|
THE COMMUNITY & SARA TITLE III Chemical companies and others that have chemicals on premises, each year must face up to the ramifications of a new but unwanted female: SARA Title III! The news media and the environmental groups have now discovered how to use your Title III reports. Now, the chemicals are out of the bag, so to speak. Nightly network newscasts, most major newspapers, weekly news magazines and the local media have found out about who is doing what to the environment. They all have instant computer access to the Federal SARA records. I am in the business of training business people on how to deal with the news media, especially in times of crisis. In the past year, 60 percent of our crisis media workshops have been for chemical companies and 95 percent of those companies said the training was prompted by concern about public and media reaction to SARA Title III. They have wisely discovered that when you are in a volatile business, the best communications advice is clearly evident in the Boy Scout motto: "Be prepared!" It is obvious that major disasters such as the Exxon oil spill in Alaska will continue to focus heavy media attention on environmental issues of all kinds. The environment is a media "hot button." So, let’s talk about SARA Title III and communications. Here is what the Chemical Manufacturers’ Association has to say about SARA Title III and your relationship with the news media:
Those words from the C.M.A. are right on target. MEDIA COVERAGE INCREASING Environmental news is front page news, no longer relegated to the back pages. Pieces about chemical emissions, oil spills and pesticides have replaced crime and political corruption. This is the age of environmental journalism. For journalists, it is the number one issue! To deal with the media, savvy executives are learning "journalistic jujitsu," which uses the media’s strength – their desire for a story – to their advantage. Release the story … but control the follow of negative information in a responsible manner. By being candid and careful, you can turn a bad situation into a positive public relations opportunity. But understanding the media and learning how to deal with reporters is not something that can be absorbed through osmosis. Seminars on media response have replaced motivational exercises and stress management as the training choice in many companies. The seminars, usually conducted by former print and broadcast journalists, provide executives a chance to learn privately from their mistakes rather than see them in tomorrow’s newspaper or on the nightly news. Be honest, be candid and beware. Assemble the facts pertinent to the story. Know what you want to say. Candor receives more positive attention than "no comment." In times of crisis, candor with the media and therefore with the public is a technique that is starting to catch on with those who work at improving news media relations. You cannot escape the crisis but you can mitigate the final damages and restore credibility by showing compassion and concern. Exxon did not; Perrier did. Look how well Johnson & Johnson handled the media during the Tylenol scare. They turned a negative into a positive and regained their market share. And how about the manner in which Lee Iacocca handled the odometer rollback scandal. He bought full-page ads, he went to the national news media and he apologized. He used the media to Chrysler’s advantage. More recently, we witnessed the use of candor with the media in times of crisis from John Hall, the Chairman of the Board of Ashland Oil. He accepted full responsibility for the 1988 major oil spill that ended up in the Ohio River. His company took its lumps but negative news coverage and editorials were greatly reduced because of his openness and candor. This honesty and openness is the wave of the future in crisis news media relations. And the surprising result of candor is that an executive’s credibility is enhanced among those who matter most – employees, customers, stockholders and the media Besides increasing credibility, being candid with a reporter usually gets his attention. More than likely, a reporter who has been treated fairly will take a second look at releases touting new products or services rather than pitch them in the round file. The upshot is positive coverage of those "good news" items you want to get before the public. "SARA" MEDIA GUIDELINES Dealing with the media is not something to be passed off to other staff members or dismissed as unimportant. It begins with a commitment to learn and follow basic guidelines, such as:
Just as important, do not:
The lists of do’s and don’ts could cover pages. But what is important is the recognition that dealing with the media requires special techniques and a commitment to understand journalists. But what can you expect from the news media as they continue to uncover your yearly SARA Title III reports? There are certain things that likely will happen and you can prepare yourself by taking a proactive approach and develop a strategy. Here are some points to remember when you are formulating that policy:
Never forget this phrase: Perception is truth! No one goes out and buys a book about your business. Almost all of what they know about your industry comes to them from the news media. You may have a wonderful industry that never screws up the environment, where your employees can let lunch off the factory floor. But if the public believes you are insensitive polluters of their air and water, that is what you are. Perception is truth and it always will be! You must live with this understanding. That is why news media relations should be of deep concern to you and your company. As you contemplate SARA Title III and the news media in general, keep this phrase first and foremost in your mind because in dealing with the news media in crisis, there can be no more meaningful advice: "By the time you hear the thunder, it’s too late to build the ark!" About the author: |