Session 15 1

Crisis Communication in a Changing Media World

Session 15 Slide Deck

Slide 15-

Session 15 2

Session Objectives• Examine mission of an effective disaster

communications strategy and the five critical assumptions that serve as the foundation for such a strategy

• Discuss historical use of traditional media in emergencies

• Discuss role of new media in emergencies • Discuss evolution of new media use in

emergencies

Slide 15-

Introduction

• Increasingly-critical function

• Timely and accurate information

• Mission

• Five critical assumptions

Session 15 3Slide 15-

MissionThe mission of an effective disaster communications strategy is to provide timely and accurate information to the public in all four phases of emergency management:

•Mitigation—to promote implementation of strategies, technologies, and actions that will reduce the loss of lives and property in future disasters. 

•Preparedness—to communicate preparedness messages that encourage and educate the public in anticipation of disaster events.

•Response—to provide to the pubic notification, warning, evacuation, and situation reports on an ongoing disaster. 

•Recovery—to provide individuals and communities affected by a disaster with information on how to register for and receive disaster relief.

Session 15 4Slide 15-

Assumptions

The foundation of an effective disaster communications strategy is built on the following five critical assumptions:

•Customer Focus

•Leadership Commitment

•Inclusion of Communications in Planning and Operations

•Good Information

•Media PartnershipSession 15 5Slide 15-

Assumptions: Customer Focus

• Focus on customers and customer service

• Guide communications with the public and with all partners in emergency management

• Placing the needs and interests of individuals and communities first

• Being responsive and informative

• Managing expectations

Session 15 6Slide 15-

Assumptions: Leadership Commitment

• Commitment to sharing information

• Endorse open communications

• Model behavior

Session 15 7Slide 15-

Assumptions: Leadership Commitment

FEMA Director Witt’s Commitment to Communications•Staff meetings

•Regular employee newsletter

•Available to the media

•Daily briefings for media

•Meetings with disaster victims

•Daily briefings for partners

•Regular meetings with state and local emergency managers

•Briefings for elected officials

•Speaking engagements

Session 15 8Slide 15-

ASSUMPTIONS: Inclusion of Communications in Planning and Operations

• Communications specialist included in senior management team

• Communications on equal footing with planning and operations

• Demand is high for timely and accurate information

• How to communicate what is going on critical to all phased of response and recovery

Session 15 9Slide 15-

Assumptions: Situational Awareness

• Key to an effective disaster response

• Collection, analysis and dissemination of information from the disaster site

• Sharing this information is all important

Session 15 10Slide 15-

National Incident Management System

Session 15 11

FEMA. National Incident Command System: FEMA 501/Draft August 2007.

Slide 15-

Public Information Officer Duties

• Gathers, verifies, coordinates and disseminates accurate, accessible and timely information on the incident’s cause, size, and current situation

• Resources committed

• Other maters of general interest for both internal and external use

Session 15 12Slide 15-

PIO Messages

A PIO creates coordinated and consistent messages by collaborating to:

•Identify key information

•Craft messages

•Prioritize messages

•Verify accuracy of information

•Disseminate messages

Session 15 13Slide 15-

Assumptions: Media Partnership

• Primary role in communicating with the public

• Greater reach to public

• Provide timely and accurate information

• Partnership between emergency managers and media

Session 15 14Slide 15-

Effective Media Partnerships

Characteristics of an Effective Media Partnership

•Communications network

•Media access

•Define roles

•Manage public expectations

•Speed the recovery

Session 15 15Slide 15-

Traditional Media

Historical use of Traditional Media in Emergencies

•Fact of life

•Tension between emergency managers and media

•Radio

•Television

•Internet

•“First Informers”Session 15 16Slide 15-

Traditional Media: Radio

• Traditional source of emergency news

• Pre-disaster broadcast preparedness messages

• Post-disaster broadcast response and relief messages to areas without electricity

Session 15 17Slide 15-

Traditional Media: Television

• Cable News – 24/7 coverage

• Broadcast networks

• Reporters and anchors

Session 15 18Slide 15-

New Media

Role of New Media in Emergencies

•Internet

•First Informers

•Social Media

Session 15 19Slide 15-

Social Media

• New Technologies

• Audience participation in news gathering and dissemination

• Everyone is a reporter

• Traditional media reconsider role in crisis communications

• Rumor versus Fact

Session 15 20Slide 15-

Social Media

Social Media versus Traditional Media

•First informers

•Traditional media and government hierarchies

•Changing roles

Session 15 21Slide 15-

New Media

Evolution of New Media use in Emergencies

•Increase in extreme weather

•New technologies since 2001

•Rise of citizen Journalists

Session 15 22Slide 15-

Participatory Media

• Coming of Age of Participatory Media

• 2004 Asian Tsunami

• 2005 London Bombings

• 2005 Hurricane Katrina

Session 15 23Slide 15-

2004 Asian Tsunami

• Blogs

• Websites

• Message boards

Session 15 24Slide 15-

2005 London Bombings

• Cell photos

• Websites

• Flickr

Session 15 25Slide 15-

2005 Hurricane Katrina

• Blogs

• Message boards

• Bulletin boards

• Google Earth and Google Map

Session 15 26Slide 15-

Social Media

Recent Events and Social Media

•2006 Java earthquake – mobile phones

•2007 Wildfires in Southern California – citizen generated photos

Session 15 27Slide 15-