Breaking News: Crises Impact Everyone Regardless of Sequence

Breaking News
Crises Impact Everyone Regardless of Sequence

by Aaron Brown

“The only constant thing in this world is change.” If the saying is true, then it may be safe to say that the only certainty for journalism school graduates is that they will be impacted by a crisis.

Crisis journalism, sometimes broadly known as breaking news to those outside the profession, is understandably first linked with print, broadcast and online media outlets. Yet, behind the scenes public relations and advertising professionals may also be strategically planning a response or altering a program.

During this past year, the concept of citizen journalism has surfaced through new technologies as another outlet of breaking news communications. Yet it remains the responsibility of professionals to utilize news writing, information gathering and, perhaps most importantly, ethical decision making to report and communicate at the highest level. And for better or worse, it is often performance in these situations that can propel or alter a career path.

Realizing that crises will impact journalism careers should prompt us to analyze past events and case studies. Learning from those who have gone before can prove valuable when making decisions amid a crisis situation.

Reporting Crises
When covering disasters, reporters are exposed to scenes they likely have never witnessed previously. In the October/November issue of The Quill, the official publication of the Society of Professional Journalists, Meera Pal of the Contra Costa Times (Northern California) wrote that in her two weeks covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she “learned more about journalism, human nature and myself, than I had in my lifetime.” Read the full article.

In addition to personally dealing with challenges, reporters are tasked with providing information that may not be readily available or fully accurate. Often, their sources are suffering or have been personally impacted by the crisis. And of course, all of this must be managed within intense time periods.

New technologies and the increased use of online media, such as blogs (See Baseline magazine article, “Are You Ready to Love Blogging?”), have empowered journalists to share more stories amid a crisis. Consider how embedded reporters (See Journalism.org article: “Emdedded Reporters: What Are Americans Getting?”) have changed Americans’ view of a war.

Despite what may seem less than desirable circumstances, crisis situations often help reporters realize their passion for their work. Most reporters love the business because of the thrill of the moment, the challenging conditions, and above all, the power to tell the world the story of what they see through their own eyes.

Managing Crises
For public relations and advertising professionals, crises require a similar passion for journalistic excellence. Public relations professionals must quickly write and distribute crisis communications pieces that ensure impacted employees, residents or other constituencies are safe and buildings secure. Meanwhile, those dealing with the media must have statements prepared and be equipped with information to provide to reporters should the situation warrant.

An article from the October issue of PR Tactics, the official newspaper of the Public Relations Society of America, notes “how important it is for action and communications to be aligned” in crisis situations. Read the full article.

“When action and communications are inconsistent, credibility goes out the door and the public’s trust disintegrates,” Dan Keeney of DPK Public Relations says in the article. “What is being communicated must be consistent with what’s being done.”

On another level, it is these same public relations professionals who will likely help coordinate corporate responsibility initiatives to raise funds and organize resources for those impacted by the crisis.

For advertising professionals, think about the challenge of altering a campaign or program impacted by a tragedy. For example, the major television networks were requiring all advertisements featuring or mentioning New Orleans to be changed after Hurricane Katrina. Statewide advertising was impacted by the crisis, including cancellation of a $7 million television and print campaign.

The October 10 issue of AdWeek features a story on how Louisiana is already planning to launch ads in October that “will remind people that some areas were unharmed, like New Orleans’ French Quarter.” Advertising associates at Peter A. Mayer Advertising, which handles the state’s travel and tourism account, will be strategizing ways to bring tourists back to New Orleans.

Maintaining Perspective
The examples presented above come from one of the most dramatic disasters experienced by the United States. The reality of the journalism profession is that crises of similar magnitude aren’t a regular occurrence; rather, reporters and public relations and advertising professionals deal with much smaller crises more frequently.

Regardless of your journalism background or the magnitude of the crisis, the most important professional objective is to communicate the truth to your audience. And in doing so, journalists must be committed to learning from each crisis they encounter in their career so that when the next one arrives, best practices can be deployed.

Aaron Brown (BSJ 2001) is an account supervisor with Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations in Columbus, Ohio. Aaron can be reached at aaron.brown@fahlgren.com.