Overall, some 55 million newspapers are sold each day, 59 million on Sunday and nearly three times that many people regularly view the evening news on television.
While it's pretty safe to bet that even if a crisis occurs at your treatment plant it won't create much of a media frenzy and that you shouldn't expect to find Tom Brokaw knocking at your door anytime in the near future—it's always best to be prepared.
Even if it's just your kid nephew who is doing a summer internship down at the local newspaper—you have a responsibility to present your operation in the best light when your 15 minutes of fame rolls around.
Waiting until the last minute to decide how you'll deal with the media may result in a less-than-flattering news story about your system. Preparation is the key to dealing with any event—whether during times of crisis, or even on the most mundane of days—especially when you're dealing with the media.
[TIP: Water systems serving a population larger than 3,300 are required by law to complete Vulnerability Assessments (VAs) and Emergency Response Plans (ERPs) under the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002. Adding a simple Media Plan to your ERP is one good way to ensure that your system has covered all it's bases before the cameras start rolling (Or you find your local version of Clark Kent asking how to spell your last name).]
An effective media plan doesn't have to require hours of planning, mountains of paperwork, and a high-paid public relations firm to put you in control of what could otherwise be a very volatile and confusing situation. Keep it simple, while at the same time addressing the special needs of your system.
Although every plan will be different, there are some basics that should be addressed:
• Designate a communications/crisis team—This should include representatives from key areas of your organization including management, operations, facilities, etc. (For smaller systems, the team could include just a single board member and the system operator) This team will coordinate any necessary action and will generally draft and enact your system's media plan.
• Designate spokespeople—The last thing you want during a crisis is a turf battle over who will represent your organization to the media and the public. A general rule of thumb is the higher the better. Remember, public comments should be made by one or two people only to ensure consistency. Employees need to be made aware of who will address the media so that they can direct any questions to that official.
•Develop an information flow—Identify who you need to communicate with. For employees, emails or phone calls may be the most efficient ways. Create a media and local public officials contact list and update it as needed.
• Identify facilities and equipment—Designate an area where any press conferences or interviews will be held. The last thing you want to have to deal with is a reporter standing over your shoulder while you are trying to repair a leak the size of Hoover Dam.
• Coordinate with other agencies—In many instances, the police or fire departments may be the most appropriate agencies to respond to the public.
• Develop messages—Prepare key messages to be the foundation for communications during a crisis. It's important to have these key points in writing, so they are easily accessible (Commitment to public health, Safety record, fact sheets covering operation methods and general information about the utility).
Remember, planning is a continuous process. It only begins with the written plan. Thinking through mock scenarios to test the effectiveness of your media plan is one good way to iron out any wrinkles well in advance of a real media event.
Just sit back and imagine what you would do if you were Clark Kent (In his role as the mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet, not all dressed up in tights with a red cape) and consider what information you would need for your article and to what lengths you would go to get the story.
Then make a list of ways you could provide that information to Clark before he gets irritated with you, finds a telephone booth for a quick change, and is forced to use his super-human strength to beat it out of you. But remember, most reporters don’t have x-ray vision so sometimes it's ok to keep certain information to yourself. Just be prepared to tell them what the need to know in a truthful and honest manner.
Additional Resources
www3.niu.edu/newsplace/crisis.html [1]
www.awwa.org/Advocacy/pressroom/publicaffairs/crisis_template.cfm [2]
Spreading the Good News
Proactive water systems, public service districts, and sewer systems know that their success depends, to some extent, on good relationships with their customers—and their communities.
These relationships aren't built overnight (or during a crisis) and rely heavily on two-way communications—the system talking with customers and listening to the community's response.
While required Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) are a good first step toward building favorable community relations, utilities shouldn't stop there.
[Tip: Check out the eBulletin archives for additional information on Consumer Confidence Reports.]
Establishing good relations with the media is equally as important. After all, they are generally the ones who will tell your story either by covering your board meetings or spreading the word when changes, like rate increases, are being made.
Favorable publicity is not only low cost, but it has high returns. Placing news stories about your organization throughout the year also helps establish credibility and recognition.
Part of the planning process for any event, new acquisition or any major project should include a plan for publicity.
Here is a short “to-do-list” to help you release a story.
•Recognize the difference between news and advertising. The best way to do this is by reading the local newspaper and watching the local 5 o'clock news to see how they treat news so that you can conform to their choices and styles. Remember, news is generally something unusual or important and/or affects a large number of people in a significant way. Story ideas must be timely. Don't announce your relocation after you have already settled in.
• Learn to write good news releases. (Check out this issue's Success Story link for samples of "successful" press releases).
• Learn media deadlines so that your releases reach the right place at the right time. No one appreciates working at the last minute, and sometimes there just isn't room for late news. As a general rule, the best time to contact reporters or schedule an event is Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 12 noon. Morning hours will guarantee that deadlines are met, and will allow for further development of the story.
• Get to know your local press so that when you have a good story idea, they will listen and follow through.
It's important to remember that reporters are just regular people. They have spouses, children, mortgages, and hopes and dreams. Since it's generally safe to assume that they have little, if any, idea of how your system operates, why not take the time to walk up to your local reporters after your next board meeting and invite them out to the plant so that they can better understand what really happens beyond the board room.
Additional Resources
www.esrc.ac.uk/commstoolkit/media.asp [3]
Behind Closed Doors
And last, but not least, it's important to remember that there are clearly defined rules governing how you should deal with the ever-persistent media during your system's regular board meetings. Each state has it's own set of Open Meeting and Freedom of Information laws dealing with the media's access to your governing procedures. While there are clearly differences according to where you operate, the basics remain the same—Meetings of public bodies must be "open and public" actions and may not be held in secret. While non-profit organizations may be exempt from some of these laws, it is always best to remember that your purpose is to operate the system in the public interest.
A "meeting" is generally defined as any gathering of a majority of the members of a board to hear, discuss, or deliberate on matters within the board's jurisdiction (No vote or action is required for the gathering to be considered a "meeting," nor must the members meet face to face).
In order to maintain compliance boards generally must:
• Post notification and an agenda for any regular meeting at least three days in advance (you might consider asking your local newspaper to run the agenda).
• Notify the media of any special or emergency meetings and allow the media to remain even if the meeting is cleared due to a public disturbance.
• Hold all meetings within the service area of the board.
• Allow non-disruptive recording and broadcasting of meetings.
• Conduct only public votes (no secret ballots).
• Treat all documents as public (if something is distributed to all or a majority of members of a board it should generally be made available to the media).
To check out the specific laws applying to your state take a look at the Additional Resources link below.
Above all else, remember that the media has a job to do and it's important that you work with them to make sure that information is correctly released so that your customer's safety and peace of mind always comes first.
Additional Resources
www.rcfp.org/cgi-local/tapping/index.cgi [4]