*SIGH*

Every other blog in the universe is going nuts over the toilet flushing of the sacred document story. It's tempting to stay out of the discussion entirely. However, if you know me at all, you know that just isn't going to happen.

When did journalists stop checking sources? I guess I come from the old school. One source does not make the story in most cases. And, I highly doubt that the "source" in question is of the caliber of deep throat.

A complete and lengthy discussion of the current state of the journalism profession is past due. PR practitioners have lead the charge in discussing openly the ethical concerns that have come into focus recently regarding our industry. It is time for that same discussion to take place in newsrooms throughout this country.

These are more than "honest mistakes." These are critical signs pointing to disturbing trends. Those trends include the over zealous take over of the industry by huge, greedy media conglomerates, the continued emergence of "new media" outlets which rarely do the tedious background work required of sound journalism and a culture so obsessed with instant gratification that they will believe practically anything you put in front of them.

Some have said that the stir surrounding this story is a bit much. If this had been an isolated incident, I would tend to agree. But, it's the fact that we are dealing with a series of events that concerns me.

The fact is, nothing is going to change until, we, the American consumers of information, demand something different. The heads of these mega-conglomerates aren't going to do anything to change the state of their industry until we hit them where it matters to them - in their pocket books. How do we do that? I'm not sure. Have any ideas?

CRISIS!

This week, one of the organizations that I work with found itself in the midst of a good old-fashioned crisis. Luckily, no one was being escorted from the property by law enforcement or anything like that (I've been there, done that too). However, the situation did garner significant attention from the media and members of the public. I was grateful that on my bookshelf I found the completed "crisis communications plan" for the organization. I had put this together shortly after I began working with them. I pulled it off the shelf and started the wheels in motion. If your organization doesn't have a similar plan, you need to put one together, soon. Hopefully you'll never need to use it. Some of the things that should be planned out in advance include:

1. The spokespersons that will handle media queries. You need to have more than one person selected because that person might not be available when the actual crisis hits. If you have a board of directors, at least one of these spokespersons should be a member of that board.

2. Training for the spokespersons. Many people think that doing media interviews is easy, until they actually have to do one. Your spokespersons need to be trained on messaging, attire issues for TV and other important issues surrounding media relations. In your crisis communications plan you need to identify who will do the training, when it was completed and what was covered.


3. Level of access and considerations for media. Where will you conduct the media interviews or press conference? Which staff should not be included in b-roll footage or photographs? Is there anything in our office that we do not want the media to see or have access to? In addition, you need to designate the individual who will accompany the media when they arrive. You do not want to allow the crew to walk aimlessly through your office alone. Remember, you need to be in control of the situation and the message at all times.

4. Who answers the phone and whom do they direct the call to? You might think this is simple. But you need to plan out exactly what to tell the receptionist or other staff who might be manning the phones. That person needs to be given very detailed instructions on how to reach you, what to say to the media when taking the message (i.e. I will reach him on his cell phone and we will return your call as soon as he can). This is often overlooked and members of the media are often discouraged when given voicemail.

There are many other considerations that need to be included in your crisis communications plan. This gives you a place to start. If you don't have a plan or have specific needs or questions, please contact me. I'd be glad to help.