For years, Florida emergency managers have been urging people to “have a plan” before disaster strikes. That advice also extends to private and public organizations in advance of public relations catastrophes.
Thursday’s crisis communications seminar at the Capital City Country Club was hosted by the Capital Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. Crisis Communicators included David Northway from the Tallahassee Police Department and Mike Bellamy from the city’s fire department.
“We know one thing and that’s typically that you’re not prepared for what you’re going to have to call 911 for today and you didn’t anticipate that event happening,” Bellamy said after his presentation. “So we have to do a lot of public education and try to extinguish that fire, that accident, whatever event before it ever happens and give you the tools to do that.”
Even big organizations like Florida State University need to have contingency plans for all kinds of emergencies, like the shooting at Strozier Library last year. The school’s Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Coburn had a lot to say about that. And then there was the man who is often called upon in situations involving the alleged victimization of minorities by law enforcement agencies, Tallahassee Attorney Ben Crump.
“And when you get those calls from all across America in these states like Missouri and California and Texas, you got to think there’s something that we must be doing in Tallahassee, Florida to get the attention of the world,” Crump told reporters during a break in the seminar.
One of those things, he admitted, is his own ability to, not only give legal counsel for this cases, but also to provide an effective media strategy that calls attention to, and builds sympathy for, the clients’ situation.
“I want to believe we all have a role to play,” Crump said. “God blessed me with this platform and the law degrees and the talent to articulate to society that every life matters, that black lives matter, that brown lives matter.”
But there are various sides to every story. For instance, Crump was representing the family of Trayvon Martin following that young man’s death at the hands of George Zimmerman. Crump also argued the Sanford Police Department had mishandled the case. In response, Sanford Police sought the counsel of Sara Brady who runs her own public relations firm in Winter Park. She also spoke at Thursday’s Tallahassee seminar and recalled the battle for the hearts and minds of the media covering the story.
“It really can be a blood bath if you’re fighting with reporters, which you’re always recommended not to do, but you have to do it sometimes,” she said. “So you can be diplomatic and firm, but I think ‘blood sport’ is a pretty good description.”
In the end, Brady lost that fight as her client, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee, was a casualty of the controversy and was fired. Still, she urged every organization – large and small, public and private – to be ready for the worst.
“Especially today with social media and peoples’ ability to feel free and entitled to say what they want in a negative way, you have to be prepared to defend yourself and if you don’t have that in place, you can be destroyed,” she cautioned.
In other words, whether the storm is a hurricane or a media maelstrom, you better have a plan.
