The other day I took a call from a reporter I didn’t know regarding an item from a past district board agenda. Apparently, the reporter’s editor had asked him to follow up on a story given to the editor by a new “cub” reporter who had attended the board meeting. I don’t know what was communicated between the cub reporter, the editor and the reporter I talked to, but none of the information he had was accurate.
Newspaper reporting is an industry that once prided itself on getting the facts straight, but it’s been my observation that such accuracy no longer exists. All three of the individuals from the paper had a copy of our agenda; nonetheless, no one bothered to read it. Even the cub reporter, who had actually sat through the meeting, had gotten details of the meeting’s agenda wrong.
Surely, the decline of unbiased, accurate, investigative journalism is a societal problem that affects all of us. But on another level, it presents an opportunity. Journalism has changed so in many ways that fire departments now have opportunities to showcase their organizations like never before.
Just the Facts
“Independent, publicly traded American newspapers have lost 42% of their market value in the past three years,” according to the media entrepreneur Alan Mutter.(1) “The New York Times Company has seen its stock decline by 54% since the end of 2004.” He goes on to say that “Few believe that newspapers in their current printed form will survive.” Mutter quotes Bill Keller, the executive editor of the Times, as saying publicly, “At places where editors and publishers gather, the mood these days is funereal.”(1)
Add to this: In 2009, 105 newspapers were shuttered, 10,000 newspaper jobs were lost, print ad sales fell 30% and 23 of the top 25 newspapers reported circulation declines between 7% and 20%.(2)
American newspapers have been around for approximately 300 years. So what happened?
Put simply, the Internet has eroded most of the newspaper industry, and the economic recession dealt it another big blow. Managing this moribund industry today is all about cutting costs, more so than increasing revenue. Cutting costs, especially large numbers, means cutting people. It starts with the administrative staff that normally supports the reporters, and then it hits the reporters. Since 1990, one-quarter of all American newspaper jobs have disappeared. Furthermore, the average age of the American newspaper reader is 55 and rising–contrast that with the fact that the average American citizen’s age is 35. Put simply: Americans are getting their information from sources other than newspapers. .
The consequence: Tenured reporters retire or leave; experience is gone. No one is there to mentor other reporters. Seeing no future to this industry, the brightest and the best find something else to do. Which leaves what? Overworked journeymen and a whole slew of cub reporters all wanting to be investigative reporters, who do not know their craft, can’t get the facts right, and are looking to be the next 60 Minutes correspondent.
Now back to my story. For the past three decades, and up until three weeks before the story in question, the reporter who called me covered sports, not hard news as he stated. He has no office, and works from his home in another county–not mine. He gets into our fire district once a week. He’s a nice guy, but he knew nothing about cities, districts, governance or funding. In my article The Politics of Power, I spoke of the will and skill needed to be a fire service leader. Well, will and skill are required for every profession, and both are lacking here.
Darwin taught us that the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves to their environment. But the press hasn’t viewed the rise of the Internet as an adaptive problem; they viewed it as a technical one (for more on the difference, see Adaptive Leadership: Dealing with the Unknowns). But what about the future? Joel Baker, a renowned futurist, has stated that when a paradigm shifts, everything goes back to zero. If he is right, 300 years of the press has reset itself back to zero–thus allowing you and I to rewrite the rules.
The lesson my department has learned over the past few years is that, due to our local newspapers’ lack of staff, articles, PSAs and news stories we send to our local newspapers will be placed in the paper nearly verbatim–no follow-up calls or checking the facts. Now, we have a certain amount of trust with our news media, so well-crafted articles easily make their way in the paper. You may have to do a little more work at first, but think about it: You get to write articles with the slant you want. No interview, filtering and or counterpoints (letters to the editor are the exception).
And writing a good story isn’t that difficult. In an earlier article, Using Stories to Build Support for Your Organizational Goals, I outlined some of the elements involved in creating a compelling story.
But stories shouldn’t be one-off, occasional things you do when the mood strikes you; they should be part of a comprehensive, deliberate public outreach program. Furthermore, newspapers have become the least preferred source for news among most people. You can place all the great stories you want in the newspaper, and you’ll still be missing part of your audience. That’s’ why you need the outreach program.
Public Outreach Programs
Designing a successful public outreach program requires you to determine what you want to say, how you want to say it, and how you will connect with your target audience.
An important first step: Conduct a measurable survey with the communities that you serve. Here are some questions you may want to consider:
- What is the community’s perception of your agency as a service provider?
- Does the community perceive they’re getting a good value for the tax money spent on risk reduction and fire protection?
- Does the community visit the department website? If so, what is their impression?
- What risk reduction and prevention actions has the community participated in?
- Do they know the diversity you provide beyond emergency responses?
Here is an outline of items to consider when designing a public outreach program:
- Review and possibly overhaul your website.
- Consider creating annual community newsletters.
- Align risk-reduction mailing brochures and postcards to coincide with seasonal hazards such as the wildland fire season, holiday fire season and winter/spring, when fall injuries can increase.
- Purchase advertising in the weekly community newspaper to feature employees and risk-reduction messages.
- Create a social media presence, in particular Facebook.
- Consistently place in newspapers and other publications positive, service-oriented stories that reinforce your commitment to the community.
- Talk to reporters to determine what their challenges are and the type of stories they’re looking for in their publications.
- Educate the community on risk reduction, fire prevention and disaster preparedness.
- Reinforce a positive perception as an all-risk service provider.
- Identify key community leaders; invest in collaborative relationships with them and their organizations; and develop these leaders as advocates.
The Benefits
Maybe you still need some convincing on why you should initiate a public outreach program to tell your story, instead of waiting for someone else to tell it. Here are some reasons why you should consider such a program.
- Reinforces the community perception that the fire department is a well-managed and fiscally responsible government organization. In our community, this has built support for tax and/or bond measures.
- Educates the community on risk reduction, fire prevention and disaster preparedness. Since beginning our program, we’ve seen increased public participation in our Community Emergency Response Team, first-aid and CPR classes, and wildland fuels reduction efforts. We’ve seen a decrease in the size of wildland/WUI fires and have experienced no structure losses in the WUI since beginning the program.
- Reinforces the positive perception as a service provider. Our department now regularly receives positive comments from community members in the media and on social networking sites. Further, we’ve seen an absence of negative media stories, public commentary and blogs.
- Reinforces the positive perception as an employer. This is best done through biweekly newspaper ads showcasing a district member with a PSA. The result has been seen in recruitment for both fire explorers and fire service.
- Increases public knowledge of the services available through the organization. This is especially true with community post cards and the annual community newsletter, targeting specific events and or public education.
- Builds relations with at-risk constituencies (elderly, special needs populations, youth). Special-needs populations in our community have become much more comfortable with providing detailed personal information, which can help us plan for their protection.
For us, there was also another benefit. In 2010, our fire district received the prestigious California Special Districts Association “Exceptional Public Outreach Award.” The award recognized our ability to “improve and build relationships with communities and the ability to increase your district’s visibility.”
When launching a public outreach program, consider that local media placement and the use of social media are free with the exception of staff time. One person who dedicates about one hour per week using a strategic communications plan can successfully implement a public outreach program. A nominal communications budget will enhance efforts, allowing projects such as community mailers that reach all age groups. Above all else, the program must be designed to support the organizational communication of risk reduction, good stories, good will and community service as well as employee profiles.
Now here’s the question: Who is going to tell your story if you don’t do it yourself? Can you afford to take a chance that someone with little experience and no local knowledge will accurately depict your department? No. Take matters into your own hands, or at least shape it for the press on Facebook, Twitter or a blog.
Nature abhors a vacuum. Currently there is a media vacuum. You can either fill it or someone else will. If you believe that leadership is all about creating a future of your own design, your public image and outreach are key components.
References
- Alterman E. (March 31, 2008) Out of Print: The death and life of the American newspaper. In The New Yorker. Retrieved Aug. 7, 2011, from www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/31/080331fa_fact_alterman.
- Dumpala P. (July 4, 2009) The year the newspaper died. In BusinessInsider.com. Retrieved Aug. 7, 2011 from www.businessinsider.com/the-death-of-the-american-newspaper-2009-7.
