Meeting the Media

• General Dempsey at the Military Reporters and Editors Conference, 18 Nov 2011
  • "And I – you know, I often ask myself, why do these young men and women do what we ask them to do and, you know, put themselves in harm’s way? And I think it comes down to trust."
  • "And the question I would ask you to think about, as we will, is, how do we build on the relationship that military reporters and editors – that we’ve forged over the last 10 years because we’ve been closely aligned embedded, and in contact with each other? How do we keep that alive, you know? We ought to think about that before it’s upon us."

• Being Interviewed by the Media

• Interaction with the Media, Secretary of Defense memo, 2 July 2010
  • "Accordingly, prior to interviews or any other means of media and public engagement with possible national or international implications, all component leaders or their public affairs officers must notify OSD Public Affairs which, in turn and as appropriate, will ensure that senior Department officials with the relevant overall knowledge and situational awareness have been consulted."
  • "I have asked the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs to work with OSD component heads, military department heads, and combatant commanders to implement the attached additional guidance."
  • attached guidance includes one page of taskings, as well as a copy of DoDD 5122.05
• DoD Directive 5122.05, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (ASD(PA))
  • Enclosure 2 - DoD Principles of Information
  • Enclosure 3 - Statement of DoD Principles for News Media Coverage of DoD Operations

• Joint Publication 3-61, Public Affairs, 25 Aug 2010
  • JP 3-61, Appendix A - Commander's Communications Strategy

• Accounting for Bias in Broadcast Media Message Acceptance, by Allen, in IO Sphere, Summer 2008

• Meeting the Media - "A practical guide to assist military personnel and DoD civilians in preparing to speak with representatives of the news media" - from PACE

• Meeting the Media - A Guide to Encountering the Media,
  U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's Pocket Guide to Encountering the Media
• Public Affairs Handbook for Engineering & Services

• The JAG Corps Guide to How to Engage the Media

• Soldiers and Scribblers Revisited: Working with the Media, by Richard Halloran, originally published in Army War College's Parameters - EXCELLENT

• Nonverbal Communications - tips for television/video, from an Army guide on "Meeting the Media"

• Media Traps and Pitfalls - Avoiding Common Mistakes, FBI Academy briefing

• News Media Industry, Final Report, ICAF Spring 2006 Industry Study
  • Unfortunately, the news media are misunderstood. The fallout is well documented throughout our history – much of it recent history. This industry study paper attempts to illuminate the sources of this recurring misunderstanding; taking a broad brush approach to capture the news media’s priorities, perspectives and challenges for the future. We will examine and attempt to define news; a difficult task in the rapidly changing information environment. In the end, it is our hope that this paper provides its readers with a deeper understanding of the news industry and better prepares future leaders to engage the media effectively and thrive in the transparent information environment of the future.

World Media

• For U.S., Managing Foreign Media Is A No-Win Proposition (But It Keeps Trying), by Pincus, in Washington Post, 26 Apr 2011

• Foreign Press Centers page on U.S. State Department web site

• eJournalUSA, State Department online publication
  • June 2010 issue - Defining Internet Freedom
    • The first part of this eJournal USA addresses the difficulty agreeing on a universally applicable definition of Internet freedom. Nations impose many different kinds of restrictions. Some represent the efforts of authoritarian regimes to repress their opponents, but others instead reflect diverse political traditions and cultural norms.
    • Other materials survey the current state of ‘Net freedom in different parts of the world. Freedom House, a leading non-governmental organization, has studied government efforts to control, regulate, and censor different forms of electronic social communication. Its findings are explained here.
    • We also explore a number of issues that help define the contours of Internet freedom. The term “intermediary liability” may not pique one’s interest, but it assumes new relevance when phrased as whether YouTube is liable for an offensive video posted by a third party. From dancing babies to public libraries, the issues that will delimit global citizens’ access to information are being contested every day.
  • Dec 2007 issue - Media Making Change - issue is on how media is changing societies and people, and how people are changing media
  • Mar 2006 issue - Emerging Media - issue is on emerging media worldwide and the roles it plays - from blogs to online libraries to the $100 laptop project
  • Feb 2003 issue - Seeking Free and Responsible Media
    • It has long been the policy of the U.S. government to support the development of open and responsible media abroad and to assist in building the infrastructure needed for a free press to operate -- legislative infrastructure, financial independence, transparency in government, and journalists trained in objective and fair reporting.
• Accuracy in the Media: Misinformation, Mistakes, and Misleading in American and Other Media, State Dept, Apr 2005 - written about the traditional media, but the same problems must be faced in social media

Media Covering the Military & Conflict

• DoD Directive 5122.05, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs (ASD(PA))
  • Enclosure 2 - DoD Principles of Information
  • Enclosure 3 - Statement of DoD Principles for News Media Coverage of DoD Operations

• Campbell Confronts Afghan Journalists: Disputes civilian casualty reports, by Grey, in The Leaf-Chronicle, 12 May 2011
  • U.S. military officials on Tuesday used the occasion of an Afghan National Media conference to strike back at what they say is inaccurate reporting of civilian casualties in the ongoing war in Afghanistan.
  • The conference, partly a training session, encouraged a two-way dialogue. However, it was clear the U.S. military wanted to get its message out regarding the perception of culpability in civilian deaths.
  • Presenters expressed some frank exasperation with Afghan journalists, particularly hitting at the willingness of many to pass along Taliban news releases without running them through any fact-checking process. Particularly rankling to American military leaders is the storyline that has been allowed to take hold — reinforced by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and others — that Coalition forces are causing a lot of civilian casualties.
  • The numbers paint a different picture, and Maj. Gen. John F. Campbell, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, calmly but firmly emphasized that 90 percent of Afghan civilian casualties this year can be laid at the feet of the Taliban and other insurgent groups.
  • ...
  • He also stressed to the Afghan journalists that information operations are a big part of the insurgent campaign, that the insurgents tell people what they want to hear, and that they lie or get others to lie about incidents that are easily disproved if someone takes the time to check the facts.
  • Openly encouraging Afghan journalists at the conference to take part in the embed process is one way ISAF is trying to turn the public opinion tide.
  • ...
  • Host-nation reporters were assured that U.S. and Coalition officials would not stand in the way of factual negative reporting of Coalition and ANSF activities.

• Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS)
  • The DVIDS mission is to serve as a turnkey operation that facilitates requests for Public Affairs video, audio, still imagery and print products; coordinates interviews with soldiers and commanders in a combat zone and provides an archive for ongoing operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

• Military Reporters and Editors (MRE)
  • MRE is an association of reporters, editors, photographers, television news people, educators, retired journalists, college students and others who cover or are interested in national security and veterans issues.
  • The Association exists to advance public understanding of the military, national security and homeland defense; to educate and share information with its members and the public on best practices, tools and techniques for such coverage; to represent the interests of working journalists to the government and military; and to assure that journalists have access to places where the U.S. military and its allies operate.

• At War: Notes from the Front Lines, New York Times news blog on war coverage
  • Embedistan - series of articles dealing with "different perspectives on the theory and practice of embedding from correspondents, photographers, Iraqi journalists — some who were working for The New York Times and some who were not — as well as soldiers and Iraqis."

• How to Cover the U.S. Military, briefing with Kiernan, Washington Foreign Press Center, 30 Nov 2007

• The Military and the Media: One Man's Experience, by Joe Galloway, Senior Writer, U.S. News & World Report, recounting experiences from Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam, to the Gulf War -- and the need for understanding by both sides -- EXCELLENT READ

• Conflict sensitive journalism: A handbook by Ross Howard
  • To provide reliable information to the public in a time of violent conflict requires additional journalism skills. Reporters need to understand more about what causes conflict, and how conflict develops and ends. Reporters need to know where to look for these causes and solutions. By providing this information, journalism makes the public far more well-informed about the conflict beneath the violence, and can assist in resolving it.

• Media and the Military Program at the KU School of Journalism
  • Bridging the Gap: Media and the Military Workshop for Journalists, September 25 - 30, 2011
    • An intensive week-long program designed to help reporters, editors, producers and bloggers learn more about covering the military. The fourth annual workshop provides an introduction to military structure, function, strategy, tactics and training. The program pays for journalists’ lodging, meals and airfare.
    • Journalists who attend the workshop should be early to mid-career reporters or editors working near military bases, beat reporters covering the military, or journalists who have an interest in covering military issues. It is designed for journalists who have little or no background covering the military and for journalists with no active-duty military experience.
    • The workshop will be based at the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.
    • This workshop is designed to help reporters learn more about today’s military. The workshop is part of a larger effort to increase the knowledge of the press and the military about each others’ roles in supporting the First Amendment.
    • The workshop provides an intense learning experience for journalists. Members of the press will embed with Army Majors going through command training and will live a day in the life of a ground soldier preparing for duty. Journalists will attend workshops with senior general officers and have the opportunity to interview officers who will be stationed at military bases in the reporters’ hometowns.
    • To apply, please contact Dr. Barbara Barnett at barnettb@ku.edu by July 1.

Crisis & Risk Communications

• Managing The Crisis Through The Eyes of The Media: Avoiding the Second Tragedy – This One a Public Relations Fiasco, by Leiva, City of Kenner, Louisiana Office of Public Information and Emergency Preparedness, 5 Dec 2008

• Public Communications: Vital Link to Maintaining the Public’s Trust During Crisis, by Perini, Director of Public Affairs North American Aerospace Command and U.S. Northern Command
• Crisis Media Information and Interview Tips
• Crisis and Emergency Risk Communications: Best Practices, podcast from the CDC
• Communicating in a Crisis: Risk Communication Guidelines for Public Officials, from SAMHSA
• Crisis Communication: Planning and Procedures, USAID
• Managing the Media in Crisis Situations, chapter 13 of Community Crisis Response Team Training Manual: Second Edition, Office of Justice Program, Department of Justice

• Crisis Management: a Qualitative Case Study, by Glenn, U. of S. FL, 5 Apr 1999
  • "Through the very nature and definition of its profession, it would appear that a public relations professional is or should be a crisis specialist."
  • This paper examines various theories and supporting cases, such as Grunig and Hunt's four models of public relations.

• Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC), CDC
  • "an introductory course on risk communication, issues management, and crisis or disaster communication"
• Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) by Leaders for Leaders, CDC
  • This book gives leaders the tools to navigate the harsh realities of speaking to the public, media, partners and stakeholders during an intense public-safety emer-gency, including terrorism. In a crisis, the right message at the right time is a “resource multiplier”—it helps response officials get their job done. Many of the predictable harmful individual and community behaviors can be mitigated with effective crisis and emergency risk communication. Each crisis will carry its own psychological baggage. A leader must anticipate what mental stresses the popula-tion will be experiencing and apply appropriate communication strategies to attempt to manage these stresses in the population.
  • Five communication failures that kill operational success
    • Mixed messages from multiple experts
    • Information released late
    • Paternalistic attitudes
    • Not countering rumors and myths in real time
    • Public power struggles and confusion
  • Five communication steps for success
    • Execute a solid communication plan
    • Be the first source for information
    • Express empathy early
    • Show competence and expertise
    • Remain honest and open

• CDC Crisis Communication Plan briefing

• Public Communications: Vital Link to Maintaining the Public’s Trust During Crisis, by Perini, Dir of Public Affairs, NORAD

• Crisis Communication: a Commander's Guide to Effective Crisis Communication, by Woodyard, ACSC, 1998