Page 89 - Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilience

58 Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilence

• Remember that it benefits the reporter and the agency when a story is
accurate.
• Before an emergency occurs, meet with editors and reporters who would
cover the story.
• Work to establish durable relationships with reporters and editors.
• Promise only that which can be delivered and then follow through.

Be Candid and Open With Reporters
• Be the first to share bad news about an issue or your organization, but be
sure to put it into context.
• If the answer to a question is unknown or uncertain, and if the reporter
is not reporting in real time, express a willingness to get back to the
reporter with a response by an agreed deadline.
• Be first and proactive in disclosing information about an emergency,
emphasizing appropriate reservations about data and information
reliability.
• Recognize that most journalists maintain a “healthy skepticism” of
sources, and trust by the media is earned; do not ask to be trusted.
• Ask the reporter to restate a question if you do not understand it.
• Hold frequent media events to fill information voids.
• Do not minimize or exaggerate the level of risk.
• Acknowledge uncertainty.
• Be careful about comparing the risk of one event to another.
• Do not offer unreasonable reassurances (i.e., unwarranted by the avail-
able information).
• Make corrections quickly if errors are made or if the facts change.
• Discuss data and information uncertainties, strengths, and weaknesses,
including those identified by other credible sources.
• Cite ranges of risk estimates when appropriate.
• Support your messages with case studies and data.
• If credible authorities disagree on the best course of action, be prepared
to disclose the rationale for those disagreements and why your agency
has decided to take one particular course of action over another.
• Be especially careful when asked to speculate or answer extreme or
baseless “what if” questions, especially on worst-case scenarios.
• Avoid speaking in absolutes.
• Tell the truth.

Listen to the Target Audience
• Do not make assumptions about what viewers, listeners, and readers
know, think, or want done about risks.
• If time and resources allow, prior to a media interview, review the avail-
able data and information on public perceptions, attitudes, opinions,