THIRTY YEARS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS AND THE STORY OF MY BIG BLACK BOOK
By Cindy Rakowitz
Co-founder, Blackman Rakowitz Public Relations
People often ask me how I have learned the art of Crisis Management or Crisis Communications. I'll usually give the short answer with a snicker saying, "I was the top communications person at Playboy Enterprises for 16 years where crisis management was a part of my day to day responsibilities".
The truth is, I have a man by the name of Alan B. Bernstein to thank for everything I've learned and managed in crisis communications. Alan B. Bernstein authored a book when he was the President of PASE Incorporated called THE EMERGENCY PUBLIC RELATIONS MANUAL. Its contents consist of 94 pages bound in a black loose leaf book. The book travelled with me from position to position, from WWOR-TV to Gencorp, from Playboy New York to Playboy Los Angeles, to my desk at Blackman Rakowitz Public Relations housed within our largest crisis communication client, Greenberg and Bass law.
In the Introduction section of the manual, it clearly explains what will be covered:
I. How a disaster can affect communications between you and the public, the news media, employees, the community and others.
II. The necessity for preparing public relations plans. The content of such public relation plans. The place for public relations plans is overall contingency planning.
III. What journalists in the print and electronic media look for when covering emergency situations. How stories are covered. The positive and the negative role of the press in relief and recovery. The need for an acceptable balance between the public's need-to-know and the right to know and an organizations need for secrecy in delicate situations.
IV. The analysis of public relations exposures. The problem of rumors. The making of notifications. The importance of being a good news source, exercising positive news management and maintaining a "single source philosophy".
V. The tools and methods needed for effective crisis and disaster public relations.
VI. The special information activities necessitated by emergencies. Notification of next-of-kin, public relations liaison and referral of questions to experts.
In an internet world where information about anything is available to everyone at anytime, I couldn't find new information about crisis communications that is more relevant and handy than the words found in this big black book. Even Wikipedia seemed to refer to this basic narrative to define crisis communications.
The manual also emphasizes that there is no one set way to handle all public relations emergencies. Crisis and disasters are very fluid and demand maximum flexibility on the part of all who must respond. So instead of some set formula the manual provides readers with a process through which they themselves can build flexible, effective, responses to the crisis or disaster public relations situations that may be forced to face.
Not everyone has the genetic make up to lead through a crisis. Crisis communication management requires great instinct, confidence and intuition.
During my 16 years as the Chief Communications Officer at Playboy Enterprises, I had many opportunities to test my skills as a crisis management expert.
Let's take for example the morning I received a 5AM phone call in New York from the Wall Street Journal asking for a comment about a Playmate being raped in the infamous grotto at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
My response was honest. "Let me investigate where this is coming from and I promise I will work with you closely in disclosing the facts as I learn them." With these words, I had formed immediate alliance with the reporter. Within fifteen minutes, I received all of the facts as we knew them from Playboy's Director of Security. "Yes, an incident was reported at the Mansion late last night, and Mr. Hefner has called the authorities for a full investigation." This demonstrated to the reporter that Playboy took the complaint very seriously, and if there was misconduct, it was not going to be tolerated and there was going to be punitive action. At this point, the reporter and I were working hand in hand in comparing our notes, and confirming the facts. By the end of that long day, the LAPD in conjunction with the District Attorney's office had determined that the Playmate was not raped, but had "consensual sex" with two Playboy Mansion employees. Those employees were terminated immediately for wrongful behavior on company time—there were no criminal charges. The Wall Street Journal wrote a fair account of the story, commending Mr. Hefner and Playboy Enterprises for their immediate response to the initial complaint. The Playmate's false accusations were immediately dismissed by the press and the law.
In summary, the following communications strategy is suggested if you are contacted by a journalist about a crisis:
- Listen
- Don't panic
- Say you'll get the facts quickly
- Evaluate the situation
- Put together an action plan that can be shared with the journalist
Today, Blackman Rakowitz Public Relations is frequently sought out for its expertise in crisis communications. We have earned the respect of the world's most prominent journalists who will work closely with us to ensure that our clients are treated fairly in a crisis situation.
Although we know how to lead constituents through a crisis with experience, confidence, and success, we always keep The Emergency Public Relations Manual within easy reach.