Violent Attacks Put Two Crisis Communication Plans
to the Test
By Virginia Sowers and Heather Turbeville
Pam Lepley, director of University News Services at
Virginia Commonwealth University, had barely settled
into her seat at the movie theater on a Saturday evening
last October when her pager went off. Answering the
call, she learned that the Medical College of Virginia's
hospital had just admitted a male with a gunshot wound
to the abdomen. He was believed to be the latest victim
of a sniper who had been terrorizing northern Virginia
and Maryland communities for two weeks.
"My first question was why had the victim been
transported all the way to Richmond," Lepley said.
"They told me, 'No, it happened in Ashland.'"
Thus began "one of the most profound experiences
I have had professionally and personally," Lepley
told Richmond IABC members at their 2 Oct. meeting held
at VCU's Siegel Center.
As Lepley headed downtown to MCV last 19 Oct., she talked
with members of the university news service staff and
hospital administrators en route and prepared to roll
out the university's crisis response plan. As she made
her way to the hospital's command center (a room already
equipped with phones, faxes, computers, TVs), Lepley
said she mentally rehearsed three things. "One
was protecting the privacy of the patient and his family.
Two, was protecting VCU and the medical center. We were
under worldwide media glare, and I knew if we screwed
up, it could damage the university," she related.
"Three, we had a responsibility to Richmond. How
we responded would reflect on our city."
For the next 48 to 72 hours, Lepley and key members
of her staff abandoned sleep to juggle the competing
demands of the medical center, law enforcement officials
and the media. Her office fielded 500 media calls in
the first 24 hours, while CNN, FOX and other major networks
camped out with Richmond's press corps and members of
the international media in the MCV parking lot. "We
became a 24-hour news center," Lepley noted. Continued
worries about where the sniper would attack next cast
a dark shadow over the community.
With scant information on the shooting victim's condition
as he underwent multiple surgeries that ultimately would
save his life, Lepley and her staff seized an opportunity
to help the media fill the news gaps. "We started
doing research on the doctor who was leading the surgery
team. We researched trauma injuries and the number of
gunshot wounds that MCV treats per year. We offered
up psychology experts," Lepley recalled. "We
decided to give the media these sidebar stories to talk
about and thus prevent mass speculation [about the situation
at hand]."
The strategy worked well. The networks wove the backgrounders
into their coverage, and National Public Radio did an
eight-minute feature on trauma care. "We recognized
this as an opportunity to raise awareness of VCU resources,"
Lepley said. "A year later, we're still reaping
benefits. I get calls for expert sources fairly regularly."
But most importantly, Lepley says, "Our patient
is leading a normal life now."
Successful communication during a crisis depends on
such decisions as those made by Pam Lepley. She and
her staff were able to protect the patient's privacy
while satisfying the media's quest for information and
representing the hospital in a positive light. Network
PR of New Zealand handled a similar crisis. ASB BANK
Mangere Bridge bank teller John Vaughan was shot and
killed during an armed robbery on 15 May 2002. While
the family dealt with the loss of a father and son,
ASB BANK dealt with the death of a valued employee,
a serious security issue and a critical period under
a media spotlight.
Network PR branded the incident as "The Manukau
Serial Killings" (as this was the second shooting
in the area in days) to ensure the ASB BANK name would
not be associated with the tragedy in the long term.
Within hours, a Network PR consultant visited the family
and began acting as their spokesperson. Because Network
PR quickly established itself as the conduit between
audiences, key messages were more easily kept consistent
and the situation became simpler to manage.
Along with its media monitoring, Network PR conducted
interviews with those involved in the tragedy. They
also recommended
- placing flowers outside every branch nationwide
on the day of the murder
- visually demonstrating the bank's security procedures
to television and press media immediately following
the shooting
- setting up an annual scholarship, through the bank,
in the name of John Vaughan
- re-opening the branch several months after the
tragedy and erecting a plaque in memory of John Vaughan
- closing branches nationwide from 1:00 pm on the
day of the funeral
- giving bank staff time off to attend the funeral
and nationwide memorial services.
As a measure of Network PR's success, not one negative
story was produced regarding ASB BANK according to independent
media research. Like Pam Lepley, Network PR handled
this situation well. They protected the privacy of the
Vaughn family and dealt with John Vaughn's death in
a sensitive and tactful way. All the while, they monitored
media and spoke with a unified voice to not only limit
bad PR for the bank, but also to improve its image.
Crisis Communication Tips
- Assess problem through the public's eyes.
- Speak with one voice.
- Communicate quickly and update often.
- Use media tools -- video, diagrams, photos, etc.
- Choose the right spokesperson -- consumers want
to see where the buck stops.
- Present the people, not the company.
- Keep the message simple.
- Obtain feedback to gauge responsiveness.
Sources: VCU University News Services
Gold Quill 2003 Award winning work plans
Virgina Sowers is a long-time member of IABC Richmond
(VA). She can be reached at virginia.sowers@douglasmurphy.com.
Discuss this topic with other IABC members at: www.iabc.com/memberspeak.
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