As Kate says, the justifiable but accurate PIO statement "I can't answer that" is always a problem given the expected media feeding frenzy. In addition to the media competition for the best leads/bleeds story, first on scene, $$$ and more, they always have to fill the air time.
Although it won't work for every situation, it's one of the reasons businesses, schools, non-profit organizations etc. should always have one or more pre-prepared factual releases in the can, so that at least in the earliest hours, the media might be able to use some of the background items to help fill the air time. Sometimes it's not a whole lot more than things like number of sites (e.g. a bank or credit union), population (e.g. a school of 200 versus one of 800), perhaps the organization's main mission statement/operational factors (24/7 or M-F), maybe applicable licensing or regulatory qualifications (e.g. DOT info), or other things. As each situation is different, what to put in pre-canned media releases can vary widely, but is definitely a wise idea to have some accurate time-fillers ready to go.
April Kelcy
Earthquake Solutions
626-483-0626
From: californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com [mailto:californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Kate Hutton
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 11:30 AM
Most of what the PIO says at the press conferences is (justifiably) "I can't answer that." So I think it's no wonder that the media goes with whatever they can find from the rumor mill. They don't have any real info, from either authorized or not authorized sources. As Mark says, they are payed to get ratings.
Kate
__._,_.___
No comments:
Post a Comment