Working with the Media
BY JON HANSEN
Working with the media in a large-scale disaster can be a real challenge. The local news media were on the scene of the bombing almost as soon as some of the rescuers. The Oklahoma City Police Department and Oklahoma Highway Patrol were first to establish the media area. The Oklahoma City Fire Department was involved in command control, setting up the incident command system, and rescue operations.
We have worked long and hard to develop a professional working relationship with local media, which paid off during the bombing disaster. Our working relationship was such that the print and electronic media were very helpful in assisting us when we asked for goods and services and asked people to stay out of the downtown area and off the phones. The key to such professionalism is establishing a good working relationship prior to an incident. Our good working relationship with the local media caused a sort of ripple effect when affiliates from across the country and the national news media arrived.
The Oklahoma City Police Department set up a media command area when the incident began, and 112 hours later (after rescue operations were underway), I took over the media command function, serving as public information officer. Six or seven people worked as media liaisons. Fire Chief Gary Marrs, the police chief, and senior agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms briefed the national news media at formal news conferences. I handled the on-scene information from what we called “Satellite City.” Some veteran journalists commented that they had never before seen so many news representatives in one location, neither at other catastrophes nor at sporting events such as the Super Bowl or the Olympics. One journalist said there had not been media attention like this in this country since President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
BRIEFINGS
Organizing the media was a challenge. I stood up on CNN`s platform, called everybody together, and asked what time they wanted to be briefed. We let the media be a part of those decisions. We set up formal briefing times when a representative would be available. Everybody knew the times, being in a business driven by deadlines. We had media present from all over the world, which meant different people had different deadlines. We briefed as often as we could. We also gave situational briefings–for example, when a body was recovered or there was some situational change in the building, such as when we slowed efforts down due to structural challenges. We would always come to brief the news media.
The requests for interviews were unbelievable. We did interviews starting at 5 a.m. up until midnight or 1 a.m. the next morning. We interviewed with national morning shows, local morning shows, updates throughout the day, local and national evening and late news, shows such as “Nightline,” and other special shows. Chief Gary Marrs and I tried to do most of the interviews. The command staff interviewed with these shows to lend credibility–people could hear the news from the source. This seemed to work well rather than having somebody represent the fire department, who would have had to check with two or three people prior to giving information.
I gave the majority of the updates after returning from the building and thus could tell the media exactly what was going on in the building and answer their questions, cutting down on hearsay and rumor. I had five other people working the media with me 24 hours a day. I left anywhere from midnight to 2 a.m., at which time one of our company officers went to the media area to occasionally give an update, as would a police spokesperson. The media had access to emergency service workers 24 hours a day.
THE BUILDING
Were there problems with the news media? Occasionally, rumors would surface, but we quickly squelched them. A couple of tabloid reporters tried to sneak into the building. Nevertheless, by and large it went very well. Much professionalism was shown.
I think we dispelled the myth that public officials and media cannot work together in time of disaster. I must give much credit to the news media. They were very helpful. They also were very patient: Unlike other disasters, where media representatives can walk around and take pictures, this was the largest terrorism crime scene ever worked in our nation`s history. We were dealing not only with a massive rescue and recovery effort but with a massive criminal investigation.
We eventually were able to take camera crews into the building. Pools of national and local representatives were set up. We let the different media agencies choose who would be on the pool lists. I was not going to make that decision. We allowed one photojournalist, one journalist, a radio reporter, a print journalist, and a still photographer. We would take that group in, and the members would share their videotape, photos, and other materials with the rest of the media. We did the same thing with the local representatives. Our local media were our priority throughout the incident–we knew they would be around long after the incident was over.
When the national media came to cover the incident, they were not pushy. They did not ask for special treatment over anyone else. I think the news media formed a pretty strong bond with Oklahoma City. I know that we formed a strong bond with them throughout the 16-day operation.
LESSONS LEARNED
What lessons did we learn? If a disaster like this happens in your community, be accessible to the media. Have someone available from the command staff 24 hours a day to brief the media, to be a resource person, and to get people what they need. If out-of-town rescue personnel are present, make them available to the out-of-town media. We did our best to ensure that individual urban search and rescue team members from around the country had the opportunity to visit with their local media. This added a more personal touch.
Again, the key is to develop working relationships prior to an incident. Our local media have supplied us with volumes of videotapes, photos, and documents, as have affiliates around the country. This helps us tremendously with critiquing, further training, and planning. Such cooperation comes from a trust that has developed over a long period of time.
Public safety officials and the news media can work together. We did in Oklahoma City. We worked very well together. We were able to let Americans across the country know what was going on in the building and what challenges we faced. The way to do this is through the news media.
JON HANSEN, a 25-year veteran of the fire service, is assistant chief of the Oklahoma City (OK) Fire Department. He has direct responsibilities for public/media relations, hazardous-materials response, technical rescue, water rescue, emergency medical services, research and planning, and information management systems. He developed his department`s first formal EMS and auto extrication training systems, helped establish the haz-mat response unit and served on the first haz-mat team, and developed and implemented the critical incident stress debriefing program. Hansen served as liaison for the media and for technical rescue support during the Oklahoma City Bombing.
