Irene Is Gone; The Next Crisis Looms

Irene has passed.

What business doesn't have an insurance policy to dull the loss of a natural disaster? What business never practices for a fire or earthquake or other calamity?

So then why are so many companies caught with their figurative pants down when it comes to crisis communications?

Some are prepared. The last I knew, Churchill Downs had a crisis communications plan for the famous race track in Louisville. I can't speak to other venues managed by the company, but natural disasters that have struck during the past few years make it clear that a crisis communications plan is mandatory for act-of-God crises. Other crises are probably more likely, and a communications plan is essential for those.

What? Other crises are more likely, you ponder? In the past few years, Churchill Downs facilities have been struck by:

2005
Aug. 29 – Hurricane Katrina hits Fair Grounds Race Course, damaging its roof and off-track betting parlors, which causes flooding.
Oct. 24 – Hurricane Wilma damages Calder Race Course clubhouse and stable area.
Nov. 6 – Tornado hits Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., damaging the track, tote board and stable area.

2011
Feb. 24 – Severe windstorm damages Harlow's Casino Resort & Hotel in Greenville, Miss., damaging the hotel, its roof and other areas.
May 6 – Harlow's casino closes because of flooding; reopens June 1.
June 22 – A tornado damages several barns at Churchill Downs. (http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011308280029)

"Like the driver who gets into too many accidents, Churchill’s insurance costs have been increasing. Premiums rose $3 million — more than tripling — immediately after Katrina and the ensuing flooding damaged the roof and barn areas at Fair Grounds. Since then, premiums have remained high."

Nevertheless, the company isn't about to go without insurance, right? So then why do so many go without a crisis communications plan, which is a lot like insurance? (http://crisisexperts.blogspot.com/2011/06/tornado-smacks-backside-of-churchill.html)

"Churchill Downs Inc. President Bill Carstanjen said the natural disasters at its properties haven’t changed planning. Annual drills for Kentucky Derby week at Churchill help employees prepare for emergencies. 'I think that’s (the Derby scenarios) a little bit different than a 500-year flood in Mississippi or a tornado roaring through the backside at 8:30 at night,' he said. 'So I think it’s a little tougher to plan for the natural disasters' like hurricanes and flooding."

No argument there. Planning communications for that 500-year flood or the one-in-137-years tornado costs little -- far less than insurance premiums or loss of investor confidence.

Hacked Insulin Pump Maker Scoffs at Crisis Risk

A computer whiz and diabetic from near Boise, Jay Radcliffe, revealed three weeks ago that he found serious security deficiencies in a popular type of insulin pump for diabetics. He didn't say who made the pumps nor the technique he used to hack the device.

"The problems he found carry exceptional risks, such as being able to program a special remote control to command strangers’ pumps to dispense the wrong dosage of insulin. But Radcliffe said he was ignored in repeated attempts to alert the company to the defects. On Thursday he identified the company — Medtronic Inc. — in an effort to apply public pressure to fix the vulnerabilities." (http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/08/25/insulin-pump-maker-medtronic-identified-after-hacking-talk/)

Medtronic hasn't taken the problem seriously at first. A look at the company's website today (http://www.medtronic.com/about-medtronic/index.htm) suggests it still hasn't. That's how so, so many problems turn into crises.

Medtronic's initial statement, nowhere on its website I might add, was, "'To our knowledge, there has never been a single reported incident outside of controlled laboratory experiments in more than 30 years of device telemetry use, which includes millions of devices worldwide,' a director of PR from Medtronic's insulin pump subsidiary MiniMed Inc. told TuDiabetes.org, an online social network for diabetics." (http://www.massdevice.com/news/medtronic-insulin-pump-hacker-not-big-deal)

Okay, but in 137 years of Churchill Downs, there has never been a destructive tornado -- until this June. (http://crisisexperts.blogspot.com/2011/06/tornado-smacks-backside-of-churchill.html) Just because no one hacked Medtronic insulin pumps in 30 years doesn't mean the company should pooh-pooh the possibility.

This also from the company: "Medtronic would not directly address its interactions with Radcliffe. Spokeswoman Amanda Sheldon said a Medtronic employee attended Radcliffe’s presentation at the Black Hat computer security conference this month in Las Vegas and said the company was analyzing his public statements." (http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/08/25/insulin-pump-maker-medtronic-identified-after-hacking-talk/)

I wondered why Radcliffe didn't point fingers at the perpetrator to begin with. "He hopes that exposure helps fix the problems. He said he tried to handle the disclosure ethically — by working with the company first — and felt 'there should have been an ethical response (from the company) to that.'”

There should have been. According to a blog called Slash Gear, "(Radcliffe) went to the company and now says that the company belittled the security flaw and didn’t take the research seriously. In light of the fact that the maker apparently does not intend to secure the device, Radcliffe has announced that Medtronic makes the pump he was able to hack." (http://www.slashgear.com/insulin-pump-hacker-discloses-company-that-makes-hacked-device-26174427/)

And this further "clarification" from Medtronic: "(Spokeswoman Sheldon) added that the 'risk of deliberate, malicious or unauthorized manipulation of our insulin pumps is extremely low.'" (http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/08/25/insulin-pump-maker-medtronic-identified-after-hacking-talk/)

The risk of a major earthquake on the East Coast also is extremely low.

A lame response to an alleged problem often draws government oversight. "In light of Radcliffe’s findings, two lawmakers, Reps. Anna Eshoo of California and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, both Democrats, have asked the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, to evaluate the government’s efforts to identify the risks of implants and other medical devices that use wireless communication."

Ignoring a crisis is like ignoring Hurricane Irene. You do so at your own risk. It seems far less damaging for Medtronic to express its commitment to investigate this report than to minimize the scope of this "little" problem. Medtronic might be right in its assessment. But crises aren't about being right. They are about returning business to normal with minimal disruption and financial cost. Medtronic needs to realize that fact shortly.

Pharmacies Now Providing Poison Pills

All businesses have their jargon. That's fine as long as your communications are intended for audiences who speak the language. Otherwise, be sure you can identify your business' jargon in your communications or find someone from the outside who can.

A case in point: PharMerica announced a stockholders' rights plan as it seeks to protect shareholders from takeover attempts by Omnicare. PharMerica is "a national provider of institutional pharmacy and hospital pharmacy management services." (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=186053&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1600495&highlight=)

On today's business page was the headline, "PharMerica adopts 'poison pill' plan." I know what a poison pill is and you know what a poison pill is. But how many among those who know and trust PharMerica are concerned that they or their loved ones might inadvertently be administered one of those poison pills.

This story is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the message isn't: Watch the use of jargon.

Eastern Companies Should Treat Irene Like She's Cruella Deville

Hurricane Irene may be headed your direction if you have operations on the east coast. The government warns, "Companies that provide critical infrastructure services, such as power and telecommunications, also have a special responsibility to plan for continued operation in a crisis and should plan accordingly. As with any catastrophe, having a contingency plan is essential." (http://crisisexperts.blogspot.com/2009/04/cdc-having-contingency-plan-is.html)

I have warned here before, "If you're lucky enough never to have gone through a serious crisis, it's probably hard to understand how many decisions need to be made in what feels like very little time. Valuable time and energy are wasted figuring out how to handle pay, absenteeism, and financial assistance for victims' families, along with grief counselling. If all the hard choices are made up front, HR staff can concentrate on implementing policies rather than creating them immediately after a serious crisis." (http://crisisexperts.blogspot.com/2008/12/hr-issues-must-be-considered-in-any.html)

Oh, hold on. These quotes weren't about weathering a hurricane. They were about getting through a flu pandemic two years ago.

You remember a flu pandemic. That's a crisis many businesses prepared for, and thus, it didn't happen -- yet. Just like companies prepared for Y2K crises. Nothing much happened because most organizations were ready for them.

Are organizations on the east coast ready for a hurricane, one of such intensity never seen during the lifetimes of those who may be effected?

"We do not know for sure whether Irene will make landfall in the Carolinas, on Long Island, or in New England, or stay far enough offshore to deliver little more than a windy, rainy day to East Coast residents.

"Nor do we have better than a passing ability to forecast how strong Irene will get. In spite of decades of research and greatly improved observations and computer models, our skill in forecasting hurricane strength is little better than it was decades ago. Why is this so, and how should we go about making decisions in the context of uncertain forecasts?" (http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/08/25/emanuel.weather.predict/index.html?iref=allsearch)

Note the opposing pomposity of the "editorial meteorologist" in the post about the Indiana State Fair storm . (http://crisisexperts.blogspot.com/2011/08/indiana-state-fair-tragedy-fluke-of.html)

The bottom line is we don't know where Irene will hit or with what strength, when a flu pandemic might leave workforces decimated, or when our computers might turn on us because of a quirk like the turn of the century or hacking or a glitch that exposes our underbelly data. (http://crisisexperts.blogspot.com/2011/08/felony-stupidity-leads-to-breach-of.htm)

In any case, why not be prepared for the worst-case scenario? Wouldn't you feel better to be prepared for the worst crisis that never happened, than to be unprepared for a computer glitch or a hurricane that can cripple?

I bought into the Institute for Crisis Management's philosophy of preparing for the worst, as opposed to responding by the seat of the pants. That means crisis communications planning. That means treating Irene like she's Medusa instead of like an angry old aunt. No one I know of ever was chastised for being over-prepared.

Let's move it, eastern seaboard!

Keep Generation Differences In Mind When Crafting Messages (Instant and Otherwise)

I was treated last night to an oldies concert at the Kentucky State Fair. It featured The Buckinghams, The Association, Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and the Raiders, a guy who lived not far from me in Boise years ago), the Turtles, and my favorites of all time, The Grass Roots. So what does Memory Lane have to do with crisis communications? Hold on, but don't "wait a million years."

The lead singer of The Grass Roots asked how many of us listened to their music. Cheers and hollers. "How many of you listened to us on 8-tracks?" I looked at my wife, ashamed. We both remembered cruising in my '67 Mustang convertible in high school, listening to The Grass Roots 16 Greatest Hits -- on 8-track.

Today's young people -- Is it X, Y, or Z Generation? I keep losing track -- are used to a different form and style of communications. Those of us who teethed on the Mammas and the Pappas need to keep the generation gap in mind when younger people are the target audience.

That seems as simple as sideburns with long hair. But it's easy to forget when you know you're still groovy, baby. "Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List, providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. The creation of Beloit’s former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief and Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride, it was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references, and quickly became a catalog of the rapidly changing worldview of each new generation. (http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/)

"1. There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.
2. Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their parents.
3. States and Velcro parents have always been requiring that they wear their bike helmets.
4. The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.
5. There have nearly always been at least two women on the Supreme Court, and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships.
6. They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
7. As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones, adult experts have constantly fretted about their alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.
8. Their school’s “blackboards” have always been getting smarter.
9. “Don’t touch that dial!”….what dial?
10. American tax forms have always been available in Spanish.
11. More Americans have always traveled to Latin America than to Europe.
12. Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
13. Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you're talking about LeBron James.
14. All their lives, Whitney Houston has always been declaring “I Will Always Love You.”
15. O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
16. Women have never been too old to have children.
17. Japan has always been importing rice.
18. Jim Carrey has always been bigger than a pet detective.
19. We have never asked, and they have never had to tell.
20. Life has always been like a box of chocolates.
21. They’ve always gone to school with Mohammed and Jesus.
22. John Wayne Bobbitt has always slept with one eye open.
23. The Communist Party has never been the official political party in Russia.
24. “Yadda, yadda, yadda” has always come in handy to make long stories short.
25. Video games have always had ratings.
26. Chicken soup has always been soul food.
27. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has always been available on TV.
28. Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
29. Arnold Palmer has always been a drink.
30. Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!
31. Women have always been kissing women on television.
32. Their older siblings have told them about the days when Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera were Mouseketeers.
33. Faux Christmas trees have always outsold real ones.
34. They’ve always been able to dismiss boring old ideas with “been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt.”
35. The bloody conflict between the government and a religious cult has always made Waco sound a little whacko.
36. Unlike their older siblings, they spent bedtime on their backs until they learned to roll over.
37. Music has always been available via free downloads.
38. Grown-ups have always been arguing about health care policy.
39. Moderate amounts of red wine and baby aspirin have always been thought good for the heart.
40. Sears has never sold anything out of a Big Book that could also serve as a doorstop.
41. The United States has always been shedding fur.
42. Electric cars have always been humming in relative silence on the road.
43. No longer known for just gambling and quickie divorces, Nevada has always been one of the fastest growing states in the Union.
44. They’re the first generation to grow up hearing about the dangerous overuse of antibiotics.
45. They pressured their parents to take them to Taco Bell or Burger King to get free pogs.
46. Russian courts have always had juries.
47. No state has ever failed to observe Martin Luther King Day.
48. While they’ve been playing outside, their parents have always worried about nasty new bugs borne by birds and mosquitoes.
49. Public schools have always made space available for advertising.
50. Some of them have been inspired to actually cook by watching the Food Channel.
51. Fidel Castro’s daughter and granddaughter have always lived in the United States.
52. Their parents have always been able to create a will and other legal documents online.
53. Charter schools have always been an alternative.
54. They’ve grown up with George Stephanopoulos as the Dick Clark of political analysts.
55. New Kids have always been known as NKOTB.
56. They’ve always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe: Michael Who?
57. They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.
58. Their parents sort of remember Woolworths as this store that used to be downtown.
59. Kim Jong-il has always been bluffing, but the West has always had to take him seriously.
60. Frasier, Sam, Woody and Rebecca have never Cheerfully frequented a bar in Boston during primetime.
61. Major League Baseball has never had fewer than three divisions and never lacked a wild card entry in the playoffs.
62. Nurses have always been in short supply.
63. They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.
64. Altar girls have never been a big deal.
65. When they were 3, their parents may have battled other parents in toy stores to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo while they lasted.
66. It seems the United States has always been looking for an acceptable means of capital execution.
67. Folks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have always been able to energize with Pepsi Cola.
68. Andy Warhol is a museum in Pittsburgh.
69. They’ve grown up hearing about suspiciously vanishing frogs.
70. They’ve always had the privilege of talking with a chatterbot.
71. Refugees and prisoners have always been housed by the U.S. government at Guantanamo.
72. Women have always been Venusians; men, Martians.
73. McDonalds coffee has always been just a little too hot to handle.
74. “PC” has come to mean Personal Computer, not Political Correctness.
75. The New York Times and the Boston Globe have never been rival newspapers."

I had a meeting this morning. I put down the roof of my 2004 Mustang convertible and I turned up the volume of my favorite Grass Roots hits. They were on a CD. At least I had the volume cranked up so loud I never heard my cell phone ring.

BART Must Weigh Stakes Carefully to Ensure a Homer

The board of Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco has opened a proverbial can of worms by shutting off cell phone service at some stations earlier this month to prevent protest in the name of public safety. If you've done any fishing, you know what a can of worms smells like, and this crisis is no different. The free-speech advocates and the just-let-me-get-to-where-I'm-going advocates will raise an opposing stench at a special BART board meeting on August 25. (http://www.bart.gov/about/bod/meetings/agendas/08-24-11%20spbd%20Notice_Agenda.pdf)

I touched on this crisis in an August 14 blog post. BART was seeking to thwart a planned protest over the fatal shooting of a man by transit police, and feared protesters would communicate with each other via cell phone and threaten passengers' safety as, alleged in a July protest.

BART'S position dated August 12 is, "BART’s primary purpose is to provide, safe, secure, efficient, reliable, and clean transportation services. BART accommodates expressive activities that are constitutionally protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and the Liberty of Speech Clause of the California Constitution (expressive activity), and has made available certain areas of its property for expressive activity.... No person shall conduct or participate in assemblies or demonstrations or engage in other expressive activities in the paid areas of BART stations, including BART cars and trains and BART station platforms." (http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2011/news20110812.aspx)

On August 21, BART added to its website, "Please be advised that protesters may attempt to disrupt BART service during the afternoon commute period on Mon., Aug. 22 in downtown San Francisco BART stations.... BART will use its website, mobile website, text alerts, email alerts and Customer Services phone line to update you on any changes we may make to BART service. You should also consider www.511.org and the web, mobile, email and sms services provided there." (http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2011/news20110821.aspx)

BART is doing a good job keeping commuters informed through the web, phone line, texts, e-mails and mobile e-mails. It seems ironic that these media are largely the same ones BART is trying to disrupt for those who would protest in the subway. I think the transit authority has the interests of its paying customers at the top of its list. But is that enough?

Its board is comprised of nine elected members, making this a government organization like school boards. Although the Constitution doesn't mention cell phones and Twitter, it does guarantee free speech. That's where BART is erring, if at all. It seems like it should have been more cognizant of the issues it would raise by creating the perception it was circumventing free speech to prevent protest.

At least one of the board members, in hindsight anyway, recognized the landmine. "'I'm just shocked that they didn't think about the implications of this. We really don't have the right to be this type of censor,' said Lynette Sweet, who serves on BART's board of directors." (http://hosted2.ap.org/txash/f7ded15e4d4846268a17b79c1c4b7cb8/Article_2011-08-13-US-Transit-Phone-Jamming/id-61a1c4a841da44d99160160f54e571e3)

I'm not "shocked." I see too often organizations that don't think implications of their actions all the way through. "Last week, hackers attacked BART's website and posted the home addresses and other information of all 102 police officers on the train system's police force. It wasn't clear who was to blame for the hacking incident.

"But in a prior hacking incident on August 14, members of the well-known hacking group Anonymous took credit in online messages for breaking into a link off BART's website. The hackers posted information from BART's internal network, including phone numbers of hundreds of people." (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/24/california.bart.protests/)

Readers' comments on the article cited above are mixed. "FreedomHa: You know it's getting bad when the so called protectors look more like Goons and Thugs than the so called 'Bad People' they are allegedly protecting us from. Damn freedom of speech and right to congregate get those awful Americans [Terrorists]."

Jnkesrouan expressed his views several times, including, "I was sympathetic to the protesters grievances. Then instead of targeting the BART headquarters they targeted innocent commuters. Now they lost my support and the support of many others."

Publicly, BART seems to be delivering the proper message: We support free speech and the right to assemble, but we also support the right of our paying commuters to reach their destinations safely and on time. Privately, I hope crisis communicators are carefully weighing key stakeholders' and public opinion. Commuters like jnkesrouan above may support the protesters philosophically until they impede him from going to work or returning home. BART might want to look at whether it's worthwhile to placate protesters in the subway or whether priority should go to running the rail system for its customers.

Conflicts between the rights of dissenters and the common good are older than the Constitution. The trick for BART is to find ground that demonstrates its commitment to paying passengers at the same time as it respects dissenters -- probably largely "outsiders" -- who care more about the First Amendment than getting to work on time.

These dilemmas are why we communicators get such big paychecks. BART needs to find a way to seal up that smelly can of worms.

Communications Implications of Natural Disasters Need Considered

Where were you when the East Coast earthquake hit?

I was at my computer and didn't feel a thing, leaving me without any stories to tell. I heard about it via Facebook posts. I've been watching CNN and I'm surprised at what little information is available more than an hour after the fact. Cell phones were out for a while as far away from Virginia as New York City. Most early interviews are with civilian witnesses. It's now 3:20 and we're hearing about the nuclear plant near the epicenter by phone. We're still not hearing much about damage or injuries. I hope that turns out to be good news.

I would have expected more information sooner, but maybe that just means the Tweeters didn't have anything serious to report.

Businesses and offices have fire drills and know how to evacuate. But those responsible for crisis communications need to be just as prepared. An earthquake is different from other natural disasters. When a tornado or severe thunderstorms are approaching, you usually have a little time. The Indiana State Fair people knew a storm was coming, although they apparently ignored the warnings.

Hurricanes give lots of notice. In the Southeast this week, people are buying plywood, non-perishable foods, and bottled water. They may want to evacuate or they may stay and ride out Irene. Communications people should be ready to reach employees, suppliers, customers, and other key stakeholders.

But for an earthquake, there's no time to figure out what you will communicate. You may want to include earthquakes in your crisis communications plan in the chapter on fires, terrorist attacks, and gunmen. All are immediate crises.

Don't forget to keep a copy of your plan in your trunk and at home. If you can't get back into your facility, your plan on the shelf in the office is pretty much useless.

'Felony Stupidity' Leads to Breach of California Medical Data

A year or two ago I was at my doctor's office. While I waited for the woman to complete the receipt for my co-pay, I idly asked about the revolving cabinet behind her that housed thousands of manila folders stuffed with patients' records.

"It will be nice someday to have all those computerized, won't it?"

She rolled her eyes and said what I expected her to say. "That's not going to happen because it will be too expensive."

Now the government has gotten involved. "Electronic records can lower costs, cut bureaucracy and ultimately save lives. The government is offering bonuses to early adopters and threatening penalties and cuts in payments to medical providers who refuse to change. (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/21/technology-us-tec-medical-data-minefield_8633679.html)

It sounds like a good idea, but few good ideas come without drawbacks. "Until recently, medical files belonging to nearly 300,000 Californians sat unsecured on the Internet for the entire world to see. There were insurance forms, Social Security numbers and doctors' notes....

"At a time of mounting computer hacking threats, the incident offers an alarming glimpse at privacy risks as the nation moves steadily into an era in which every American's sensitive medical information will be digitized."

The problem this time wasn't hackers. Joel Hecht, owner of Southern California Medical-Legal Consultants, which represents doctors and hospitals seeking workers comp payments, said his company believed the website was secure.

Wrong. An Identity Finder researcher named Aaron Titus discovered the problem through a simple internet search. He contacted Hecht -- and oh yeah, the Associated Press.

"(Titus) says Hecht's company failed to use two basic techniques that could have protected the data - requiring a password and instructing search engines not to index the pages. He called the breach 'likely a case of felony stupidity.'"

According to AP reporter Jordan Robertson, "In the wrong hands, health records can be used for blackmail and public humiliation. The information can also be used by insurance companies to inflate rates, or by employers to deny job applicants....

"California, like most states, has a law requiring companies to notify consumers when their information has been breached. Hecht did not return calls from the AP seeking an update on how many patients had been notified....

"As instances of data mishandling become more commonplace, government officials may seek greater control over security policies of companies with access to health care records that aren't currently regulated."

From this case, we learn that even secure sites can be accessed by accident and hackers both. Patient data and company confidential material need to be protected. Failing that, your crisis communications plan must cover the possibility of a breach. If that happened, what would you tell to whom? Not returning phone calls, like Hecht, doesn't constitute a crisis communications plan.

Another reason to have a plan ready is for times when the the media learn about your crisis before anyone internally knows. There isn't time to decide on messages, legal entanglements, media, and audience.

Create or revise your crisis communications plan before the phone rings. Someone from the AP might be looking up your number at this very moment.

Indiana Governor Choosing His Words Carefully Following Fatal Fair Stage Collapse

I've written a couple of times here about the stage that collapsed at the Indiana State Fair. I thought the communications after the tragedy were solid. Now I'm having second thoughts. Governor Mitch Daniels seems to be getting suggestions of what to say from the state's legal team, not his crisis communications team.

But first, Larry Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management, raised a good point in an AP article by Tom LoBianco.

"Larry Smith, president of the Louisville-based Institute for Crisis Management, said Daniels showed his human side when he choked up at the memorial service for the victims. But he questioned why the state didn’t immediately announce it was creating a special task force or blue-ribbon panel to conduct an investigation and deliver its report within 30 days. Daniels didn’t announce plans to hire an outside firm to investigate the collapse and procedures until Thursday, five days after the incident.

“'You can get an awful lot of answers in a couple of weeks,’ Smith said." (http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/7200529-418/daniels-gets-back-to-business-after-fair-tragedy.html)

And from the same article: "In press gaggles and national interviews since the collapse, Daniels has focused largely on the 'freakish' nature of the collapse. He taped a radio ad that acknowledges the tragedy and asserts 'no one can undo what nature has done.' The spots were followed by upbeat ads, urging people to attend the fair."

Meanwhile, the lawyers are circling. "Erlanger, Ky., attorney Jerry Miniard, who is representing the family of a 10-year-old girl whose skull was crushed by the falling stage, said Daniels’ words are carefully chosen. 'Those are words to make it into a natural event — and no one can control nature — therefore, the state of Indiana shouldn’t be held responsible,' Miniard said."

Meanwhile, the seventh victim -- a 24-year-old cheerleading coach from Cincinnati -- was taken off life support today.

I hope Governor Daniels is listening to his communications pros as carefully as he is listening to his lawyers. The official state fair site has this to say: "We mourn for the victims and their families and ask for your prayers. Thanks to all those who have assisted us and continue to do so in our time of need.

"For information about the Indiana State Fair Remembrance Fund click HERE.

"Take a moment and view Governor Daniels speech on the tragedy.

"Management and Staff,
"Indiana State Fair"

Stunt Pilot Crashes And the Show Must Go On

The house in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where I grew up was surrounded by a "playground." To the east and just outside my bedroom window were trees that, in summer, blocked the view of a large hill. In winter, that was my sled riding slope. Behind my acre-sized backyard were woods, where I blazed trails and swung on a massive grapevine. But just past the woods was the coolest place of all. The Beaver County Airport was just down an abandoned gravel road and up a hill to a beacon, that shone into my parents' room with alternating green and white light. I spent hours out there watching Piper Cubs and Cessnas come and go.

Family and friends came to our house in the summer to sit in the back yard, picnic, and watch the annual airshow. I'm sure there was no crisis communications plan in those days, and there probably isn't one still. There should be.

A stunt pilot crashed on an airstrip Saturday during the Kansas City Air Show. According to Bryan Jensen's website, he "found a $5 'Learn to Fly' coupon in a local newspaper and convinced his parents to drive him to the local airport and cash it in. So at the age of 13, Bryan received his first flying lesson for $5." He died last weekend at age 50.(http://www.beastairshows.com/web/pilot.php)

You may have seen the awful footage of the fiery crash: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44229317#44229317. "Jensen flew a custom-built biplane dubbed 'The Beast' in air shows across the country. His website said he has logged more than 23,000 hours of flight time for major airlines and was promoted to captain by Delta Airlines earlier this year." (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44229317#44229024)

The air expo has a website that stated, "The Kansas City Air Show offers our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of performer Bryan Jensen. Sunday’s 8/21 show will go on as scheduled." That was all. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44229317#44229317)

I hope the airport in Kansas City, the one in my backyard in Beaver Falls, and others learned from this tragedy. It's all good and well to have firetrucks and ambulances at events like this one. Organizers always think about emergency response. But don't forget about communications.

Was the brief note on the air show's website enough to draw the paying public back the day after the crash? My search for the answer came up dry. Even the airshow's own website doesn't have a single news release except one in April announcing the show would be held in August.

If I were a betting man, I would bet the organizers lost money this year. Let's see if there's another show in Kansas City next summer.

Indiana State Fair Tragedy: Fluke of Nature or Flaw of Judgement

Ever hear of an "editorial meteorologist?" I've come to the conclusion that's another name for someone who can predict yesterday's weather.

I keep forgetting what they're called: weather prognosticators, or is it weather prevaricators? I get those terms confused.

Either way, today I read my first blog by an editorial meteorologist. A what? He is Tim Ballisty, writing for Weather on MSNBC about the stage that collapsed at the Indiana State Fair, three days after the fact. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44166368/ns/weather/) First, I want to start with the best part -- the end. Ballisty gave good advice when he concluded, "There are lessons to be learned — the main one being we should all be weather aware especially when outdoors; taking the necessary precautions in advance of approaching severe weather. Knowledge is power. When attending an outdoor event, find out the weather forecast for the day beforehand and monitor the sky. Don't just leave the decision making to event officials. Use your common sense and take matters into your own hands. If you don't feel safe, do something about it. Seek safety and look after the well-being of your friends, family and others around you."

But the writer takes Governor Mitch Daniels to task for calling the wind gust a fluke. "A 'fluke' by definition is an unlikely chance occurrence. The destructive and deadly wind gust on Saturday evening in Indianapolis was no chance occurrence.

"Let's stop bucketing meteorology and weather in general into some magical mystery science that can't be explained. When a tragic accident due to existing extreme weather conditions occurs, there is a notion to just throw your hands up in the air and say, 'Well, nothing could have been done to avoid this.'"

So what should have been done in this case? Ballisty said fair officials had 10 minutes warning and should have evacuated. Wait. Evacuated whom? The people waiting for the concert? The people on the midway? The people inside barns and other buildings? All in 10 minutes? And where were they supposed to go? Somehow, someway, I guess fair officials should have known that the wind would be strong enough to topple the stage, that of all the land comprising the fairgrounds only the stage would be hit and other structures spared, and that the stage would fall towards the crowd instead of away from it.

Now that would have been a fluke!

If weather prevaricating is that accurate, how come it can't predict where or when a tornado will touch down; when hail will be pea-size or baseball-size; which branches on the tree in my yard will fall and which won't; who will be without power and for how long; when snow is forecast in Louisville, will there still be bread and milk on the shelves when I go to Kroger?

"We are talking about a recipe for disaster — an approaching line of severe thunderstorms containing high winds and lightning bearing down on a large, metal but seemingly fragile outdoor stage set with its rigging standing high and hovering over the crowd below," Ballisty wrote.

"The science of meteorology is growing by leaps and bounds especially with continuing advances in satellite and radar technology. When severe weather strikes, we are in awe of the power and the visuals but we shouldn't be in awe of the severe weather event itself. There are definitive and well-known reasons why hail reaches softball size or a tornado strikes one neighborhood but misses the other or why wind gusts reach 70 mph. This isn't voodoo, this is meteorology. The science is getting better and better each day in timing of significant weather and its location down to city landmarks and even street level. Let's stop dismissing the science and making it a scapegoat. The gust front was not random."

If only Ballisty were right! Think how many weather-related crises could be prevented. For example, you would know when to evacuate a crowded theater and when people would be safer to shelter in place. Workers could sandbag buildings before rain falls because they would know how much rain is coming and how high the creek will rise. Drivers could get off the roads moments before the rain turned to ice.

Yes, the science of forecasting weather is improving and, yes, radar gives us better warnings than ever before. I don't want to make light of Ballisty's weather expertise, which is far greater than mine. But I doubt he would have been able to predict with any degree of confidence that the stage would collapse but the Ferris wheel would go untouched. Weather crises call for quick thinking and quick action. It's unfair to second-guess those who decided not to evacuate the stage area.

A crisis plan for such situations is a must. A crisis communications plan after the fact is much more effective than playing the blame game.

The wind gust was a fluke. So is my grabbing the last loaf of bread and making it home before it snows. Alas, the bread is usually gone when I get there. Neither voodoo nor science can fix me a sandwich.

Indiana State Fair Tragedy: Fluke of Nature or Flaw of Judgement

Huntington Accused of Skimping on Teller Training, According to Lawsuit in Indiana

Today I received an anonymous blog comment about a post I wrote in spring 2008. I had to go back and look it up to remember. (http://crisisexperts.blogspot.com/2008/05/bank-teller-shot-loses-twins-blames.html)

The post that day was about a bank robbery at a Huntington Bank branch in Indianapolis. A teller was shot in the abdomen, taking the lives of her unborn twin daughters. I wrote, "'Huntington Bank contacts did not respond to phone messages Saturday.' Maybe the reporter didn't try very hard. But I'm guessing Huntington was employing the ol' duck-and-run of crisis communications.... Huntington owes it to its stakeholders to find a way to provide appropriate comments when an employee is shot in the workplace. Maybe it didn't occur to someone at the bank that the death of twin fetuses during a holdup might be considered news worth covering. Or maybe the corporate attorneys stepped in first."

WISH-TV8
Anonymous had this to say: "You are so right about this piece. I worked for Huntington Bank & they don't care about their employees just about making money."

I decided to follow up on that story I had forgotten about. I still don't have an answer on how Huntington communicated following the shooting, but the company did provide a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, according to WTHR in Indianapolis. The teller sued Huntington six months later. "According to the suit filed Wednesday in Marion Superior Court, Huntington National Bank had been robbed at least seven times previously and was negligent because it provided employees with only basic robbery training, failed to install bulletproof glass and lacked security officers." (http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/local_ap_indy_teller_shot_in_robbery_sues_bank_20081024720)

There was some good news. "Police announced the arrests Friday (June 28, 2008) of two men in connection with an April bank robbery and shooting. The high-profile case triggered a massive manhunt after a pregnant teller was shot at the Huntington Bank on 21st and Post Road. Katherin Shuffield survived, but her unborn twin girls did not.

"Aaron Stewart, 28, and Brian Kendrick, 29, were arrested in connection with the crime. Stewart is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Kendrick is charged with robbery, attempted murder and two counts of feticide, as well as possession of a handgun without a permit. Detectives worked nonstop on the case, but the arrests came after an anonymous call to Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson at home." (http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=8530001)

Kendrick was sentenced in January 2010 to 53 years in prison. "He faced up to 87 years in prison, but Marion Superior Court Judge Kurt Eisgruber ruled Kendrick's previous criminal record of a couple misdemeanors didn't merit a maximum sentence." (http://www.covenantnews.com/abortion/archives/066281.html)

I doubt if Shuffield agreed with that line of reasoning.

That wasn't the last time an Indianapolis Huntington Bank was robbed. And it wasn't the last time Huntington seemingly failed to use its website or the news media to communicate. In September 2009, "An 11-year-old girl was held hostage with a gun pointed at her head during a brazen bank robbery Saturday morning on Indianapolis' west side. The robbery happened at the Huntington Bank branch.... Indianapolis police said that one of two men who were wearing masks and wigs took the girl hostage as she went into the bank with her family.

"The girl was held in a headlock as one of the men held a semiautomatic handgun with pink accents to her head, Sgt. Paul Thompson said.... 'Most robberies, the suspect goes in with a note or communicates very quietly that they are committing a robbery,' Thompson said. 'They want the money, no alarms, and they're out the door. They bumped it up another level when they took this little girl hostage....'

"Police said the girl and her family plan to get counseling after what was a traumatizing event for them. The bank reopened for business shortly after the robbery, but the incident left customers nervous." (http://www.theindychannel.com/news/20748021/detail.html)

Apparently not nervous enough to be reassured by bank communications professionals.

A week later, this story turned from frightening to bizarre. "Police arrested 41-year-old Daniel Wayne Oliver for charges related to last Saturday's Huntington Bank robbery. Investigators believe Oliver was the masked man seen holding a little girl at gunpoint. They say the girl is actually the daughter of Oliver's live-in girlfriend, Beth Moench.

"Thursday, police and FBI agents went to Moench's home. They say she is cooperating in the investigation. A police report actually says Moench, '...believed that Oliver and Skip (the other robbery suspect) had been planning a bank robbery ... and that ... she was told to bring her kids, by Oliver, so that it would add dramatic effects and make it seem more frightful for the employees on duty.'

"Moench told police she took the kids because she was afraid of Oliver.... The police report also says Moench's daughter told her mom she thought one of the robbers was Oliver. She reportedly said, 'Daddy told me the gun wasn't real.'" (http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/crime/Man_arrested_in_Huntington_bank_robbery_20090911)

A bank that shops around a little has an assortment of firms to choose from that provide training for employees on duty when a gunman shows up. According to a security training officer for a bank in Boston, "The Bank Protection Act requires that all employees and officers be trained annually on proper procedures for robberies, larcenies and burglaries.... Annual security training of employees will meet the requirements of the Bank Protection Act but annually is not enough. Bank Security Officers should constantly be reminding tellers of their proper procedures during a robbery throughout the year. This can be accomplished by sending out memos, distributing newspaper stories or security articles about robberies, which is a form of continuing education." (http://www.bankersonline.com/articles/bhv12n12/bhv12n12a3.html)

I would add tabletop drills to those ongoing communication methods listed above. Bank communications people could use some training as well so they know how to respond to employees, customers, shareholders, directors, and reporters.

Here's a novel idea: Develop a crisis communications plan, and then use it.

All The World's a Stage, And Indiana's Is Gone With the Wind

A crisis communications plan should contain, at a minimum, initial holding statements, lists of key stakeholders, and messages that reflect sympathy toward victims and families when appropriate. The Indiana State Fair Board, if it has a crisis plan at all, probably doesn't have a chapter entitled, "A stage blows over and kills and injures many." But if there is a plan, I bet it has a section entitled something like, "Midway ride malfunctions, death and/or injuries result." The audiences, messages, and responses would be similar for a fatal windstorm or fatal amusement ride. My point is there's no crisis that a good communications plan won't help you manage your way through.

The Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis suffered a crisis last weekend. A wind gust toppled a stage, killing five and injuring some 45 fans waiting for the country band Sugarland to perform. Governor Mitch Daniels and others called the 70-mile-per-hour gust a fluke that no one could have anticipated. The wind was far stronger there than in other areas of the fairgrounds, said Dan McCarthy, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indiana. He estimated the gust at 60 - 70 mph. A storm was expected, but rain hadn't begun to fall when the wind sent the stage rigging falling into the crowd of terrified fans.

Yes, the wind was a fluke and the timing couldn't have been much worse. But with a well-constructed, well-practiced crisis communications plan, the state fair people should have been ready to handle such a crisis nearly impossible to predict. Likewise, the entertainers should have been ready and the fair contractors should have prepped for the worst.

And did they? Yes! If there was no crisis communications plan, or a plan that was poorly designed and practiced, someone thankfully was quick enough to say and do the right things.

For example, "Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles sent a statement to The Associated Press through her manager, saying she watched recaps of the collapse on the news 'in horror.'

"'I am so moved,' she said. 'Moved by the grief of those families who lost loved ones. Moved by the pain of those who were injured and the fear of their families. Moved by the great heroism as I watched so many brave Indianapolis fans actually run toward the stage to try and help lift and rescue those injured. Moved by the quickness and organization of the emergency workers who set up the triage and tended to the injured.'" (http://www.wpri.com/dpps/news/us_news/midwest/Governor-Wind-gust-that-fell-Ind-stage-a-fluke_3912651)

What a great statement! Someone -- Nettles, her publicist, I don't know -- was ready. What's more, Sugarland appropriately canceled its Sunday show at the Iowa State Fair.

"Sugarland manager Jason Owen referred questions about the accident to fair officials, saying in an email, 'it was their stage and lighting rigs so it wouldn't be right for us to comment.'"

Owen said "no comment" without saying "no comment." Perfectamundo!

"Fair director Cindy Hoye said it was too soon to talk about who was responsible for the stage and its rigging because the investigation had just started, but she had confidence in Mid-America, the company that owns the stage." Yea!

"Mid-America did not respond to messages left Sunday." Boo! (http://www.wpri.com/dpps/news/us_news/midwest/Governor-Wind-gust-that-fell-Ind-stage-a-fluke_3912651)

But wait. According to Mid-America's website, "Dear Friends and Fans, You have no doubt heard about the tragedy that struck our fair Saturday evening. We mourn for the victims and their families and ask for your prayers. The fair will be closed on Sunday as we figure out how best to proceed.

"We are currently planning to resume the fair in some form on Monday, August 15. More information on that is forthcoming. Thanks to all those who have assisted us and continue to do so in our time of need. For a list of answers to your questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. Take a moment and view Governor Daniels speech on the tragedy." (http://www.in.gov/statefair/fair/)

See, this crisis communications stuff isn't so hard. When it's done the right way, it all seems so simple. The perplexing part is why crisis communications is so often done the wrong way.

The governor's speech today at the fair re-opening also was a home run. "Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels told the roughly 500 mourners that the tragedy has broken the hearts of the state's residents. He became emotional as he praised those who rushed to the stage to help the injured. 'I cannot tell you how proud I am,' Daniels said, his voice cracking, 'to be the employee of six and half million people like that.'"

I don't know if the entities involved had crisis communications plans in place. If they did, bravo! If they didn't, they got lucky as they flew by the seat of their proverbial pants. This was a horrid crisis handled about as well as possible by everyone involved, from Sugarloaf to the governor. The question remaining is, could your organization do this well?

Silence Isn't So Golden When Elected Leaders Are Involved

I wrote in the post below about the risks of censorship. This post isn't about censorship really, but it's related: When should elected officials know enough to keep quiet, when should they be advised to keep quiet, and when, if ever, should they be ordered to keep quiet? A case in point is the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) board in Louisville, Kentucky.

"After The Courier-Journal revealed last week that the board had shelved a student-assignment proposal that potentially could have bused up to 38 percent fewer elementary students this fall for integration purposes, Dan Hartlage, a partner with Louisville-based Guthrie Mayes Public Relations, sent board members an email Thursday recommending they stop talking to the media about the option." (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110808/NEWS01/308080070/-1/7daysarchives/PR-firm-advises-JCPS-board-keep-quiet-student-assignment-proposal)

The student assignment plan in JCPS has been a heated controversy since forced busing in the early '70s, a Supreme Court decision that threw out that plan several years ago, and horror stories about kindergarten children riding the school bus for 90 minutes each way last year because they weren't allowed to enroll in neighborhood schools. What touched off the email was the discovery of a proposed assignment plan drafted by a committee headed by now-fired superintendent Sheldon Berman. The reason the plan was kept secret, according to board member Carol Haddad, was, "I didn't want all these ideas floating around -- it confuses people."

It's one thing to discourage employees from making public statements that can be perceived to be the company position on a given subject. My policy always has been to discourage employees from talking to reporters and instead refer them to a designated spokesperson, but never forbidding any discourse with the media. That's how "anonymous sources" are born.

With elected leaders, a gag order is different. “'We should … do what we can to allow this story to pass,' Hartlage wrote in an email to board members and district staff. 'That said, should any of you receive media requests to further discuss this issue, I recommend that you decline. For all the reasons previously discussed, there is no productive reason to further discuss the issue in the media. If a media outlet pushes hard for an interview, I recommend that you suggest they talk to the board chair.'”

I know Hartlage, and his advice is sound. It's unfortunate he put it in an email instead of delivering the message verbally. School issues, a new superintendent, and district transparency are hot buttons now. "Linda Duncan, a school board member ... said she was 'bothered' by the email. 'We are not a private board; we are a public board, and each one of us is elected to be the spokespeople for our districts,' said Duncan.... (She) said she agrees that in some circumstances the board chairman should be the person to talk to the public or media 'when and if a decision has been made by the full board.'

"'But anything before that, I am uncomfortable with being muzzled,' she said. 'If there is a proposal or an issue that comes up, how will people in my district know how I feel or why I voted the way I did if I can't tell them?'

"Hartlage said he wasn't trying to muzzle board members, adding that his advice was only a recommendation." Unfortunately, it didn't come out that way. The Courier-Journal took his silence-is-golden advice and all of public relations to task in an editorial. "(Honesty is) less likely to happen with the new recommendation from a PR agency that the board hired to improve their image... Their role isn't to 'look good' (although that's not a problem this board has had to worry about lately) or to make the system 'look good.' Their job is to make decisions, discussed in public, that will educate Jefferson County's children in the best and most effective way."

In today's editorial section, another communicator I respect weighed in with his opinion. Neil Kuvin wrote, "I would suggest your editorial writer read the contents of the contract awarded to Guthrie-Mayes Public Relations firm by the Jefferson County school board. Does it really say anything about making board members 'look good' or seeking 'to improve their image?' On which page of the contract are those items? And then to transparently imply that the PR firm would somehow instruct board members to be dishonest and untruthful (see the last paragraph of the editorial, where the editorial writer says, 'It is something that good old-fashioned truth-telling and openness can remedy...') is irresponsible, finger-pointing journalism." (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110814/OPINION02/308140031/1016/OPINION/PR-practitioner-objects-schools-editorial?odyssey=modnewswelltextOpinionp )

The C-J's editorial opinion demeans the public relations profession and shows that journalists, after all these years, still don't get what PR really is and what it is supposed to be. Kuvin continues, "Getting the most informative, concise message out to all of JCPS' constituents in a timely, efficient manner is an important, productive objective and one that shouldn't be debased or lessened in importance by a C-J editorial writer and editor who go even further in demeaning the profession of public relations by saying, 'Honesty is cheap. Why not give it a try?'"

I know it must look like I've done a Maypole dance around the message of this blog post. What I've tried to do is point out some important issues when it comes to public relations, a misunderstood and villainized profession:

* Elected officials are beholden to the people who put them into office. Don't advise them to have "no comment." Provide them with messages they should deliver.

* When working for public entities, be careful of what you put into writing. Spoken messages provide an opportunity for two-way communications with your client. After all, two-way communications is what real PR is supposed to be about.

* We in the biz know that PR is about substantive, two-way communications and not making the employer or client "look good." If PR practitioners do their job right, the client will look good because it is engaging in real communications, not dishonesty.

PR professionals, if they are earning their pay, aren't "muzzling" anybody. Just the opposite: they are crafting messages that help the client while listening to the views of others. Once JCPS can do that, it will move beyond "should any of you receive media requests to further discuss this issue, I recommend that you decline."

Nothing Wrong With Censorship -- As Long As You Let Me Call All the Shots

The Lovers, a movie, made it all the way to the Supreme Court in 1964. That's when Justice Potter Stewart, in his concurring opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio, wrote his famous line on what is and isn't pornography: "I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_it_when_I_see_it)

Justice Stewart only knew what was obscene based on his own experiences and his own life filters. The government censors in Muslim countries knew pornography when they saw it, too. That's why they inked out the international employee magazine I once wrote for. Every face, arm, and leg of a female were blacked out before the magazines could be delivered.

Censorship becomes dangerous when we allow someone else to decide what is decent. Such decisions lead to controversy, which makes the story newsworthy, which can lead to a crisis with lost reputation, revenue, and employee morale.

Let's look at two examples from the news during the past week.

Bay Area Rapid Transit officials cut off underground cell phone service for a few hours at several stations Thursday. BART was seeking to thwart a planned protest over the recent fatal shooting of a man by transit police.

"'I'm just shocked that they didn't think about the implications of this. We really don't have the right to be this type of censor,' said Lynette Sweet, who serves on BART's board of directors. 'In my opinion, we've let the actions of a few people affect everybody. And that's not fair.... This is a land of free speech and for us to think we can do that shows we've grown well beyond the business of what we're supposed to be doing and that's providing transportation. Not censorship.'" (http://hosted2.ap.org/txash/f7ded15e4d4846268a17b79c1c4b7cb8/Article_2011-08-13-US-Transit-Phone-Jamming/id-61a1c4a841da44d99160160f54e571e3)

But it's not that easy. Issues surrounding censorship never are. Can there be circumstances when public access to communication should be denied if public safety could be at risk? Who is to decide? BART? Government? Business? If the 1960s civil rights marches and protests were happening in today's instant-communications world, when would Twitter be shut down? During a King peace march on Washington? In Selma? On the doorstep at the University of Alabama when George Wallace blocked access for black students? Who would have decided?

"BART Deputy Police Chief Benson Fairow said the issue boiled down to the public's well-being. 'It wasn't a decision made lightly. This wasn't about free speech. It was about safety,' Fairow told KTVU-TV on Friday."

Okay, but is it up to Farrow or the BART board to decide? Board Member Sweet disagreed with the chief and apparently with fellow board members.

Similar questions are being raised over the banning of a book in a Missouri school district. High school students in Republic are no longer allowed to read Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Republic’s school board "banned the 1969 cult classic that portrays the cruel absurdity of war." The school board didn't stop there. While it was in the mood, it banned Sarah Ockler’s Twenty Boy Summer as well.

First, I have to admit to being a prude. I don't curse, movies with sex scenes make me blush, and potty talk is a big turn-off. But I read Slaughterhouse-Five as a junior. It was one of the best books I ever read, and against a backdrop of what was going on in Vietnam at the time made the book even more relevant. It's simply too good to let die.

"So it goes."

"The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library stepped into the fray after a Missouri high school banned one of the Indiana-born author’s best- known books. The Indianapolis library plans to ship copies of Slaughterhouse-Five to families in Republic, Mo., who ask for them, library executive director Julia Whitehead said Friday." (http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/SE/20110806/NEWS/108060343)

What brought the book to the school board's attention? Apparently, it was one father who decided on our behalf, "I know (obscenity) when I see it."

"Wesley Scroggins, a Missouri State University professor who home-schools his children, petitioned successfully to ban the books. Scroggins said previously that the books’ content is profane and violates teachings of the Bible.... Scroggins argued in a column in the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader last year that Vonnegut’s book mocked Jesus Christ and was filled with enough profane language to 'make a sailor blush with shame.'

"...But Republic school superintendent Vern Minor said he suggested the school remove the books because they are better suited for college students."

And guess what? "Scroggins and Minor did not return calls for comment Friday afternoon."

Note that Scroggins doesn't even have any kids in the public schools. But he knows what's best for others' kids? When we allow people to decide what our kids can read and when we are permitted to use our cell phones on public transportation, we sacrifice free speech.

Keep that in mind as your organization wrestles with social media policy and what and when employees may Twitter and Facebook. What you think is reasonable might be different from what Scroggins thinks or what Muslim censors think or what your employees think. These decisions must be thought through carefully, and all sides must be weighed to avoid, or at least minimize, a crisis.

Reported Gunman at Virginia Tech Is Good Test for Revamped Communications

The report of a gunman on the Virginia Tech campus was managed differently than the attack in 2007 that left 32 dead. Under the circumstances, I believe VT staff treated both threats appropriately, despite widespread criticism of the mass murder response. I see no criticism yet of VT's play-it-safe lockdown this time.

"The campus was on alert for almost six hours, but the alert was lifted at about 2:40 p.m. Before then, Virginia Tech was on a lockdown, and by mid-day, officials had canceled all summer school classes for the day, and asked that people stay away from campus. The university’s football team delayed its first practice until later this afternoon.

"Despite the caution and a massive search for the purported gunman, police had not found him. 'At this point no one has been able to confirm whether or not there was an actual gun on campus,' said Blacksburg Police Department spokesman Lt. Steve Taylor. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/person-with-gun-reported-on-va-tech-campus/2011/08/04/gIQA47h7tI_blog.html)

In 2007, officials knew a shooter was on campus, but believed they were facing a domestic squabble. A fatal lovers' quarrel in my neighborhood wouldn't have brought a lockdown for residents. Neither was there a reason to think Cho Seung-Hui didn't leave campus and instead was headed for a classroom building. I therefore defend Virginia Tech's perceived inaction.

On the other hand, others across Virginia and the U.S. second-guessed Virginia Tech's judgement not to warn those on campus. The school determined similar criticism, justified or not, wouldn't happen again.

A young woman in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, was home from Virginia Tech for summer break last week. "When Sewickley Heights resident Stephanie Wiltman first visited the campus of Virginia Tech University a couple years ago, she couldn't help but notice all of the security measures placed around the area in the wake of the 2007 shootings there.

"'The cameras and all the other things were pretty noticeable,' said Wiltman, an engineering major who will be a sophomore when she returns to the Blacksburg, Va., campus in a couple weeks. 'I wasn't really thinking about 2007, but with the extra security everywhere, I remember thinking that there couldn't be any place safer than that campus....'"

"Wiltman said she found out about Thursday's lockdown the same way most of her fellow Hokies did -- via e-mails and texts from the university Thursday morning. 'They always do a good job of keeping us informed when there's a problem,' Wiltman said. 'With the alert system, I knew what was going on before it was on the news anywhere.... (The response) was quick, and it seemed from here that it was thorough,' she said. 'I had no doubts that everything would be taken care off.'" (http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_news/va-tech-student-there-s-no-place-safer/article_1057ccf5-6d68-5099-bff2-ee9b76010675.html)

Such over-caution now is by design. "'We really need to communicate first and investigate later, and that’s what we did,' (Associate Vice President for University Relations Larry) Hincker said....
"Virginia Tech revamped its alert system following the 2007 shootings. A university official said Thursday more than 48,000 students and campus personnel received a text message alert about the situation, and an email alert was sent out to every student and school employee. Hincker said (at a news conference at midday Thursday) the school is 'proceeding with an abundance of caution' and that people walking around campus were doing so 'on their own volition.'

"'We’re in a new era,' he said. 'Obviously the campus went through something terrible four years ago and the choice facing us and particularly the police departments is when you get a report, what are you going to do with the report, regardless of what the veracity may be or the ultimate conclusion might be. In our particular case, and I believe what most campuses would do, is regardless of what your intuition and experience as a public safety officer tells you, you really are forced to issue an alert. That’s where we are right now.'”
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/crime-scene/post/person-with-gun-reported-on-va-tech-campus/2011/08/04/gIQA47h7tI_blog.html)

Hincker, campus leaders, and staff members were prepared for the 2007 shooting rampage. Hincker told me a few months afterward that the only real setback not covered by VT's crisis communications plan was the size of the media response. Finding parking spots for satellite trucks and logistics for handling hundreds of reporters were a challenge for a while. The latest false alarm was a good test of campus communications improvements. Virginia Tech learned from its tragedy and I know many others took the shooting as a stimulus to write, improve, train with, or create crisis communications plans.

Learn from your crises and those of others. Larry Smith, president of the Institute for Crisis Management, is fond of advising clients, "As long as you're going to go to all the trouble of having a crisis, you might as well learn from it."

Hincker and Virginia Tech did just that.

Marcellus Shale Is a Gas For Some, But a Gas Pain for Others

Natural gas retrieval from the Marcellus shale formation in the northeastern U.S. can't be called a crisis. Offensive and defensive lines are digging in like the ones at NFL training camps this week. Effective public relations can block a crisis if planned and performed effectively. Companies in the gas drilling business need to act soon to identify messages and audiences soon to ward off a crisis that could bring financial losses and unrealized gains.

By "public relations" I'm talking about two-way communications, not slick ads and white guys in suits. The stereotypical PR campaign doesn't work.

First, I need to provide you with some general background: "A few years ago every geologist involved in Appalachian Basin oil and gas knew about the Devonian black shale called the Marcellus.... However, very few of these geologists were excited about the Marcellus Shale as a major source of natural gas. Wells drilled through it produced some gas but rarely in enormous quantity. Few if any in the natural gas industry suspected that the Marcellus might soon be a major contributor to the natural gas supply of the United States - large enough to be spoken of as a 'super giant' gas field.

"As recently as 2002 the United States Geological Survey in its Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Appalachian Basin Province, calculated that the Marcellus Shale contained an estimated undiscovered resource of about 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas. That's a lot of gas but spread over the enormous geographic extent of the Marcellus it was not that much per acre....

In early 2008, Terry Englander, a geoscience professor at Pennsylvania State University, and Gary Lash, a geology professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia, surprised everyone with estimates that the Marcellus might contain more than 500 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Using some of the same horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing methods that had previously been applied in the Barnett Shale of Texas, perhaps 10% of that gas (50 trillion cubic feet) might be recoverable. That volume of natural gas would be enough to supply the entire United States for about two years and have a wellhead value of about one trillion dollars!" (http://geology.com/articles/marcellus-shale.shtml)

Marcellus Shale is found deep beneath much of Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York, with smaller areas in Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Landowners and resource extraction companies stand to gain windfalls from freeing natural gas trapped in fissures in the shale. One such company is Chesapeake, the largest leasehold owner in the Marcellus shale.

"Chesapeake is proudly partnering with thousands of landowners throughout the Marcellus Shale to develop the rich natural gas reserves found beneath their property," according to a Chesapeake website. "'We are the luckiest people in the whole world right now,' said Chip Lines-Burgess, spokeswoman for the Wyoming County Landowners Group in Pennsylvania, whose membership is collectively leasing 37,000 acres to Chesapeake. 'The bonuses paid by Chesapeake will change the lives of many in this county....'

"Royalties aren’t the only way natural gas production stimulates local and state economies. Chesapeake’s business activities enhance the lives of people and businesses in areas where we operate through increased tax revenue, well-paying job opportunities for local residents and additional revenue for community vendors and businesses." (http://www.askchesapeake.com/Marcellus-Shale/Pages/default.aspx?utm_source=OPM&utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=Marcellus&utm_campaign=Paid_Search&gclid=CPK0k4G8wKoCFYRd5QodnklF9A)

Sounds like a winner for all, including millions of commercial and individual consumers, right? Yeah, but there's one little catch: According to opponents, this venture is an environmental disaster that should be capped and abandoned.

"Public opposition to hydraulic fracturing is growing in the U.S. and abroad as more people learn about the risks of the natural gas drilling process, known as 'fracking.'

"New Jersey lawmakers have passed the nation's first statewide ban of the practice, which involves injecting water, sand and toxic chemicals deep underground to break up dense rock formations and release natural gas. There was strong bipartisan support for the ban - the state Senate voted 32-1 and the Assembly 56-11....

“'Any benefits of gas production simply do not justify the many potential dangers associated with fracking such as pollution of our lakes, streams and drinking water supplies and the release of airborne pollutants. We should not wait until our natural resources are threatened or destroyed to act. The time to ban fracking in New Jersey is now,' says Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen).

"Meanwhile, following Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision to allow fracking across 85% of New York’s Marcellus Shale (he only protected NYC's watershed), a coalition of 47 consumer, faith, food, environmental and multi-issue advocacy organizations today called for a statewide ban on the practice....

"Under the NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) plan, thousands of new wells will be drilled across the state, using billions of gallons of fresh water, and industrializing rural communities across the state. Over 1,000 cases of water contamination have been reported near fracking sites to date....

"In a separate action, more than 100 groups filed a petition this week demanding that full health and safety information be made available for all the chemicals used in oil and gas development, including fracking chemicals....

"Little is known about many of the chemicals used in drilling and fracking. What information is available is sobering: 78% of known fracking chemicals are associated with serious short-term health effects such as burning eyes, rashes, asthma-like effects, nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, tremors, and convulsions....

"Oil and gas development also results in the release of significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Although there are many cost-effective means to control methane leakage, the Bureau of Land Management refused to consider any of these measures to reduce greenhouse gas pollution resulting from the proposed lease sale....

"A new study by a US Forest Service researcher found that wastewater from natural gas hydrofracturing in a West Virginia national forest quickly wiped out all ground plants, killed more than half of the trees and caused radical changes in soil chemistry....

"But the report, 'Pipe Dreams: What the Gas Industry Doesn’t Want you to Know about Fracking and U.S. Energy Independence' shows that gas leases are not only generating less energy than once forecast, but also a significant portion of US fracked gas will be exported overseas and the industry’s revenues will benefit foreign economies....

“'Rural communities across the U.S. are literally being torn apart by the natural gas industry, and for what? So the gas can be exported? So foreign-held corporations can turn a profit? It’s simply not worth the cost to our health and natural resources. Natural gas won’t bolster the U.S. economy and it won’t serve as a panacea to our energy woes. The only parties benefiting from it are foreign economies and multinational corporations,' says (Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah) Hauter." (http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/22751)

None of these concerns take into account the thousands of miles of pipelines that will need to be built, right of ways to be purchased, and the possibility of leaks. (No one foresaw the oil pipeline rupture beneath the Yellowstone River last month.)

"July was a rough month for the shale gas industry. Marcellus shale wells faced permit suspensions for the withdrawal of water from nearby streams, the media issued reports that various toxic chemicals released during production were migrating to America’s water supplies, and the DEP evaluated claims that methane gas had migrated into aquifers as a result of the fracking process." (http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/08/08/can-the-shale-gas-revolution-be-a-green-one/)

Clearly, the companies looking for drilling opportunities, governments seeking budgetary boosts, and employees and potential employees need to communicate effectively. They need to work together to identify key audiences (for starters, local and state elected leaders and regulators and community fence-sitters who have yet to form an opinion). They need to develop, test, then sharpen their messages. And I would recommend stating with one or two places where the chances of success are pretty good or with communities of strategic or financial importance. There are too many epicenters of controversy to try to fight and win every battle.

Chesapeake is trying to deliver its messages, but I question its use of extortion to punish communities. "'As a publicly traded company with many stakeholders, we must direct our expenses and philanthropy to communities that will work with us, not against us,' says spokeswoman Stacey Brodak, adding that Chesapeake will continue to work with others in the industry to oppose municipal bans." (http://online.wsj.com/article/APb11d765f1c3b4b17bb3a4a8b0873777b.html)

Last month, Chesapeake withdrew a promised $30,000 gift for band instruments at a West Virginia middle school. That's no way to win friends and influence people; it's an effort to buy them, then punish them if they don't do what you want. That's not my idea of what public relations is. Instead, convince the ambivalent that the process is safe and beneficial.

"We do not have to choose between the environment or the economics," she says. "We are benefiting both."

That's a better message, if it can be factually supported, than taking away kids' band instruments. However --

"Brodak says the industry works hard to win communities over, explaining its technical processes and safeguards, and addressing residents' concerns. When a community does enact a drilling ban, she says, it's 'often based on misinformation and fear, not facts or science.' The industry will keep fighting back, she says."

Well, if a large corporation is trying to convince community members that its processes are safe and that people will benefit, use of language like "win" and "fighting back" aren't the way to encourage dialogue, share information, and reach consensus. For a decent, informative website, visit http://www.energyfromshale.com/

Companies involved -- such as Chesapeake Energy, Range Resources, North Coast Energy, Chief Oil & Gas, East Resources, Fortuna Energy, Equitable Production Company, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, Southwestern Energy Production Company, and Atlas Energy Resources -- need to understand how the PR process works. And they have to know they probably will lose from time to time. But that's better than a mistaken approach to PR that will alienate the very audiences they seek to win over.