Crisis Management is Possible j:4460

In the midst of the Penn State Scandal, many organizations are rethinking how they work with the media. The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky’s organization, is reportedly close to shutting it’s doors for good. During this time, it is important they acknowledge the media’s questions and answer them truthfully in order for them to rebuild their reputation. This scandal has caused a major public relations crisis and has allowed future public relations consultants to learn how to work in similar situations when working for a nonprofit.

            In my recent nonprofits class, we learned many ways to react in a situation such as this. Here are a few tips that public relations consultants should keep in mind when dealing with their clients, both before a crisis even happens and during a crisis.

1.     Before a crisis, there should be a well-developed crisis management team that should include: an attorney, a spokesperson, and a public relations consultant

2.     As soon as the team has been developed, they should create a plan in case of an emergency. The plan should include the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when it’s faced with a crisis.

3.     After appointing a spokesperson, someone should teach the spokesperson how to handle the media. They should also prepare the spokesperson with scenarios they may face when the organization is in trouble.

4.     During a crisis, the spokesperson should be the face of the organization. The spokesperson, again, should be aware of the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when talking to the media.

5.     If an organization is faced with a scandal such as what is happening to The Second Mile, public relations consultants and the spokesperson should always be truthful and let the media know that they care for the victims affected by the situation.

As seen in many crisis situations, organizations and companies rarely express their care for the victims and, instead, blame them for the situation rather than taking the blame for the company. An example is the Firestone Tire/ Ford Explorer situation of 2000. During the crisis, both Firestone and Ford blamed the victims rather than themselves for the cause of the exploding tires and rollovers that occurred.

Public relations practitioners should always be prepared for a crisis to occur no matter for whom they are working with. Correct crisis management is possible. If a company or organization handles a situation and the media correctly from the beginning, a crisis can be avoided. An example of this is the contaminated Similac situation of 2010. Abbott Laboratories immediately recalled the affected product and took $100 million in lost revenue rather than avoiding the recall altogether and creating a scandal that could have damaged their reputation.

It has been seen many times where an organization or company does not handle a situation correctly and overall harms their reputation. As seen in the Penn State Scandal, the Second Mile may have to close their doors for not reacting to the situation when they first knew about Sandusky’s child abuse prior to the recent investigation. If they had let the media and the public know that they were aware of the situation and that they cared for the victims affected by the situation, they may have been able to keep their reputation as an organization that cares for children in need.  

Penn State’s Scandal: A PR Professionals Nightmare J:4460

On Saturday November 6, 2011, former coach of Penn State University, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested with charges of child abuse. For 15 years he molested and abused children. This was shocking to everyone, except for five men who had worked with Sandusky prior to his arrest. These five men include: Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Graham Spanier, Mike McQueary, and Joe Paterno.

According to the grand jury report, Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky performing sexual acts on a ten-year-old boy in the shower at the Lasch Football Building. After McQueary witnessed the horrendous acts, he went to his father for advice. The next day McQueary divulged what he had seen to Coach Paterno. Paterno then went to Tim Curley, Penn State’s Athletic Director. A week went by and McQueary was asked to tell the Senior VP of Penn State, Gary Schultz, what he had seen in the locker room that evening.

The most shocking detail: All of these men who claim to be honest, never went to the police with what they knew. This of course backfired on them this past week. On November 7, 2011, both Tim Curley and Gary Schultz stepped down from their positions at Penn State University. After these two men stepped down President of Penn State, Graham Spanier, made a huge mistake by making this comment:

“The allegations about a former coach are troubling, and it is appropriate that they be investigated thoroughly. Protecting children requires the utmost vigilance.”

“With regard to the other presentments, I wish to say that Tim Curley and Gary Schultz have my unconditional support. I have known and worked daily with Tim and Gary for more than 16 year. I have complete confidence in how they have handled the allegations about a former University employee.”

            Spanier failed to make any mention of how terrible he felt for the victims of Sandusky’s fifteen-year rampage. The only thing that this statement tells me is that he cares for what happens to his friends at this time, which is terrible for a president of a university’s image. As a public relations professional in the making, I would have recommended that he showed support for the victims and that Penn State was deeply sorry for what had been happening to them throughout the years.

            On Wednesday November 9, 2011 all hell broke loose at Penn State University. Both Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier were fired from their positions at Penn State. Many students were upset because of Joe Paterno’s firing and caused a riot on the Penn State campus. I believe that both of these men had it coming to them. As of this moment, no one really knows what Paterno knew after McQueary brought the disturbing news of Sandusky’s dealings that night. As for Spanier, after making that distasteful comment and sticking with his friends instead of showing sympathy for the victims, he had it coming to him. McQueary was the last to be asked to resign from his position at Penn State University as of today.  

            As a public relations professional in the making, I would have to agree with the board of trustees for firing all of these men. They knew too much and did far too little to get the ball rolling on sending Sandusky to prison years ago. If they had done the right thing and had alerted the authorities when they had a chance, they might still have their jobs today.

Sources:

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9978.aspx

http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment-1.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/tim-curley-george-schultz-penn-state-abuse-scandal-resign_n_1079093.html 

The Ethics and Values of Public Relations J:4470

On the first day of class, my professor handed out an in-class assignment listing a multitude of values. Each classmate was asked to circle ten values they felt were the most important to them. After our ten values were circled, the professor then asked us to scratch out five, then 3, and then 1. As each of the values I felt were most important to me were being deduced down to one, it became morally harder to make a decision on which value I cherished the most about myself. The values of integrity, honesty, and loyalty were the hardest to scratch off the list. I finally reduced my moral code down to a single word: Self-respect. This word rang true to everything I prided myself to be. Everything I do, I try to respect myself in all decisions I make on a daily basis.

As a public relations professional in the making, I know that I will face ethical dilemmas in the work place and I know I will try and respect myself as I make the ethically correct decision for each one I face. I will not only take self-respect with me wherever I go, I will also stay tried and true to the PRSA Code of Ethics. There are three values that I will also try and carry with me throughout my professional career: Honesty, loyalty, and independence.

The PRSA Code of Ethics states honesty as “adhering to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.” I believe “honesty is the best policy” to adhere to in any workplace. When working with clients to disseminate their message to the public, public relations professionals must always ask themselves if they are being honest in all aspects of their work, including their portrayal of the client to the public.

Loyalty and self-respect go hand-in-hand when it comes to my set of morals and values. It is also on the PRSA Code of Ethics statement of professional values. It states loyalty as being “faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.” It will always be in the best interest of public relations professionals to be loyal to their client as well as the consumer of the material they provide. Without loyalty to our clients, there would be no loyalty from the public. Our best interest is always the interest of our clients, and staying true to them is the only way to go.

I have always thought myself to be a strong and independent woman. I have always taken the fall for my wrong-doings and will continue to do so in my career. It doesn’t surprise me that the PRSA Code of Ethics takes independence into account as a professional value either. It states independence as “providing objective counsel to those we represent” and being “accountable for our actions.” Public relations professionals should always strive for being accountable. If a public relations consultant finds himself or herself in a bind, it is always important for them to remember that they are accountable for all that they do. Although we may work together as a team, every individual is accountable for their actions and should never forget this as they work hard for their clients and employers.

Alongside these values, there are principles that I identify with as well. As one must be honest, loyal, and accountable, they must also build trust with the public. Under the PRSA Code of Provisions it states that it is important to disclose information. The core principle states “open communication fosters informed decision making in a democratic society.” The intent is “to build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision making.” It is always important to be honest and truthful in order to build public trust. Without the trust of the public, clients would not have consumers to serve and we, as public relations professionals, wouldn’t have clients to serve. This never-ending cycle would be detrimental to all parties involved. I will always remain truthful and honest in everything I write and distribute to the public. The public can be harsh, but as long as clients and public relations professionals disclose all information to the public it will build a lifetime of trust no one can afford to lose.

It is important for me to be loyal, honest, and accountable in all aspects of my life. If I am being loyal and honest to my friends, I will build their trust and have them for a lifetime. These embedded morals and values will always be with me throughout my career as well. I want to treat my clients with loyalty and honesty and build their trust in me as a public relations professional. I also believe in being honest and loyal to myself, and if I lie in my career I am only harming my respect for myself. 

What Future Public Relations Consultants Really Need to Know J:4460

Four years ago when I stepped into the public relations major at the University of North Texas, I had no idea what I was getting in to. During my first public relations class, my professor asked us what we thought of when we entered into our major. He jokingly taunted us with our thoughts of Samantha Jones from Sex and the City as our image of what public relations professionals do. To be honest, I thought I was walking into a career filled with fabulous parties and scandal. Boy, was I wrong.

Today, I am well aware that Samantha Jones was a hysterical caricature of a public relations professional gone wrong. As public relations consultants, we deal with parties and scandal, but in a whole different light than what Samantha Jones made it out to be. When I walked into that class four years ago, I was innocent to what a press release was or what public relations even was. Now I know every aspect of a press release and then some. So here are a few tips for those of you interested in public relations because of the faulty ideas the media has put into your heads.

1) If you continuously think the media is lying to you, you’re wrong. A public relations professional takes time to research and fact check every press release or story they give to a reporter before it is ever released to the public.

2) If you are continuously grammatically incorrect, pick up an AP Stylebook and read it cover to cover until you get it right. I’ve heard it too many times from my professors about the mistake of using “their” when “they’re” or “there” was needed. Get it right the first time and you won’t get a headache from all of red lines on your papers yelling at you about the difference of each.  Once you get into the real world, your client or employer might release from a project over such a mix up.

3) Learn what a communications plan is. Learn the difference between a tactic, strategy, and objective. I have recently been searching the Internet for a job and this is one of the many requirements under the job title and of great importance to future clientele. 

4) If you think Facebook is a place to fool around and meet friends, you’re right on some level (but not really). Get in the habit of being professional in your statuses and profile pictures. Public relations professionals use each social media outlet for professional purposes with all of their clients. Clients do not want a status that hasn’t been premeditated with all of the correct punctuation and spelling. This goes back to the AP Stylebook. Read it and weep. The AP Stylebook will be a major part of your life as a writer in the public relations field.

5) If you don’t like people than this is the wrong field for you. As a public relations consultant, you will deal with the likes of many different personalities and characters in your day-to-day career. Relationships and networking is key when it comes to being a public relations professional. Without relationships with journalists or your clients, you are doomed to fail.

Samantha Jones is an awesome character for a television show, but don’t walk in to your first public relations class thinking you’re going to be the next her. This is not a profession that is laughable. As public relations professionals, we take serious pride in what we do for our clients. It is important that you understand that before anything else.