1. Media Relations for Front-Line Employees Bob Calkins Office of Government & Media Relations

2. Thank You! Very disruptive to your primary mission. Very high value to your agency as a whole.

3. Depth of Ignorance They start at 8am, and are experts by 5pm. The honest ones will admit that’s not possible. LAPD Officer-Involved Shooting

4. Extremely Predictable Feed the Beast Time Deadlines Need for Images Ignorance not Bias – Reliant on Biased Witnesses – Rational Approach to Nonsense Competition

5. Taming the Media We get more points for access than what we actually say. – Ease of getting information during business hours. – Ease of getting information after business hours. Translates to an overall positive view of the agency. – They believe we have nothing to hide.

6. Stages of News Story Production Tip Verification Information Gathering Writing Editing Reviewing Scanner Traffic “Only heard part….” “What’s going on?” Typing generates ??s Supervisory review Complaint/correction

7. Critical Stage is Verification Goal is to debunk bogus news tips on the first call. – Usually release more information not less. – If they invest two union salaries and a $250,000 satellite truck, they’re going to do a story. – Ever seen a one-flake snowstorm?

8. What do you really know? They might think you know more than is possible. “Expectation management” is a common PR technique. What can an audience really expect from an agency?

9. Interview Techniques Communications Objective Identify Audiences (Intended, Incidental) Strategy: Reactive/Proactive Key Messages Tactics (News Conference, News Release) Delivery Methods Measurement Potential Questions

10. Inverted Pyramid Media thinks in order of importance. We tend to write in chronological order. Potential for misunderstanding. SPD Queen Anne Shooting

11. How We Respond Transparency – They can get the information anyway. – Why antagonize them by making them wait? Agency Strategy – Tell our own story. – Tell it first. – Tell it with our context.

12. OK….somebody messed up! Embarrassing to the agency. Embarrassing to an individual. Potential discipline. Potential litigation. Reactive vs. Proactive?

13. Public Disclosure More than just a legal process. – Legal is the minimum but….. Can be done with style. Can be a “win” for your agency.

14. Questions?