The Good, The Bad, The Spin

Knowing when you’re under attack may seem obvious at first thought. The truth, however, is that any business or organization can come under attack for even innocuous reasons. The Information Age has made damning allegations that much more convenient to make, and these attacks most often have an online component–the Internet being the main medium of criticism. Individuals, small businesses and organizations are not as immune as they once were.  

Here are five clues that will tell you whether your organization is facing more than normal criticism:

1.  A medium–usually a Web site–appears to target your organization and its actions
2. An organization forms to target your organization and its actions
3. Attackers go to the news media first–dialogue is absent, in other words
4. Reporters knock (if you’re lucky) rather than call
5. You did something wrong

Just one of these in and of itself may not represent a true attack (e.g., a disgruntled employee whining to the press or the existence of McDonaldsSucks.com). Two or more means crisis communications principles and practices should be quickly invoked.

This story about racial tensions in Jena, Louisiana, as told by National Public Radio, illustrates three critical public relations points when tensions are high.

• Saying “no comment,” apparently en masse, is a choice way to ensure others will frame the story in place of your silence. Chances are also high their version of events will be one-sided.
• Dodging the press helps to ensure that the story will develop legs. In this case the story broke locally, then regionally and now nationally.

• Denying the dynamic at hand—that Jena is a community defined by racial tension and violence—helps the issues both percolate and escalate. In contrast, naming the dynamic helps to heal. When only one side sees the issue for what it is, there will be no resounding reconciliation.

There’s more to be said that, strategically, each of the above may legitimate approaches (e.g., not commenting to the press for certain legal reasons may prove beneficial in the long term when the choice is between a poor reputation or jail time).

The appearance, though, is that these general crisis communications creeds needlessly hold true for Jena.

Consider the beautiful bell curve, a graphic representation that tells much about the world. Most of us are weighted closest to the center of the curve in most matters—athletic ability, intelligence, attractiveness and so on. When it comes to issues relating the treatment of animals, most people likely fall into the middle of the bell of the curve, which could represent indifference to the issue, while others reside in both margins—ranging from extreme indifference to extreme passion (as one possible construction of the range of views).

The bell curve visual is important for a couple reasons. First, it shows a representation of the law of averages. Sooner or later the rolls of the die will average into the middle. The bell curve is not perfect, but for many scenarios it is telling of reality. Most of us are of average intelligence, for example.

The second reason the bell curve is important: News coverage often comes not from the mundane middle of the bell curve but from what is happening in the extremities. Dog bites man—average. Man bites dog—now this is news, and an unlikely roll of the dice.  (more…)