Managing the Media in Crisis

by: Author Unknown,
I. The Media in Crisis
A. The media’s coverage of a crisis situation can
cause harm to all concerned. The victims of the crisis
may feel violated and betrayed. Their privacy is
invaded, their character or lifestyle questioned, and
the facts of the situation distorted.
1. The daughter of a woman who had been murdered
told of her shoulder being dislocated when a reporter
forced his way into her home to try to get a
story.
2. The publication of the name of Patricia Bowman
during the William Kennedy Smith rape trial was a
violation of her privacy rights, as were the scurrilous
stories in the press concerning her background
and character.
B. Victims and their advocates often are frustrated
because the media broadcasts gruesome photographs,
inadvertent death notifications and misinformation.
1. A photograph of the body of a victim, still
strapped into his seat by a seat belt, hanging from a
tree near Lockerbie after the Pan American Flight
103 explosion in 1988 was widely disseminated
by the press.
2. Family members of a victim in the Palm Bay,
Florida, mass murder in 1987 found out about the
death of their loved one when a television camera-
man videotaped the face of the victim lying on the
pavement.
C. The community suffers because useful information
about available resources or predictable actions and
reactions tends to take second place in the media to
more sensational descriptions of the event. While
some media representatives are conscientious about
serving as an educational conduit to inform the public,
such information may become a back page story
while speculations and rumors occupy primary coverage,
causing hours or days of anxiety to families,
friends, survivors.
1. In the 1993 disastrous siege of the Branch
Davidians’ compound in Waco, Texas, many were
distressed by rumors surrounding who might have
set fire to the Davidian complex.
2. During the same time period, when the prison in
Lucasville, Ohio, was beset by a hostage crisis,
rumors that ten or twenty may have died in the
prison uprising, and that infrared cameras had
picked up evidence of hangings and other atrocities,
leaked out through media sources – to be
disproven when the crisis was over.
D. Finally, public perception of the media and its role
may become increasingly negative. The questions
raised about the coverage of the Stuart murder/suicide
case in Boston, Massachusetts, is a recent example of
not only the public, but the media, questioning their
own response to a crisis situation. From the front
page photographs that ran in major newspapers
across the country of pregnant Carol Stuart bleeding
to death in her car, to the issues of racism, sensationalism,
lack of investigative reporting, and trying the
case in the press, everyone was left asking, “Why
does this need to happen?”
Media coverage of a crisis does not have to leave
permanent injury or ill feelings on the part of the victim
and the community. If properly managed, the
media’s coverage of a crisis can have a positive effect
on the disaster.

II. How a Disaster Unfolds: An Overview
Although each crisis is unique, there often is a common
pattern to the media’s response in the aftermath of any tragedy
that affects whole communities. The type of information
sought by the media as the trauma unfolds often follows
the following pattern.
A. 0 - 12 hours: In the immediate aftermath of a community
crisis the media is scrambling to get information
to answer the question – What happened? The
media attempts to piece together a story, based on
eye-witness accounts, monitoring police radios, and,
in many cases, grabbing anyone to talk about what
happened. This results in incomplete, conflicting and
inaccurate accounts of what actually happened. In
the worst case scenario, the media has monitored the
police radio frequency and arrives at the scene of the
crisis before the police or rescue workers, thus obtaining
unrestricted access to the crime or disaster
scene.
B. 12 - 24 hours: As the crisis unfolds, the next question
the media seeks an answer to is Who? – who are
the victims? There is often a struggle over the timing
of the release of the names of injured and killed victims
as the authorities try to notify the surviving family
members. No one is immune from the media’s
search for identifying information about the victim.
The media will seek this information from a variety of
sources, including hospitals, the police, rescue workers,
families, neighbors, schools, passenger lists, coworkers
– or through encampments at the crisis scene
– all in an effort to identify who has information
about the crisis and its victims.
C. 24 - 36 hours: The next question the media tries to
answer is the question of Why? – why did this tragedy
happen? It is a normal reaction on the part of
many people, including victims, survivors and community
members, to try to understand what happened
by finding someone or something to blame. Everyone
has their own version of who is to blame and the media
feeds into this hysteria by speculating on who or
what may have caused the crisis well before the actual
facts of the situation emerge. In cases of criminal
acts of violence, where the obvious person to blame
is identified suspect, the media will run stories laying
blame on a variety of sources such as lax security,
questioning whether the victim in some way contributed,
or about those who could have foreseen or prevented
this tragic crime. In crises involving natural
disasters, where there is no offender to blame, issues
of faulty construction, inadequate disaster preparedness
capability, or why the victims did not carry adequate
insurance coverage often arise.
D. 36 - 72 hours: At this point during a community crisis
the media continues to speculate on what happened
and why, and in addition, often begins to
evaluate the rescue efforts as to whether they were effective
and timely. Often, this occurs even as the rescue
or cleanup operations continue. Ensuring privacy
for victims as they are released from the hospital, return
to work, or begin to make arrangements for funerals
or memorial services is critical at this time.
E. 72 hours - Forward: The details of what happened
at the crisis site is now old news, and the news story
that is current concerns the funeral services of the de-
ceased. In addition, the crisis story is now old news.
In order to continue coverage, the media often tries to
put a “spin” on a story to keep it in the news. The
media looks for twists, or a new angle by which to
present the same information. Issues concerning the
lifestyle, social and religious pursuits of the victim,
stories about victims who have suffered through similar
misfortunes as well as any previous doubts about
the employer, business, government agency or whoever
is currently being blamed for contributing to the
crisis, now all surface.
The above time periods are encountered during
what might be termed “immediate” crises. When crises
occur over extended periods of time, such as in
hostage-takings, war, hurricanes and the like, the media
has even more opportunity to serve as an educator
and also to become more involved in “victim” stories.
This was starkly illustrated by the media coverage of
the war in the former Yugoslavia. While the victims
of war and genocide are dependent upon the media to
get the word out about the atrocities that take place
and, thus most cooperate willingly with the press,
they also are fatigued and beleaguered by the media
intrusions. Cover stories with the names and faces of
rape victims or child victims are shocking. Some victims
tell of being interviewed by various media
sources twenty or more times.

III. Managing the Media
The following overview of media management guidelines
represents many of the lessons NOVA has learned in responding
to communities in crisis.
A. During a community crisis it is important to designate
one person to serve as a spokesperson and
media liaison for the team. This person should be
trained in handling the media and able to state psychological
issues facing the community in understandable
terms. It is critical to have one voice speak for
the team so that consistency is established and the
public does not receive confusing information.
B. Advance preparation is the key to being prepared
for managing the media during a crisis. Before crisis
strikes, assemble lists of local and state media contacts.
Prepare information that can easily be assembled
into press kits in an emergency situation, including
the following: the impact of a community crisis,
the psychological impact on the victims, rescue
workers and the community, any publications that the
media can use for background on community crisis,
as well as the names of victims and experts who can
speak about issues relating to a crisis situation.
C. Hold a press conference as soon as possible after
the announcement of a tragedy. The goal is to take
the offensive and get control quickly by inviting the
media to attend and giving them a road map of what
public policy officials, leaders in the community and
you will do in response to the crisis. The media liaison
for each agency involved should be identified,
and the rules for media coverage should be established,
including issues dealing with the privacy rights
of victims. A victim service professional should be
designated as a resource for expert opinion to reduce
speculation and misinformation about the psychological
issues involved in the crisis. Press conferences
should be held daily during the crisis with the intention
of focusing the media’s attention on factual information
about the tragedy. In the chaos of a community
crisis, certain basic technical and logistical concerns
about the location and timing of a press conference
may be overlooked. Do not forget about deadlines
of the different media, electrical needs for television,
providing an agenda of speakers, and other basic
necessities of a press conference.
D. In managing the media during a crisis it is critical
to understand the media’s need for information
and to give the media positive, factual information.
Offer suggestions on interesting perspectives that the
media may want to cover as they search for stories.
For example, provide an articulate expert who can
describe a victim’s emotional reaction or identify a
survivor of a similar crisis who will not be thrown
into crisis by speaking to the media.
E. The more specific and less technical the information,
the more likely the media will accurately
communicate your message. Offer prepared statements,
if possible, following any press conferences.
Develop press releases and one-pagers each day as
the trauma unfolds that highlight issues you feel
should be brought to the community’s attention. Continue
to give the media information about resources
that are available for help, your role, as well as disaster
and trauma specific information.
F. Although it is impossible to completely protect all
victims from the media in the aftermath of a crisis,
there are many ways to reduce the trauma, or
what we call the second injury, by the media. Maintaining
privacy for the victim is critical. During a crisis,
pay close attention to creating a “zone of privacy”
whenever and wherever it is possible. Create
private waiting areas for family members who may be
waiting at hospitals or at the scene of the crisis for information
about their loved ones – or worse, waiting
for death notification. Create a “zone of safety”
around any debriefing sessions so those attending can
leave the session without walking straight out into the
waiting glare of cameras. This includes making sure
there is protection for victims on the way to bathrooms
or their parked cars.
Even in a crisis situation, let victims know about
their specific rights with respect to the media. Provide
victims with the suggested media code of ethics
which is published at the end of this chapter. Let victims
know the following:
1. they do not have to talk to, pose for pictures or
provide photographs to the media;
2. they can choose the time and the place for an interview
– it does not have to be immediate or at
the media’s convenience;
3. they can refuse to answer a question even if they
already agreed to discuss the topic;
4. let victims know that they have the right to ask to
review a story before it goes to press or on the
news although most media during a crisis situation
operate on too tight a deadline for this.
5. in addition, quickly teach victims the difference
between:
a. “on the record” – when everything they say is
subject to publication;
b. “off the record” – when nothing they say
should be subject to publication, although unscrupulous
reporters may publish it with impunity;
or
c. “for background only” – where the information
may be used without attribution to the victim.
6. emphasize that victims should make sure which
rules they are being interviewed under prior to answering
any questions.
a. techniques to shield their faces with coats,
arms or whatever it takes to prevent the media
from filming them;
b. an understanding that no reporter is your friend
when she or he is after a story.
G. The media liaison/spokesperson needs to be well
versed in handling the media and, before responding,
should always ask the questions outlined earlier
in this section – what happened, to who, and why.
H. Distribute the code of ethics (appended to this
Chapter) for the media with respect to covering issues
involving victims of crime and crises.
IV. Conclusion
Many representatives of the media do a fine job of recognizing
the trauma of survivors of victimization. Others
focus on sensationalizing the tragedy that victims survived.
It brings to mind the words of William Cullen Bryant.

"One could add, fill the hopper with nutritious grain and it
will grind it as well, and the bread will give life".