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MEDIA COMMUNICATION MANUAL

Abstract

Guidelines for handling media communications during a crisis.

Media Crisis Communication Manual

Contents Overview .............................................................. 1

Purpose...........................................................................1 Scope ..............................................................................1

Crisis Phases ....................................................... 3 1. Awareness and Containment....................................3 2. Assessment ..............................................................3 3. Planning....................................................................3 4. Execution ..................................................................3 5. Review........................................................................4

Media Crisis Team ............................................... 5

Sudden Crisis High Level Goals .......................... 7 First Hour.........................................................................7 Second Hour ...................................................................7 Third Hour .......................................................................7 Fourth to Sixth Hour ........................................................7

Crisis Information Worksheet.............................. 8

FACT GATHERING ............................................... 9

Initial Media Statement (Sample)...................... 11

Media Management ........................................... 12 Taking Control of the Crisis ...........................................12 Initial Response Options................................................13

Crisis Communication Team Meeting Agenda (Sample)............................................................. 15

Media Activity Log............................................. 16

Response to Inquiries (Sample) ........................ 17

Other Contact Information ................................ 18

Media Crisis Communication Manual

Version Control

Document: Media Crisis Communication Manual File: Media Comm 10-2002

Author/Editor Version/Date Comments

Media Crisis Communication Manual 1

Overview

Purpose To establish procedures for crisis communication and provide guidelines for a Crisis Communication Teams to respond during a crisis that may affect a Xxxx site.

The Crisis Communication Team will be responsible for all internal and external communications relating to a crisis or emergency incident at Xxxx and it subsidiaries.

Planning enables the communications team, security personnel and others involved in crisis communications to:

Physically control the information activities at the Emergency Operations Centers and at the incident site itself.

Anticipate media behavior and manage information dissemination and rumor control.

Conduct notifications and maintain proper protocols.

Operate within the framework of established DO’s and DON’Ts.

Familiarize themselves with the roles and functions of everyone involved in a coordinated emergency communications effort.

Understand audience reaction and how emergencies effect people’s behavior.

Administratively and logistically support the public relations effort.

Scope This crisis communication manual is a basic plan outline with resource contacts, to be applied to the situation at hand. It is not intended to answer all questions or complete all needs, as all scenarios cannot be planned for in advance.

This plan will only address communication during an incident with media, associates, family, clients, etc. It will not attempt to address the management of the crisis from a business perspective, but may acknowledge those functions that are key to communication objectives.

A crisis is any situation that requires quick communication actions or threatens the integrity or reputation of Xxxx and its subsidiaries and usually brings about negative media attention. Situations can be a legal dispute, theft, accident, fire, natural or manmade disaster, sudden death of an executive or associate, or where our company did not respond appropriately to one of these situations. If a circumstance is handled


appropriately, reputation damage can be minimized.


Crisis Phases Every crisis follows the same general stages that can be planned for in advance. Both the crisis communication and the crisis management functions will adhere to these basic phases.

1. Awareness and Containment Verify the facts and take immediate action to prevent the situation from growing worse.

Crises are always unpredictable, but there are consistencies to be aware of during the initial stages of any crisis: you will not have enough information, there will be confusion, media and outside organizations will demand to know what is happening, the situation will change rapidly.

Security, Management, General Counsel or a party directly involved in the event or issue should immediately contact Xxxx Corporate Relations to initiate the Crisis Communication Plan. Corporate Relations will contact the CEO and other individuals on the following list as needed, depending on the nature of the crisis.

Designate a spokesperson, make a preliminary comment and schedule next media briefing. Take any immediate actions required to prevent the situation or issue from growing worse. Contact key allies.

2. Assessment Gather critical information to base decisions on. Find out what’s going wrong and get the information required to remedy the situation.

This portion will require input from areas of Xxxx (executive management, Human Resources, etc.) and local response units (fire, police, area hospitals, etc.). Establish who your contacts/liaisons will be. Be sure to track all information that was gathered: where and who it came from, when, was it accurate, etc.

3. Planning Create a plan to address and resolve each specific crisis (injured associates, theft, client impact, etc.)

The Assessment phase should provide the necessary documentation to determine company options, what-if scenarios, short and long term plans, etc., essentially it should control the situation. Plan strategy must get executive management approval.

4. Execution Take action and implement the plan.

Schedule and conduct media briefings, emergency personnel updates,


counseling service meetings, etc. Executing the plan will reduce the confusion, direct resources to be used efficiently and ensure that all areas are addressed and dealt with as necessary.

5. Review Get the company back to daily operations, conduct a review of the incident and update the response plans.

Every crisis will eventually end, and it is important for the team to make preparations for associates to get ongoing counseling, create closure and move on. The Crisis Communication Team and executive management will play a critical role in setting a good example. In addition, a review meeting should be scheduled to allow team members a forum to discuss what went well, what should be changed, etc.


Media Crisis Team If the plan is activated as part of a disaster, Media Communications will initially operate out of the Emergency Operations Center. Based upon the scale of the incident, separate space may need to be procured, such as a hotel suite with conference space to hold press briefings.

Should the incident not effect Xxxx ’s physical building, a Media EOC can be established within Xxxx , GRS or in a nearby hotel.

COMMUNICATIONS

Contact Role

w, 480 222-2222 h, m, fx, email,

LEGAL Contact Role

General Counsel w, 480. h, 480. m, 602.

Human Resources


EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Contact Role

CEO w, 480. h, 602. m, 602

EVP, CIO

EVP, CFO

EVP, Sales Client Relations

EVP, Operations

BCP

MAJOR VENDORS Contact Role

SUBSIDIARIES Contact Role


Sudden Crisis High Level Goals

First Hour 1. Activate Crisis Management and Communication Teams

2. Activate Crisis/Media Communication Center. (external hotel conference room, etc.)

3. Schedule first media briefing.

4. Prepare a response statement for telephone and incident-site inquiries from associates, media, local businesses, etc.

Second Hour 1. Notify crisis counseling vendor and contract services. Dispatch

crisis response reps to scene.

2. Begin contacting affected associates’ families at home, work, and hospitals.

3. Establish contact with local response teams and government officials for verification of information, procedures, next steps, etc.

4. Conduct initial media briefing with confirmation summary only.

Third Hour 1. Open Communication Center facilities.

2. Begin non-critical notifications (vendors, customers, insurance, etc.)

3. Designate on-site liaison for local emergency operation centers, public info officers, etc.

4. Brief executive management / Board on status of crisis situation.

5. Provide first hourly update for local news media.

Fourth to Sixth Hour 1. Follow-up with crisis counselors at the scene.

2. Follow-up with family members to ensure they are being informed and provided with assistance.

3. Continue to keep the media and associates apprised of the situation, developments, etc.

4. Create company action plan, both short and long term.


Crisis Information Worksheet

IF YOU ARE NOTIFIED OF A MAJOR INCIDENT OR NATURAL DISASTER INVOLVING ONE OF OUR FACILITIES:

1. Fill out the following worksheet. Assure sources that your job is to make sure we have all the facts that are known. Indicate that no information with be disclosed until it has been reviewed by senior executives and/or corporate relations.

2. Contact the appropriate senior executives. Brief them on the information

from the Fact Gathering or confirmed that they have been briefed. (Below is example only.)

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Contact Role

CEO w, 480. h, 602. m, 602.

EVP, CIO w 3. Contact Corporate Relations. Brief them on the information from the Fact

Gathering or confirmed that they have been briefed.

COMMUNICATIONS Contact Role

Corporate Relations

w, 480 h, 602 m, 602 email,

4. Work with Corporate Relations to complete the Response to Inquiries

section. Then distribute to all associates and management who will be responsible for responding to questions from associates, customers, merchants, etc. (Help Desk, HR, Executive Mgt. Team, etc.)

5. Determine your initial responsibilities from Senior Mgmt or Corporate Relations, if assigned:

A. ____________________________________________________________________ B. ____________________________________________________________________ C. ____________________________________________________________________ D. ____________________________________________________________________


FACT GATHERING

Current time: ________________ Approx. event time: _____________ Describe the event : ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ BUSINESS DISRUPTION Extent of damage to facility?_________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Potential for further damage?_____________________________________________________ Additional facilities at risk? _______________________________________ Has service been interrupted? ____________________________________________________ Impact to Clients / Merchants?_______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ Length of time before 50% restored?_________________________________ Length of time before 75% restored?_________________________________ Length of time before fully restored?_________________________________ REPAIR WORK Number of associates at site? _________ Work being done? _________________________________________________________________________ Recovery Specialists called in to help? _______ _________________________________________________ Arrival date/ time? _______________________________________________________________ Work location and duration? _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ COMMUNITY IMPACT Has the incident effected our surrounding area? _________________________________________________ Is regional evacuation underway? ____________________________________________________________ If yes, Who, How Many and When? ___________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ CASUALTIES Were associates / non-associates killed? ___________ Injured?__________ Unaccounted for? ___________ Seriousness of injuries? ____________________________________________________________________ Have associate families been notified, by whom? ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Have vendor / non-assoc. families been notified, by whom? ________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What is being done to assist the families? ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ What have associates been told to do? _________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________


CURRENT STATUS Who is the senior executive in charge?_____________________ Contact Info:_________________________ Who has been notified at Xxxx ? ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ At campus / corporate? __________________________________________________________________________ What local/state agencies are involved? _______________________________________________________ Agency contact information: _________________________________________________________________ What actions have been taken thus far? _______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ NEWS MEDIA Media phone call status? Not yet / Some / Heavy How many reporters / TV crews are at the scene? _________ Which Organizations? ____________________ Was information given out? By whom? _________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND INFORMATION Suspected cause of this accident was? ________________________________________________________ Who was at fault? Have there been similar problems like this in the past? Are there unexpected problems hindering recovery work? What type of help is needed most? INFORMATION PROVIDED BY: PHONE: FAX: CELL: NOTES:


Initial Media Statement (Sample) This statement can be used to address the media to show we are dealing with the situation until further information is available. It can also be put on websites, given to phone attendants or put on the answering machine.

Regarding the news reports of a _________________________________________, this is what we can confirm at the present time: At approximately ______________ (Time) we were alerted that there was a __________________________________(Briefly describe event – fire, shooting, explosion, etc.) at ___________________________ (Location). We have called for assistance from ______________________________ (Police, fire, EMS, etc.) and have notified management who are in route to assist. At this point we do not have any details regarding what happened, but we will update you as soon as we have additional verified information. Please bear with us in the meantime.


Media Management

Taking Control of the Crisis Overall, organizations that handle the media effectively can successfully address a crisis. If Xxxx cooperates with the media, reporters will tend to believe us. If Xxxx delays a response or shows reluctance to share information, the media will turn to third parties for comments – business neighbors, bystanders, associates, competitors. In many cases this will produce speculative comments, inaccurate information and rumors. If we even appear to be stonewalling, the media will find other sources and our media time will be spent trying to correct misinformation. Once you have lost control of the situation it will be difficult to regain.

News media can be our best adversaries during a crisis. When Xxxx is a reliable source of information, we are perceived as an ally and as socially responsible.

Tell it First, Tell it Straight We must tell the story or someone else will tell it for us.

Guideline for Good Media Relations • Establish a media communications center to host reps. Provide

snacks and beverages.

• Coordinate all media coverage from that site

· If media is comfortable, bombarded with information and knows you will provide this information from one site only, they are less likely to be out searching for the scoop.

• Establish rules and procedures for dealing with the media

• Avoid premature or unauthorized spread of information

• Determine media needs and anticipate questions

• Inform media reps of how the company is dealing with the situation

• Don’t speculate about events or the company’s response.

• Do not talk about the past. Address the crisis as to what is being done now and in the future.


Initial Response Options Taking control of the crisis can be demonstrated best by what Xxxx says and does from the start of the event. Message points must be developed and used even when we have limited information to provide. By issuing a preliminary statement as soon as possible, we take control of the crisis and the flow of information. Early responses should convey cooperation, concern and a promise to be forthcoming regarding all aspects of the incident.

Xxxx and its parent companies and subsidiaries should draft initial responses that allow for facts to be inserted for the media spokesperson.

Generic responses to consider: 1. “We are gathering information / assessing the damage now

and will get back to you as quickly as we have some reliable information for you.”

2. “We put life and safety before all other considerations”

3. “Company philosophy is to do the right thing and to act in public interest.”

4. “We are concerned about everyone who may be affected by this ….. and we will act as quickly as possible to get information and notify those who have family or friends involved.”

5. “As we learn more about the incident, we will continue to provide as much as information as possible. We do not have all the answers yet but we are investigating and trying to understand the situation. We do know that …. (additional help is on the way, the fire and police have responded, no one has been transported to a hospital, etc.)

General Guidelines

Briefing the News Media

Timely and Coordinated Communications

Facilities

Prepare for Likely Media Inquiries

Descriptions of the Incident

Asssociated Incidents

Legal Matters


Rescue and Relief Efforts

Casualties

Property Damage

Background Interviews


Crisis Communication Team Meeting Agenda (Sample)

BRIEFING � Review facts

� Review ongoing / planned response actions

INCIDENT ASSESSMENT � Develop worst probable scenario

� Identify company consequences

� Identify industry issues

PLANNING & SUPPORT � Evaluate assistance needs / requests

� Confirm and set priorities

� Make assignments

ACTION ITEMS � Determine level of outside involvement (Legal, public relations,

associations, local/state/federal)

� Assign issue decisions

� Set next meeting time

� Identify issues scheduled for next meeting


Media Activity Log

NAME / AFFILIATION

INFORMATION SENT / REQUESTED

CONTACT INFO

FOLLOW-UP INFO

DATE / TIME / INITIALS

Inco

min

g or

O

utgo

ing

(I/O)

PRINT OFF AS NEEDED


Response to Inquiries (Sample) This information would be cut and pasted or already on company letterhead. Appropriate information would be added at the time of the incident and updated accordingly.

RESONSE TO INQUIRIES

(You are authorized to give out the following information)

This is what we can confirm at the present time: At approximately __________ we experienced a ________________________________ At this point we cannot accurately tell you the extent of the damage or injuries other than to say that it has involved ___________________________________________________ (Specific facilities, locations, known parameters of the incident, etc.) and _______ people. Their name and conditions will not be disclosed until their families are notified. We are working in conjunction with emergency assistance personnel from ________________________________________ (Police, fire, etc.) and our executive management team (and parent companies , if applicable) have been notified. We ask that member of the media stay in touch with _________________________________ (Designated spokesperson or Corporate Relations associate / Location / Phone) IF YOU ARE ASKED ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, MAKE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT: That is all I can confirm at this time. I am sure you understand the magnitude of us dealing with this situation. We need your patience for a few hours so that we can provide you with as much information as possible. As soon as we have gathered more about the incident, we will announce a news briefing. Any information regarding our associates will be disclosed to their families and loved one first. Drafted by: Approved by: Phone number: Date: Time:


Other Contact Information

HOTELS Contact City, State

Contact City, State

Contact City, State

MEDIA

Contact AZ

Arizona Republic Newspaper www.arizonarepublic.com (602) 444-8000 (800) 331-9303

East Valley Tribune Newspaper www.aztrib.com (480) 898-6500

TV

Radio

Contact GA

Atlanta Journal & Constitution

Newspaper www.accessatlanta.com/ajc 404-526-5342 1-800-756-2489

WSB-TV2 TV 404-897-7409 [email protected]

Radio

Contact CA

Sacramento Bee Newspaper www.sacbee.com


(916) 321-1000

TV

Radio

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Contact

PR Newswire

Associated Press

Reuters

ETA

Credit Card Management

MEDIA CLIPPING

Contact

Burrell’s News Express Service

800-631-1160

Bacon’s Express Clipping Service

800-621-0561

FBI OFFICES

Contact

FBI Atlanta Atlanta.fbi.gov 404-679-9000

FBI Phoenix Phoenix.fbi.gov 602-729-5511

FBI Sacramento Sacramento.fbi.gov 916-481-9110

Emergency Responder Guidelines

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