Dec. 17, 2008 at 9:50am

Nix the news conference

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Community Relations, Media Relations, Planning and Strategy
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When is a news conference the wrong answer? Most of the time. That practical lesson came to mind last week as I thumbed through an organization’s crisis communication plan.

It prescribed calling a news conference immediately under every crisis scenario. From a reporter’s perspective, what’s not to love? From the perspective of an organization in the throes of trauma, I see nothing but danger. Rushing into a news conference without careful thought risks the organization’s reputation.

Making the news bigger in a crisis
Consider that what you might believe to be crisis inside an organization may not be a crisis to those outside. Calling a news conference announces that your story is major news and may increase the intensity of a difficult situation.

For example, calling a news conference to announce your foundation executive director embezzled funds is risky. It could undermine confidence in the foundation’s ability to carefully steward donor dollars.

Haste limits preparation
Make time to prepare your presenters. Do not hold a news conference if you are not certain of the ability of your speakers to present and answer questions effectively. A poor presentation may become the lead story for all media. Haste may damage relationships with employees and friends who learn about the news from the media rather than from you.

A news briefing – a better alternative
Instead of a news conference, consider conducting a media briefing in a crisis or breaking news situation when the media have arrived unannounced. Unlike a news conference, media briefings usually feature a single speaker and are held in response to (rather than to generate) media interest.

To organize a briefing, ask all reporters to meet you at a specified location at a specific time, usually within an hour, so that you (or a designated official or expert) may address them all at once and answer their questions. In some crisis situations, media briefings are held at prearranged times, such as every day at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., until the crisis is over.

Conducting briefings helps you exercise some control over the situation, satisfies reporters, and saves you time so that you may focus greater attention on fact finding, preparing written materials and communicating with other key stakeholders.

Consider a news conference when you want publicity or it is inevitable and if:

• Your story is newsworthy, timely and of interest to the community (and therefore the media).
• You will offer reporters special advantages by attending such as interesting visuals, hearing directly from experts with limited availability, the opportunity to question officials, or the chance to visit a location usually off limits to the media.
• There is tremendous media interest and you wish to share the same information with all media at once.
• Your presenters are well prepared.

A news conference may be the right approach, for example, if your chief medical officer just won the Nobel Prize in Medicine or if your board has just decided to close your hospital.

In the meantime, review your crisis plan. Does it serve your organization as well as your community? If so, chances are the media will get the right story at the right time.

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