Being in public relations, I have noticed a number of things including the obvious inconsistent statements between the DA, LE and the Coroner, but I am not as bothered by that. It does not signal incompetency or a bothched investigation. What you have is three different organizations giving out inconsistent information. What it does show is inexperience dealing with the media. It's one thing to be interviewed by your local newspaper, but being interviewed by these NATIONAL cable channels can be very intimidating for someone with little experience doing media interviews. You also have people being interviewed who are not "sticking to the script. When a person being interviewed is nervous or intimidated, they start ad libbing, giving their own opinions, getting tangled up when they say something they weren't supposed to say and then, they say more trying to get themselves untangled. The spokesperson should have scripted talking points and they do not deviate from the script. They stay on point.
In a crisis, there should always be ONE spokesperson. In high profile cases, it should be the police chief or sheriff or the head of the state or federal bureau of investigation - typically, they will jointly coordinate to determine who will serve as the spokesperson and how and when information will be released.
Although many organizations have a public information officer which is what I was, that person should not be the spokesperson in a case this big. The PIO should handle written statements, coordinate logistics, handle media calls, requests for interviews, social media posts and drafting news releases. Unless your PIO is in on EVERY single detail and is savvy enough to know what to say and what not to say, that person should not be your spokesperson in such a high profile case. All official communications should be cleared through one primary information source.
The reasons this case blew up so big in the media are as follows:
1) Brutal, quadruple murder - it's a horrible crime that the public desperately wants to be solved.
2) November sweeps - There are 4 months of the year when television stations' ratings are measured. Higher ratings equals higher advertising revenue. Sweeps months are February, May, July and November. If you think of your favorite TV shows, they have their "cliff hangers" or biggest storylines in these months. The Fall season of TV shows usually starts in September and ends at the end of November. Then, the shows start again in late January and end in May. Sweeps is a BIG DEAL for EVERY TV news station.
Producers and reporters start working on investigative stories for November sweeps as early as August. With this crime happening in November, TV news channels had NO TIME to plan and investigate. They had to put stories on the air immediately. And now, that the story is so big, they have had to come up with new content EVERY night. Hence the intense media interest.
I have appreciated the reporter who posts on this forum - Bryan Entin (spelling?) because he is REALLY working the story. He is getting good interviews and staying on top of details, instead of just slapping a sensational story together to get it on the air as fast as he can. There are many reporters who will sell their soul for a BIG sweeps story because they want to make a name for themselves.The best reporters are those who gain the trust of the families or other sources and they treat that source with the utmost respect and never betray something they may have been told in confidence or off the record.
3) Attractive victims - it's unfortunate that victims of crime who are blonde and beautiful get more media coverage -- think of the cases of Natalee Holloway and Elizabeth Smart.
4) Victims whose lives were shared on social media - The social media accounts of the victims are a treasure trove of overshared information, photos, lifestyles, habits and friends -- all of this information allow reporters and the general public to scrutinize every detail of their lives.
5) TV dramas - These shows magically gather all the evidence, get it processed, determined who the perp is and solve the crime all in one hour. Thus, the general public expects cases to be solved in a short period of time - especially given the wealth of information available digitally today.
How Major Stories Unfold
1) These are the elements of a good investigative TV story - which is a VISUAL medium -- 1) a victim or someone who speaks for the victim such as family members, 2) a subject matter expert (hence the former FBI, former police talking heads that you see on cable, and 3) Interviews with #1 and #2 and photos and videos of the victims, the investigation, the memorials, etc.
2) There are sequences to a crisis that reporters will share with their audience: 1) What happened? 2) How did it happen? Why did it happen? 4) Whose responsible? 5) How do you prevent it from happening again?
What has surprised me about the media coverage of this case:
1) No police leaks: Reporters CULTIVATE relationships with members of law enforcement year-round so that they can get information from a confidential source, a person who has asked to remain anonymous, a credible source, etc. There have been NO police leaks in this case which means that they have a TIGHT LID on information. By now, there could have been leaks about who the prime suspect is and details about the crime itself. But there have been NO leaks which is amazing.
Example, I worked for a County Manager (the highest paid county official). We had an inmate in our jail which was located ACROSS THE STREET from our office murder another inmate at 7 AM that morning. I (the PIO) FOUND OUT about the murder when a REPORTER called us for comment at 4 PM. I went to the County Manager's office to ask him about the murder and he had not been notified by the Sheriff, but he and I both found out about it from a reporter who had an inside source in the Sheriff's department.
www.yahoo.com
