In one of the more bizarre recent occurrences surrounding the amazing story of the 33 trapped Chilean miners it seems that need to express themselves clearly is towards the top of the agenda. It appears that PR types are yelling instructions down the shaft telling these guys the appropriate way to speak to the media upon rescue. If there ever was a way for the miners to get good nights sleep it would come as the result of some media consultant telling them what to say upon seeing the sunlight for the first time in months. Enough for anyone to go into a catatonic state!
We have all know for some time that in many surveys firefighting rates at the top of the chart in “most stressful” jobs. This fact again proved to be true in a recent survey held by CareerCast.com. where firefighters ranked as number one.
Talking about all the virtues of your department in one sitting can create a muddled message. Sometimes it is better to just focus in on one issue at a time.
One of the areas on my Department website that I am not satisfied with is the Media Pressroom tab. I had information in the Pressroom, but was never really satisfied with the way it was presented. So, on this Monday, I present you with some of the items I will place on my retooled media area and look in return for your suggestions on administering a Pressroom on your website.
The FDNY is currently trying to unravel the details concerning an allegedly drunk individual in uniform, sleeping at the entrance to an apartment building following St. Patrick’s Day festivities in New York.
I have nothing against the late actor Cory Haim. I guess he was a soul tormented by substance abuses that lead to his premature death last week at age 38. Haim was Canadian, from Toronto, and his remains were brought back to the city of his birth for burial.
When I speak to the media at an incident scene I have learned to push home my key points by being overly repetitive to a reporter’s questions. I learned this technique several years ago at Connections Day, a conference run every year by the Fair Media Council on Long Island, from a utility company public affairs executive I was having lunch with.
In my humble opinion the quickest way for us to become instant villains as well as guilty until proven innocent is to utter the words “no comment.”
