media relations – Paynter Communications

Lessons from Hollywood – and The Boston Globe

I’m not going to predict which of the eight movies nominated for Best Picture will win the Oscar; in fact, I haven’t seen all of them yet. But I can enthusiastically recommend “Spotlight” for any executive or organization worried about media scrutiny.

“Spotlight” tells the compelling story of the Boston Globe’s investigative team that revealed a systematic cover-up of sex abuse by Catholic priests. The Globe’s reporting initially focused on allegations against John Geoghan, a defrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. (Geoghan has since died in prison.) As the story unfolds, we see the investigation spread far beyond a single priest to a scandal engulfing Cardinal Bernard Law, who eventually resigned from the archdiocese and was reassigned to the Vatican. Just before the “Spotlight” credits roll, we watch as multiple screens list countless other cities where major abuse scandals were also uncovered.

I’ve seen a lot of journalism movies over the years but I can’t recall another as realistic as “Spotlight” since “All the President’s Men,” which 40 years ago told the story of how two reporters from the Washington Post uncovered the Watergate scandal that eventually led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Fortunately, most organizations will never face the level of media scrutiny highlighted in these two films. Unfortunately, journalism as a profession has changed significantly in the short time since 2002, when the Globe won the Pulitzer Prize for the story behind this movie. Local newspapers no longer have the resources to support full-time investigative teams that spend months – or even years – producing these kinds of stories.

But many insights still apply. For example:

Reporters do their research and build their stories before approaching the targeted organization for comment. If you are the target, it’s very difficult to reshape the story at that point. That’s why it’s so important, when something bad happens, to be proactive and tell your stakeholders directly before they learn about it in the media. If you wait, the story will be framed for you and you’ll be the Villain.
Whatever good you do in the community is not a sufficient defense against bad behavior. In “Spotlight,” Cardinal Law tries to convince the Globe’s editor that the newspaper should not embarrass the Church. “I find that the city flourishes when its great institutions work together,” he says. The editor responds that a good newspaper has to be independent to perform its function. And every good journalist believes that. The Globe was not dissuaded in the least by Law’s objections.

To me, one of the most interesting dynamics in the film was the role of the editor, new to Boston and viewing the potential story differently than anyone with a history at the paper. He asks why there hasn’t been more coverage of the Geoghan case when it appears the priest abused 80 children and a lawyer claims to have proof that Cardinal Law knew about it. Other staffers are stunned that the new editor wants to take on the Catholic Church.

That’s perhaps the most valuable lesson of the movie. Sometimes we are so close to a situation that it takes someone from the outside to see it clearly. I have often found this to be true for those in leadership roles. An outside perspective can inform difficult decisions and prevent missteps, especially in communications. Those can be difficult conversations, but leaders benefit from “truth tellers” who are not afraid to offer another point of view.

As a Catholic, I found “Spotlight” very troubling – even though I already knew the story and have helped numerous organizations dealing with abuse cases. As a former journalist, I found “Spotlight” inspiring because of the revelations that came from good, solid reporting. And as a crisis communications consultant, I found “Spotlight” affirming.

Amazon vs. The New York Times, Rounds Two, Three and Four

First, the New York Times published an article exposing a brutal workplace culture at Amazon. Then, Amazon’s Senior Vice President Jay Carney pushed back with a blog post on Medium.com, accusing the Times of sloppy journalism. Another round ensued. Times’ Editor-in-chief Dean Baquet defended the reporting in a lengthy blog post, also on Medium.com, and Carney responded again.

First, the New York Times published an article exposing a brutal workplace culture at Amazon. Then, Amazon’s Senior Vice President Jay Carney pushed back with a blog post on Medium.com, accusing the Times of sloppy journalism. Another round ensued. Times’ Editor-in-chief Dean Baquet defended the reporting in a lengthy blog post, also on Medium.com, and Carney responded again.

I’m not a fan of Amazon’s response for a number of reasons – primarily, that Carney renewed interest in an article published more than two months ago. Carney also revealed what most companies would consider private personnel information about former employees quoted in the article. For example, he argued that a primary source in the story is not credible because “an investigation revealed he had attempted to defraud vendors and conceal it by falsifying business records. When confronted with the evidence, he admitted it and resigned immediately.”

When something goes wrong – especially if the media exposes an employee or former employee’s misconduct – organizations may be tempted to reveal damaging information about that individual. Transparency is usually a good policy, but once that bridge is crossed with the media, an organization can never again insist that type of information is protected. In fact, in Amazon’s case, some have suggested Carney and company released this information to intimidate other employees – which, of course, reinforces the original narrative of a bullying culture depicted by the Times.

In spite of concerns about what Carney wrote, it’s a smart strategy to counter the Times on a public forum. We always advise clients to find ways to “go around the media” in a crisis and speak directly to critical stakeholders whether through emails and letters or social media platforms, including blog posts. It’s a good way to protect your reputation and effectively tell your organization’s side of the story without the media filter.

Eight Lessons from the Top Media Crises of the Year

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared in March 2014, while flying from Malaysia to China, with 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 15 nations aboard.Lessons learned: Tell the truth and tell what you know when you know it. Communications were fraught with confusion and contradictions. The government didn’t release data and searchers were in the wrong location for days. In any crisis, but especially in matters of life and death, it’s important to provide accurate information so that you are a trusted, credible source.

Texas Presbyterian Hospital diagnosed the first U.S. case of Ebola after Thomas Duncan showed up in the emergency department. Duncan is at first misdiagnosed and sent home, then admitted two days later. Two nurses are later diagnosed with Ebola.Lessons learned: When lives are at stake, you must communicate as quickly and as transparently as possible, and provide clear guidance on what to do. And, if something goes wrong, you must apologize and reassure your stakeholders that you are taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It took much too long (11 days) for a hospital spokesperson to apologize. Let’s hope the hospital can recover its reputation just as the two nurses recovered from Ebola.

Target’s data breach occurred during the 2013 holiday shopping season – affecting 40 million customers – and the aftermath continues. Target apparently did not take action when it received alerts from its security system before the data was stolen. Both the chief information officer and CEO later resigned.Lessons learned: Tell it first. No one wants to share bad news, but Target didn’t tell its customers until after a blogger revealed the breach weeks later. Had Target informed its customers, as Home Depot did under similar circumstances, they might have preserved customer loyalty. Home Depot actually had a larger breach but communicated much more effectively, focusing on the “fix” and steps it was taking to protect its customers.

Ed FitzGerald tried to portray himself as a “victim” when news reports reveal the Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio was in a car with another woman in the middle of the night and, worse yet, drove without a valid driver’s license for decades.Lessons learned: FitzGerald should have accepted responsibility and apologized. Instead, he sent an email saying his family was focused on his son’s health issues, not on “gutter politics.” (A diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma had previously been “off limits” during the campaign.) FitzGerald’s efforts to portray himself as a “victim” made a bad situation even worse. Using a child’s illness to distract from your own wrongdoing is offensive to anyone smart enough to see through the tactic.

The NFL’s botched handling of domestic violence cases, especially that of Ravens running back Ray Rice. To recap, after TMZ released video of Ray Rice dragging his unconscious fiancé (now his wife) out of an elevator, Rice was suspended for two games. At a news conference, his wife apologized for her part – and the Ravens tweeted HER apology! Eventually, we saw the videotape of Rice punching his wife inside the elevator and the NFL suspended Rice indefinitely – a decision that is now on appeal.Lessons learned: Never blame the victim. In this case, the only reason for the NFL to discipline Rice before reviewing the videotape from inside the elevator was to keep a talented player on the field. They showed more concern for winning a football game than they showed for a victim of domestic violence – forgetting, along the way, their female fan base and everyone else who reacts with horror to a 200-pound athlete assaulting a female.

Colleges and universities struggle to address sexual violence on campus in response to numerous media reports and the Department of Education’s investigations for possible Title IX violations. Big-name schools from throughout the country – most recently the University of Virginia – have been spotlighted in news reports and most college administrations have struggled to respond.Lessons learned: First, do the right thing; then you will have a good story to tell. Historically, crimes of sexual violence have been veiled in secrecy. Victims are finally speaking out publicly – and that’s a good thing. Bringing these crimes out of the shadows will encourage other victims to come forward and result in more criminal prosecutions. Colleges and universities must do a better job of dealing with these cases and communicating transparently, rather than counting on victims to remain quiet.

Ferguson, Missouri, has been the site of protests since a police officer fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown on August 9. It’s hard to find another case where so much was mishandled – from leaving Brown’s body in the street for several hours, to police showing up at peaceful protests in riot gear, to arresting journalists who were there to report about the unrest. And for some mysterious reason, the prosecutor announced the grand jury’s decision not to indict at 9 p.m., leading to another night of intense rioting, looting, burning and mayhem.Lessons learned: So many lessons to be learned from this case. Certainly, do the right thing. But it’s also important to admit mistakes quickly and apologize. And then say what you will do to correct your mistakes. It took six weeks for Police Chief Thomas Jackson to apologize, and it was at best an awkward apology. Visuals matter, especially in these days of social media. Photos of police blocking the entrance to the Justice Center say far more about access to justice than all the statements from elected officials. I don’t pretend to know why Michael Brown was shot, but a display of compassion and concern might have reduced the anger.

It took GM more than a decade to correct a faulty ignition switch traced to at least 30 deaths and 31 serious injuries. A jostling of or too much weight on the faulty switch caused the ignition to slip from “on” to “accessory” so that air bags and electric steering were deactivated. At last count, more than 30 million cars have been recalled because, apparently, no one within the organization took the problem seriously enough to do something about it.Lessons learned: By all counts, GM’s new CEO Mary Barra has done a good job of communicating. Just as the crisis communications rule book dictates, she has admitted mistakes, apologized and said what she will do to make sure it never happens again. But this is not just about crisis communications; it’s also about changing the culture within GM so that whistleblowers are not ignored. Employees must feel comfortable coming forward when there’s a problem. Barra says she wants GM to be “the most valued automotive company” and the “safest in the industry.” She has a lot of work to do to make that happen.