list? 269 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX I: WOR DPRESS STATEMENT Case Study: Wordpress Statement WORDPRESS.COM STATEME\fT In Febr\fary 2010, Wordpress.com, the most pop\flar blog software \fsed by millions of bloggers today, went down.

Wordpress, which is \fsed by more than 2 percent of the 10,000 big - gest Web sites, was o\ft for nearly two ho\frs and affected more than 10 million blogs, incl\fding big g\fns like Tech\br\fnch. To comm\fnicate what happened, Wordpress \fsed Twitter and they blogged. That tactic worked for them as their a\fdience—predomi - nantly bloggers—tends to be involved in the social media channels. They first tweeted “WordPress is down, we’re working on restor - ing service now.” * Abo\ft one ho\fr later:

We’re investigating the so\frce & most expedient fix. I hope to have every - one’s blogs back & r\fnning as soon as possible.—Matt M\fllenweg To confirm, Akismet is not affected by this o\ftage. (Akismet, Antispam Technology Service S\fpporting the Blogosphere) We’re back r\fnning at f\fll capacity now. \blosely monitoring for any aftershocks.—Matt M\fllenweg. † The Wordpress statement and \fpdates are a very good example of what to do.

WP.COM DOW\fTIME SUMMARY From Matt M\fllenweg (Wordpress Fo\fnding Developer) What happened : We are still gathering details, b\ft it appears an \fnsched\fled change to a core ro\fter by one of o\fr datacenter providers * t\bitter post by: Matt M\fllenweg (Fo\fnding Developer), WordPress Blog, http://wp.me/ pf2B5-ZS , Febr\fary 19, 2010. (Reprinted with permission.) † Posted by: Matt M\fllenweg (Fo\fnding Developer), WordPress Blog, http://en.blog.

wordpress.com, Febr\fary 19, 2010. (Reprinted with permission.) aPP end Ix I 270 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b messed \fp o\fr network in a way we haven’t experienced before, and broke the site. It also broke all the mechanisms for failover between o\fr locations in San Antonio and \bhicago. All of yo\fr data was safe and sec\fre, we j\fst co\fldn’t serve it.What we’re doing : We need to dig deeper and find o\ft exactly what happened, why, and how to recover more gracef\flly next time and iso - late problems like this so they don’t affect o\fr other locations. I will \fpdate this post as we find o\ft more, and have a more concrete plan for the f\ft\fre. I know this s\fcked for yo\f g\fys as m\fch as it did for \fs—the entire team was on pins and needles trying to get yo\fr blogs back as soon as possible. I hope it will be m\fch longer than fo\fr years before we face a problem like this again.

Update 1 : We’ve gathered more details abo\ft what happened. There was a latent misconfig\fration; specifically a cable pl\fgged someplace it sho\fldn’t have been, from a few months ago. Something called the span - ning tree protocol kicked in and started trying to ro\fte all of o\fr private network traffic to a p\fblic network over a link that was m\fch too small and slow to handle even 10% of o\fr traffic which ca\fsed high packet loss. This “sort of working” state was m\fch worse than if it had j\fst gone down and conf\fsed o\fr systems team and o\fr failsafe systems.

It is not clear yet why the misconfig\fration bit \fs yesterday and not earlier. Even tho\fgh the network iss\fe was \fnfort\fnate, we responded too slowly in pinpointing the iss\fe and taking steps to resolve it \fsing alternate ro\ftes, extending the downtime 3–4x longer than it sho\fld have been.

* Wordpress acted decisively, q\fickly, and a\fthentically. Their state - ment was short, relevant, and to the point. I partic\flarly like their layo\ft with the key information in bold. A good model for online crises. * Matt M\fllenberg (Fo\fnding Developer), “WP.com Downtime S\fmmary,” WordPress Blog, http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/wp-com-downtime-s\fmmary/ , Febr\fary 19, 2010. (Reprod\fced with permission.) 271 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b APPENDIX J: SOC IAL MEDIA EMBR ACING THE OPPORTUNITIES, AVERTING THE RIS KS * Prepared by August 2009 I\fTRODUCTIO\f There is little q\festion that social media is high on the agenda of corporate and nonprofit decision makers across the United States. Love it or hate it, Facebook, Twitter, Yo\fT\fbe, blogs, and more are increasingly common for effectively reaching both internal and external a\fdiences. Yet, while many in management have embraced the idea of delving into social net - working waters, many of these same individ\fals have s\fpported policies that prevent their own employees from \fsing these new comm\fnication channels. Why? What are their concerns? And, more importantly, what are they doing to address them? In J\fly 2009, relevance management specialists R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law embarked on a research st\fdy to gain nationally based insight on these important q\festions. The res\flts were fascinating. More than 8 in 10 exec\ftives said they have concerns abo\ft social media and its * \barol R\fssell (\bEO, R\fssell Herder) and David Baer (President, Ethos B\fsiness Law), R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law, “Social Media Embracing the Opport\fnities, Averting the Risks,” White Paper, A\fg\fst 2009. (Reprinted with permission.) aPP end Ix J 272 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b implications for both corporate sec\frity and rep\ftation management. Yet s\frprisingly, only 1 in 3 said they have implemented social media g\fide- lines, and only 10 percent have \fndertaken related employee training. In the following doc\fment, yo\f will read a recap of this important st\fdy as well as best practices on development of a so\fnd social media policy. It is o\fr hope that this information will help management, marketing, and h\fman reso\frce professionals engage in the social media conversa - tion—both \fsing these new comm\fnication opport\fnities and addressing any \fnderlying concerns—not as \fnilateral dictates, b\ft as nat\fral exten - sions of corporate val\fes and ethics. \barol R\fssell Dav id Baer Ceo Pres ident Russell Herder e tho s Business la\b THE RESEARCH: KEY FI\fDI\f\bS Social media has become a fixt\fre on comm\fnication agendas across the co\fntry, f\feled by the fact that Americans spent 73 percent 1 more time on social networking sites in the past year alone. B\ft social media \fse is also generating its share of corporate heartb\frn. According to new research findings, confidence exists in social net - working as viable comm\fnication o\ftreach, b\ft so do worries abo\ft the potential liabilities. \boncerns regarding social media \fse were acknowl - edged by some 8 in 10 b\fsinesses participating in a recent national st\fdy \fndertaken by R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law (see Fig\fre J.1). Fifty-one percent of senior management, marketing, and h\fman reso\frces exec\ftives fear social media co\fld be detrimental to employee prod\fctivity, while almost half (49%) assert that \fsing social media co\fld damage company rep\ftation. Despite these apprehensions, social networking is being accepted as a key comm\fnications strategy. According to s\frvey res\flts, 8 in 10 believe social media can enhance relationships with c\fstomers/clients (81%) and b\fild brand rep\ftation (81%). Almost 70 percent feel s\fch networking can be val\fable in recr\fitment (69%) and as a c\fstomer service tool (64%) aPP end Ix J 273 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b No, 19% Yes, 81% FIGURE J.1 Social media: a corporate sec\frity risk? Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn B\fogs Wiki\bedia F\fickr Yammer MyS\bace De\ficious Digg Second Life Other Multiple responses allowed9% 1% 3% 7% 8% 11% 16% 24% 43% 49% 55% 66% 80% FIGURE J.2 Social media vehicles being \fsed. aPP end Ix J 274 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b and can be \fsed to enhance employee morale (46%). The most pop\flar vehicles being \fsed incl\fde Facebook (80%), Twitter (66%), Yo\fT\fbe (55%), LinkedIn (49%), and blogs (43%) (see Fig\fres J.2 and J.3).Partic\flarly as millennials compose a greater share of corporate ranks, social networks are likely to become more pop\flar as comm\fnica - tion channels with c\fstomers, colleag\fes, and partners (see Fig\fre J.4). much of senior management’s direct experience \bith social media appears to be reactive versus proactive, an interesting fact given the confidence they express in these new media. The majority (72%) of exec\ftives say that they, personally, visit social media sites at least weekly to read what c\fstomers may be saying abo\ft their company (52%) and to ro\ftinely monitor a competitor’s \fse of social networking (47%). One in three search social Enhance relationships with customers/clients Buil\f our company’s bran\f 81% 81% 69% 64% 46% Be a \biable recruitment tool Be a customer ser\bice tool Enhance employee morale Multiple responses allowed FIGURE J.3 Perceived val\fe of social media. Multiple responses allowed Read what customers may besaying about our com\fany 52% Monitor a com\fetitor’s use of socia\b media 47% See what current em\f\boyees may be sharing 36% None/\fersona\b use on\by 16% Other8% Check the background of a \fros\fective em\f\boyee 25% FIGURE J.4 Reasons management \fse social media. aPP end Ix J 275 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b media sites to see what their employees are sharing (36%) or check the backgro\fnd of a prospective employee (25%).Even tho\fgh social media comm\fnication is growing, only 1 in 10 exec\ftives say they have staff who spend more than 50 percent of their time on s\fch efforts—perhaps somewhat s\frprising given that half of the organizations s\frveyed employ more than 1,000 people. And only 13 per- cent have included social media in their organizations’ crisis communications plans (see Fig\fre J.5). As well recognized as the benefits of social media appear to be, exec - \ftives believe social media can potentially be detrimental to employee effectiveness and company rep\ftation. In fact, those s\frveyed who are not \fsing social media on a corporate basis say nonimplementation is primar - ily d\fe to concern abo\ft confidentiality or sec\frity iss\fes (40%), employee prod\fctivity (37%), or simply not knowing eno\fgh abo\ft it (51%) (see Fig\fre J.6). This may be why many organizations contin\fe to prohibit workplace access to social networking sites. The recently completed R\fssell Herder/ Ethos st\fdy fo\fnd that 40 percent of companies technically block their employees from accessing social media while at work. At the same time, 26 percent of companies \fse social media to f\frther corporate objectives Yes, 13% No, 87% FIGURE J.5 Social media’s incl\fsion in crisis comm\fnications plans. aPP end Ix J 276 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b (Fig\fre J.7) and j\fst over 7 in 10 said they plan to increase the \fse of these new opport\fnities (see Fig\fre J.8).The most common reasons why these entities are \fsing social media are for brand-b\filding (82%), networking (60%), c\fstomer service (32%), and sharing work-related project information (26%) (see Fig\fre J.9). Remarkably few efforts are being made to mitigate perceived risks. only one in three businesses surveyed has a policy in place to gov - ern social media use, and only 10 percent said they have cond\fcted rel - evant employee training. Why? One of the main reasons, according to Viewpoints on Social Media Our technology blocks employee access to onl\fne soc\fal med\fa for any purpose. 40% \be encourage employees to \fnteract on soc\fal med\fa to further our bus\fness object\fves. \f6% Multiple responses allowed \be allow employees to use soc\fal med\fa for personal purposes dur\fng work hours. \f5% FIGURE J.7 Viewpoints on social media.

Con dentiality/security issues Concerned about em\floyee \froductivity Currently researching/\flanning \bo need for itMultiple responses allowed If You’re Not Using Socia\f Media, \bhy? Don’t know enough about it 51% 40% 37% 14% 7% FIGURE J.\f If yo\f’re not \fsing social media, why? aPP end Ix J 277 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b Decrease, 2% Maintain,25% Increase,73% FIGURE J.8 Projected \fse of social media (over next year). Brand-building Networking Custo\fer service \bharing work-related project infor\fation Co\fpetitive \fonitoring \bales prospecting Research Other Multiple responses allowed 82% 60% 32% 26% 25% 21% 19% 19% FIGURE J.9 Reasons for \fsing social media. aPP end Ix J 278 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b respondents, is \fncertainty abo\ft what to incl\fde in s\fch policies (see Fig\fres J.10 and J.11).Ignoring the need for responsible g\fidelines can impede an organi - zation’s ability to protect itself, while at the same time hampering efforts to effectively compete in the marketplace. As Forbes.com recently noted abo\ft the \frgency to establish s\fch policies, “… if yo\f think [social media g\fidelines] don’t apply to yo\f, yo\f are probably already on the endan - gered species list.” 2 No, 69% Yes, 31% FIGURE J.10 \bompanies having a written social media policy.

Not sure what to include Hasn’t been addressed \fon’t think it’s important 25% 13% 9% FIGURE J.11 If no policy … why? aPP end Ix J 279 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b BEST PRACTICES: TE\f KEY ELEME\fTS OF A \bOOD SOCIAL MEDIA PPOLICY Sho\fld employees be enco\fraged to \fse social networking to enhance marketing o\ftreach? Or will s\fch activity impede prod\fctivity in an already tight economy? And what abo\ft rep\ftational risk? These and other q\festions are clearly on the minds of today’s management.

In a 2009 social networking st\fdy 3 by Deloitte LLP, 74 percent of employed Americans believe it’s easy to damage a brand’s rep\ftation via sites s\fch as Facebook and Twitter. More sobering yet, Deloitte reported that nearly one-third of those s\frveyed say they never consider what management, coworkers, or their clients wo\fld think before posting material online. These behavioral implications are not going \fnnoticed. In a poll 4 con- d\fcted this year by the antivir\fs firm Sophos, 66 percent of corporate system administrators said they worry that employees who share per - sonal information on social networking sites will p\ft their company’s information technology (IT) infrastr\fct\fre at risk. A q\farter of these b\fsinesses also reported that they have been the victim of spam, phish- ing, and malware attacks via sites s\fch as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. Yet these same sec\frity experts observed that a corporate lock-out isn’t the ans\ber . By denying staff access to social networking sites, Sophos observed that organizations r\fn the risk of driving their employees to find a way aro\fnd the ban—and th\fs potentially open \fp even greater holes in corporate defenses. The national research cond\fcted by R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law revealed that 8 in 10 b\fsinesses have concerns abo\ft the potential liabilities of social media. Yet, only a third have a policy in place to govern social media \fse. Instead of ignoring the need for responsible g\fidelines, organizations of all sizes sho\fld begin to define their strategy regarding social media, and most importantly, the r\fles for employee engagement. By doing so, management can take advantage of the benefits offered by these new com - m\fnication channels while mitigating \fnd\fe risk. Think yo\f’re covered with yo\fr c\frrent policies? Perhaps not. Social media is a far different animal than traditional technology. A company’s c\frrent policies on IT matters are \fs\fally not sufficient. aPP end Ix J 280 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b The tr\fth is, all companies are different. Th\fs the r\fles for creating and implementing a social media policy are not \fniversal. They m\fst take the form, s\fbstance, philosophy, and c\flt\fre of the organization to which they apply. However, the following are 10 important elements to incl\fde in a good social media policy: 1. overall philosophy —An effective social media policy sho\fld define the company’s overall philosophy on social media and be consis - tent with its c\flt\fre. For example, does the company have a s\fp - portive, open philosophy on the \fse of social media or a stronger, more limited embrace of this technology? 2. Honesty and respect —One of the most important aspects of a pol - icy is a req\firement that employees be open, honest, respectf\fl, and transparent in their \fsage of social media—especially in the b\fsiness context. 3. Confidential and proprietary information —Disclos\fre of confidential or proprietary information thro\fgh social media can be preva - lent. Especially since this type of comm\fnication is often viewed as less formal than other, there is increased risk for inadvertent dis - closure . G\fidelines sho\fld reinforce the company’s confidentiality and proprietary information policies and apply s\fch to the social media environment. 4. online identity —When engaging in online social networking, it is important to differentiate an employee’s personal identity from his or her b\fsiness identity. While reg\flating employees’ \fsage of their personal identity may be o\ftside of the scope of a company social media policy, defining s\fch is fair game. For example, is it acceptable to have an employee’s b\fsiness name and title be connected to a personal blog post which is critical of a certain political party? Is it acceptable for employees to post their work e-mail addresses on blogs disc\fssing controversial topics? An effective policy m\fst address s\fch iss\fes and define acceptable limits. 5. \focus on job performance —There is a lot of disc\fssion on whether social media h\frt worker prod\fctivity. For example, is it accept - able for an employee to post on a personal blog d\fring his or her l\fnch break? Or, can an employee tweet on b\fsiness-related top - ics d\fring the workday? Remember, the ne\b \bork force does not live in an eight-to-five \borld . The foc\fs sho\fld be on job performance instead of “company time.” aPP end Ix J 281 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b 6. avoid conflicts of interest —\bonflicts of interest come in many forms— especially when engaging in social media. The policy sho\fld dis - c\fss how to identify potential conflicts of interest, what types of conflicts are prohibited, and whom to talk to when in do\fbt. 7. Include a disclaimer —Employees sho\fld make it clear that their views abo\ft work-related matters do not represent the views of their employer or any other person. The policy sho\fld req\fire a disclaimer, s\fch as the following, when there is the possibility for conf\fsion between b\fsiness and personal identity: The views expressed on this blog are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person. 8. monitoring —The policy sho\fld state whether—and to what extent—the company has the right to monitor social media \fsage and identify any associated disciplinary g\fidelines. 9. universal application —A social media policy sho\fld apply to everyone, not j\fst a s\fbset of employees (e.g., the marketing department). 10. other policies —Other company policies, s\fch as those on work - place environment, discrimination, harassment, ethics, code of cond\fct, and others, apply even in the cyber-land of social media.

An effective policy sho\fld remind internal a\fdiences of these obligations and relate them to social media.

While this list is not exha\fstive, it serves as a starting point to develop a strategy and policy aro\fnd social media that can serve to protect cor - porate interests, yet allow employees to f\frther an organization’s overall social media goals. And while having a good social media policy in place is imperative, it’s j\fst as important to ed\fcate yo\fr team on why compliance is impor - tant. Clearly defined guidelines, alone, \bill not change ho\b employees behave online . To tr\fly mitigate the potential risks, a well-defined training plan sho\fld reinforce key social media policies while enco\fraging good deci - sions based on the company’s val\fes and ethics. An effective training plan sho\fld have the following attrib\ftes: • engagement —Social media philosophy and policy sho\fld be intro - d\fced to employees in a comprehensive, yet engaging, manner, gro\fnded in the company’s val\fes and ethics. The foc\fs sho\fld be \fpon ed\fcating employees on what social networking is, why it is important to the company, and how employees can—and sho\fld—engage with social media. aPP end Ix J 282 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b • Inclusiveness—The training plan sho\fld cover every employee of the company—from the most senior exec\ftive to the most j\fnior intern. It m\fst be clear to employees that social media are accepted and relevant at all levels of the company. While it may be appropriate to vary the training content depending on the a\fdi - ence, no class of employee sho\fld be excl\fded. • training on various topics —The training sho\fld not j\fst be a PowerPoint presentation that s\fmmarizes the policy. S\fch a ses - sion sho\fld be an interactive, ed\fcational opport\fnity to gro\fnd employees in the social media philosophy, motivate employees to participate in s\fch media, and ens\fre they \fnderstand the r\fles of engagement. This is the company’s opport\fnity to create “social media evangelists” within the employee ranks. • training should be ongoing —One training session is not eno\fgh.

\bompanies sho\fld engage in ongoing training that grows as social networking evolves to reinforce g\fiding principles and ens\fre employees are best eq\fipped to implement the company’s social media strategy.

A well-defined strategy, co\fpled with clear policies and effective training, will place yo\fr company in the best position possible to take f\fll advan - tage of social media’s potential. METHODOLO\bY The st\fdy providing a fo\fndation for the white paper “Social Media:

Embracing the Opport\fnities, Averting the Risks” was cond\fcted by Minneapolis-based R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law in J\fly 2009.

A total of 438 randomly selected management, marketing, and h\fman reso\frces exec\ftives within companies across the United States completed the online s\frvey, providing a statistical reliability of ±4.8 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. ABOUT US R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law provide strategy, co\fnsel, and exec\ftive briefings on social media for corporate clients nationwide.

Having served clients for more than 26 years, R\fssell Herder special - izes in relevance management—leveraging research, social media, and aPP end Ix J 283 © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Gro\fp, LL\b strategic creative to b\fild meaningf\fl relationships between individ\fals and organizations. R\fssell Herder offers clients across the United States deep insights and proven, meas\frable sol\ftions. Ethos B\fsiness Law is a leader and innovator in providing responsive legal services to dynamic, progressive companies thro\fgh b\fsiness-centric tools.To find o\ft more abo\ft R\fssell Herder and Ethos B\fsiness Law:

carol@r\fssellherder.com inf [email protected] 612-455-2375 612 -767-3311 100 S. Fifth St., S\fite 2200 10 S. F ifth St., S\fite 700 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Min neapolis, MN 55402 www.r\fssellherder.com www .ethoslaw.com REFERE\fCES 1. The Nielsen \bompany, “The Global Online Media Landscape: Identifying Opport\fnities in a \bhallenging Market,” The Nielsen \bompany, http:// blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/\fploads/2009/04/nielsen- online-global-lanscapefinal1.pdf, April 2009. 2. Josh\fa-Michele Ross, “A \borporate G\fide for Social Media,” O’Reilly Insights on Forbes.com, www.forbes.com/2009/06/30/social-media-g\fide - lines-intelligent-technology-oreilly.html, J\fne 30, 2009. 3. Deloitte LLP, “Social Networking and Rep\ftational Risk in the Workplace.” http://www.corpgov.deloitte.com/binary/com.epicentric.contentmana - gement.servlet.\bontentDeliveryServlet/USEng/Doc\fments/Board%20 Governance/Ethics%20and%20\bompliance/2009%20Ethics%20Work - place%20S\frvey%20res\flts_Deloitte_052209.pdf, 2009. 4. Sophos, “Two-Thirds of B\fsinesses Fear That Social Networking Endangers \borporate Sec\frity, Sophos Research Reveals,” www.sophos.com/ pressoffice/news/articles/2009/04/social-networking.html, April 28, 2009. Communication/Media From the BP oil spill and the Egyptian revolution to the Haitian earthquake and the Australian floods, social media has proven its power to unite, coalesce, support, champion, and save lives. Presenting cutting-edge media communication solutions, The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management explains how to choose the appropriate language and media outlet to properly convey your message during and after a crisis.

Unveiling the secrets of how to manage the media in a crisis, the book examines how rapidly evolving social media and Web 2.0 technologies have changed the crisis management landscape. It illustrates the four distinct stages of media reporting during a crisis and details the information that must be provided. The author provides readers with a wealth of helpful tips and tools—including guidelines, checklists, and case studies that illustrate best practices in crisis media management. Divided into five sections, the book:

• Examines how the kingdom of news has changed and considers the new hybrid model that is emerging • Identifies the four distinct stages in which both old and new media report a crisis • Addresses the use of spokespeople according to the four stages, as well as when to use the chief executive officer • Discusses media interviews, including how to handle news conferences, bloggers, and the importance of media training • Considers the communication aspects of crisis management—including how to harness the power of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, Wikipedia, Flickr, and social media releases The book’s resource-rich appendices include a checklist for briefing a spokesperson, sample media release, a step-by-step flowchart for creating a crisis communication plan, and social media policy guidelines. Complete with a detailed guide on what tools to use and when to use them, this book provides the techniques and understanding required to communicate effectively and avoid any potential bad press and embarrassment that could result from information mismanagement. About the Author:

Jane Jordan-Meier is a former journalist with more than 25 years of experience in the media and communication management. Working at the forefront of media training developing powerful methodologies in crisis media management, she has worked at the highest level in strategic planning and communication including the Australian bicentennial celebrations and the Sydney Olympic Games. Visit www.crisismanagementbook.com for more information. ISBN: 978-1-4398-5373-3 9 781439 853733 90000 K12481 w w w . c r c p r e s s . c o m w w w. c r c p r e s s . c o m The Four Stages of Highly Effe�ftive Crisis Ma��ageme��t Jordan-Meier K12481 cvr mech.indd 1 2/15/11 3:09 PM