Week 8

Unit VIII Assignment

Introduction

Media Relations

The news media are any organization's link to the public. The media is an extremely efficient and viral source of communication that is capable of spreading information very swiftly. It is imperative for any organization to have an effective media relations plan to counter any situation that may arise. The plan needs to be comprehensive and well explained regarding emergency counter measures. (WHO, 2005)Discussion We are faced with a scenario that a flood has struck a major city and has covered more than 40 percent of the city, and our media relation plan is as follows: Goals and objectives We are committed to provide accurate and specific information regarding the disaster that has struck the city. Our goals regarding the media report are as follows: 1. We aim to deliver accurate, appropriate, clear and credible information about the impact of the disaster. 2. Providing information to the public, media and all other interested and concerned parties before the event, so that they are well educated and better equipped to respond. 3. Confronting rumors and disinformation through regular reporting of events and information. 4. Comprehensive assessment of the affected areas, so to clearly assess the level of damage and analyze measures for response. 5. Conduct of a professional rescue task, in order to save those in grave and perilous situation.The objectives are very clear with regards to countering the situation. These have been described below: 1. The public has accurate, and correct information regarding damage caused by the disaster and has not been victims of rumor-mongering. 2. The public has been educated and have taken measures according to the recommendations provided by the media team. 3. Maximum number of victims has been rescued or provided relevant medical aid and has been evacuated to a safe location. 4. The attitude of the public is changed and is of responsible and calm nature, due to the well-structured path in the emergency. Media Contact source The dissemination of accurate and credible information is absolutely essential for a successful action in the face of disaster. Therefore, it is necessary that the media collects information from a reliable and relevant source. In order to meet this requirement, we have appointed two officials responsible for delivery of all types of news and updates regarding the disaster to the media. One is the Public Information Officer, (PIO) and the other is the media spokesperson. Any information disseminated apart from these official sources, would be considered unreliable, false and of no worth (The Hartford, 2000) Plan of Action Our plan to confront and resolve the situation is very clear. The first and foremost task is to launch an aerial surveillance of the areas damaged by the flood. The purpose of this is to have an initial damage assessment so that necessary action and required measures are taken. The second part is the launch of a rescue mission by the concerned trained professionals so that all those affected and likely to be affected by the disaster ...