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Emergency Communication:

Making the Initial Statement to the Media

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S t r a t e g i c T r a i n i n g f o r E m e r g e n c y P r e p a r e d n e s s

Emergency Communication:

Making the Initial Statement to the Media

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S t r a t e g i c T r a i n i n g f o r E m e r g e n c y P r e p a r e d n e s s

COPYRIGHT 2005

Authorization to Copy: No Part of this publications may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. All rights reserved.

MAIN MENU

Goal and Learning Objectives

Questions

Course Assessment

5-Minute Training: Making the Initial Statement to the Media

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QUESTIONS

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Sean Kaufman at 404.727.2729 or sgkaufm@sph.emory.edu.

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GOAL AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Goal:

The goal of the training is to provide public health professionals with tips when making the initial statement to the media during an emergency.

Learning Objectives:

1. List the five steps of communication when making an initial statement to the media during an emergency.

2. Utilize training information to develop initial statements to media during emergency situations.

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Authorization to Copy: No Part of this publications may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. All rights reserved.

PREPAREDNESS TRAINING

Emergency Communication:

Making the Initial Statement to the Media

Sean G. Kaufman, MPH, CHESDirector of ProgramsCenter for Public Health Preparedness and ResearchRollins School of Public HealthEmory University

REFERENCES

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INTRODUCTION

It’s 9:05 am and you hear that several individuals who received the flu

vaccine are reportedly hospitalized with serious illness. Apparently, this is

only happening in your district and the media wants a statement.

The Director has asked you, based on your expertise, to make the initial

statement to the media. Your office calls for a press conference at 10:30

am.

What do you do?

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STEP ONE: MAKE A STATEMENT OF EMPATHY

The first step you should take is to think about what people are feeling now.

Remember to use statements that include “we” and that don’t separate you

from the situation.

How would you feel if your loved one received a vaccine that made them

seriously ill? How would you feel if you received a vaccine that was making

other’s seriously ill?

Start with a statement acknowledging that this is a serious issue. One that has

an impact on people and their lives. Begin your statement with something like:

“Our communities and families have been shaken by this terrible situation.”

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STEP TWO: STATE THE FACTS

After acknowledging what people are going through, state what you know

and what has been confirmed. This may include:

• Who has been affected?

• What has caused this?

• Where has this happened?

• When did it happen?

• Why has this happened?

• How has this happened?

Begin with something like:

“Individuals receiving vaccines on Friday at the office of Dr. Snow have become ill.”

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Authorization to Copy: No Part of this publications may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. All rights reserved.

STEP THREE: STATE WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW

After telling people what you know, tell them what you don’t know. You don’t

know if it is just isolated to one doctor’s office. You don’t why or how this

happened.

Remember, you are not expected to know everything. You should not hide

what you do not know. Be as transparent as possible and tell people what

they need to know to make decisions about their personal risks.

Your statement may begin with something like:

“We do not know how this has happened. We also don’t know why it did.”

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Authorization to Copy: No Part of this publications may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. All rights reserved.

STEP FOUR: MAKE A STATEMENT OF COMMITTMENT

At this point you should state your commitment to the situation. State that

you are committed to the health of people within the community, forging

partnerships to deal with this issue, and describe how you plan on

answering the questions that you don’t know.

The more detailed you are about the process for answering unknown

questions, the better. Your statement may begin with something like:

“We are committed to this effort and will continue to be. We have formed

partnerships with local doctors, vaccine experts, and the CDC to address this issue.”

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STEP FIVE: MORE INFORMATION

Wrap your statement up with where people can get more information. It is

also important that you let the media know when and where the next press

conference will be held. This allows the media to prepare and plan for future

communication surrounding this issue.

Your statement may begin with something like:

“For more information about this issue you can contact our hotline at 404.555.5555.”

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Authorization to Copy: No Part of this publications may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. All rights reserved.

SUMMARY

During an emergency, when making the initial statement to the media, you should:

Make a statement of empathy.

State the facts – what you know.

State what you don’t know.

Make a statement of commitment.

State where people can find more information.

Course AssessmentStatement Example

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INITIAL STATEMENT EXAMPLE

Hello. My name is Anne Smith and I am the Director of Patient Services for the White County. During the past couple of days, we have been affected by a very troubling situation – shaking our community and the lives of loved ones.

Currently, we know that several individuals who received flu shots at Dr. Snow’s office on Friday, December 2 have been hospitalized due to serious side-effects. All together, 35 people, 15 men and 20 women have been hospitalized.

At this time, we don’t know how or why this has occurred. We are working together with leading experts, vaccine specialists, doctors, and investigators to address this issue. We will remain committed to this effort until we answer the questions that need to be answered and address the issues affecting our community. We will continue to hold press conferences twice a day (morning and afternoon) to keep you updated on any new information. If you have additional questions, please contact the hotline at 555-5555 or visit www.fluemerge.com.

We know that this is a rough time for many and are working as hard and as fast as possible. Please stay tuned for more information as we will share it as we get it in.

Thank you for your patience.

Course Assessment

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COPYRIGHT 2005

Authorization to Copy: No Part of this publications may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. All rights reserved.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

After submitting the course assessment, we will send an email with a receipt listing the participant’s score.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean Kaufman at 404.727.2729 or sgkaufm@sph.emory.edu

Thank you!

Course Assessment References

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COPYRIGHT 2005

Authorization to Copy: No Part of this publications may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission in writing from the copyright holder, the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. All rights reserved.

REFERENCES

Lum, Max R.; Tinker, Tim L. (1994). A Primer on Health Risk Communication Principles and Practices. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ATSDR).

Reynolds, Barbara (2002). Crisis Emergency Risk Communication. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reynolds, Barbara (2004). Crisis Emergency Risk Communication by Leaders for Leaders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rodman, George (1981). Mass Media Issues: Analysis and Debate. Science Research Associates.

Sandman, Peter M. (1993). Responding to Community Outrage: Strategies for Effective Risk Communication. American Industrial Hygiene Association.