NPR's PR
I guess the question is, before you try to fix something, shouldn’t you first make sure that the message you’re trying to articulate is one that can actually be heard?
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PrintYou may have heard about NPR’s Big Faux Pas when the now former senior vice president of fundraising was caught—on tape—saying some not-so-nice things about the Tea Party and questioning (this was really not smart) NPR’s need for federal funding. Gosh, it must not have occurred to him that enough people outside the organization were doing the same thing. With friends like these who needs enemies, right?
Now, it turns out that NPR is looking for a few good publicists. According to the Wall Street Journal, NPR has been circulating a request for proposals from various PR firms. The WSJ reports that the “brief, a copy of which was seen by the Journal, lays out some ideas, including developing a ‘Champions’ program ‘to engage and empower non-NPR employees of influence to be spokespeople and representatives for NPR.” I don’t know what kind of system NPR had in place prior to their publicity debacle, but it occurs to me now, as I think about what these firms are going to propose, that certainly the news organization, which I happen to really, really like, should have had something like this in place long before the recent departures occurred.
Organizations, for profit, non-profit and everything in between, should always be concerned about public opinion. It is the foolish CEO who doesn’t care about what people think or is too busy bringing in revenue not to worry about what the public has to say about his or her organization. I think this goes to the heart of what crisis communication plans are all about. To me, (and I’m simplifying for space here) a good crisis communication plan should come as a result of a very creative brainstorming session during which everyone is responding to this question: What is the worst thing that can happen?
The more specific the better. The more outrageous the better. Every organization should have some sort of crisis communication plan that includes as many possible outcomes as possible. You never want to turn to that file, but to think you’re immune to what you might blanch at in the paper—“Can you believe what so-and-so did at such-and-such company?”—is na?ve.
But getting back to NPR’s image problem. It goes far beyond doing a better job of letting the public know what it’s all about. And goodness knows, you can have millions singing its praises, but too often it’s the critics’ whose bellowing voices drown everything else out. I guess the question is, before you try to fix something, shouldn’t you first make sure that the message you’re trying to articulate is one that can actually be heard? Just as people see what they want to see (perhaps an organization that shouldn’t get federal funding—not my opinion but certainly many of Capitol Hill feel that way), people hear what they want to hear as well. Clearly, whenever an organization undergoes the kind of public embarrassment that NPR experienced there’s some in-house training put in place, the kind that reminds staff little things like what you should say in public and what must stay in your head (or at least within the three moveable walls of your cubicle). And, yes, trying to help shape public opinion is key. But it’s also important for an organization to let the public know that their opinions matter. In other words, instead of trying to reshape what others say, first define for yourself in an open forum for everyone to hear, what your organization stands for.
For this blogger's opinion, please follow her on Twitter @LeslieLevine
Now, it turns out that NPR is looking for a few good publicists. According to the Wall Street Journal, NPR has been circulating a request for proposals from various PR firms. The WSJ reports that the “brief, a copy of which was seen by the Journal, lays out some ideas, including developing a ‘Champions’ program ‘to engage and empower non-NPR employees of influence to be spokespeople and representatives for NPR.” I don’t know what kind of system NPR had in place prior to their publicity debacle, but it occurs to me now, as I think about what these firms are going to propose, that certainly the news organization, which I happen to really, really like, should have had something like this in place long before the recent departures occurred.
Organizations, for profit, non-profit and everything in between, should always be concerned about public opinion. It is the foolish CEO who doesn’t care about what people think or is too busy bringing in revenue not to worry about what the public has to say about his or her organization. I think this goes to the heart of what crisis communication plans are all about. To me, (and I’m simplifying for space here) a good crisis communication plan should come as a result of a very creative brainstorming session during which everyone is responding to this question: What is the worst thing that can happen?
The more specific the better. The more outrageous the better. Every organization should have some sort of crisis communication plan that includes as many possible outcomes as possible. You never want to turn to that file, but to think you’re immune to what you might blanch at in the paper—“Can you believe what so-and-so did at such-and-such company?”—is na?ve.
But getting back to NPR’s image problem. It goes far beyond doing a better job of letting the public know what it’s all about. And goodness knows, you can have millions singing its praises, but too often it’s the critics’ whose bellowing voices drown everything else out. I guess the question is, before you try to fix something, shouldn’t you first make sure that the message you’re trying to articulate is one that can actually be heard? Just as people see what they want to see (perhaps an organization that shouldn’t get federal funding—not my opinion but certainly many of Capitol Hill feel that way), people hear what they want to hear as well. Clearly, whenever an organization undergoes the kind of public embarrassment that NPR experienced there’s some in-house training put in place, the kind that reminds staff little things like what you should say in public and what must stay in your head (or at least within the three moveable walls of your cubicle). And, yes, trying to help shape public opinion is key. But it’s also important for an organization to let the public know that their opinions matter. In other words, instead of trying to reshape what others say, first define for yourself in an open forum for everyone to hear, what your organization stands for.
For this blogger's opinion, please follow her on Twitter @LeslieLevine
