Political Scandals, Professionalism, and Public Relations:

Best Practices & Lessons Learned

Political Scandals, Professionalism, and Public Relations:

Best Practices & Lessons LearnedDr. Hollie Smith, URIAASHTO Annual Meeting 2017

Mystic, CT May 8, 2017

OverviewOverview

• Framework for Crisis Communication

• Case Studies

• Best Practices & Takeaways

When is it a Crisis?When is it a Crisis?

Real physical risk

Public response

Peter SandmanModel for Crisis Communicationwww.psandman.com

Three types of crisisThree types of crisis

• Short-term political• Long-term transportation• Reputational

Short-term Crisis: BridgegateShort-term Crisis: BridgegateGetty Images

• Aug. 13, 2013: Deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly e-mails David Wildstein: “Time for some traffic problems at Fort Lee.”

• Sep. 7, 2013: Widstein writes to Kelly: “Will call Monday AM to let you know how Fort Lee goes.”

• Sep. 9, 2013: Two of three access lanes are closed, causing traffic chaos in Fort Lee (first day of school)

• Sep. 10, 2013: Complaints and requests for help

• Sep. 13, 2013: Port Authority Executive Director orders the lanes to be re-opened

• Late Sep, 2013: Port Authority says closures were part of a study but did not notify the public or Fort Lee ahead of time

• Dec, 2013: Multiple resignations at Christie’s office / Denied any wrongdoing / Sarcastic response

• Jan 21, 2014: Christie sworn in for second term

• 2014 - 2015: Investigation into involvement, Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni charged – “politically motivated closures”

• Nov 4, 2016: Top Christie aides Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni convicted on all counts

The Traffic JamThe Traffic Jam

Real physical risk

Public response

Front page of Asbury Park PressFront page of Asbury Park Press

The Traffic Jam AftermathThe Traffic Jam Aftermath

Real physical risk

Public response

PR ResponsePR Response

Denial

Evade Responsibility

Didn’t take it seriously

Key Lessons from BridgegateKey Lessons from Bridgegate

• Transparency is key

• Honesty is the best policy

• There is always a paper trail

• Admit any wrongdoing quickly, apologize, make corrective action – denial is not enough

Long-term Crisis: AtlantaLong-term Crisis: Atlanta

• March 31, 2017: Fire under I-85 causing bridge collapse

• 3 people arrested

The Bridge CollapseThe Bridge Collapse

Real physical risk

Public response

PR ResponsePR Response

• Proactive in shutting bridge down

• Georgia Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry responded quickly but generally – no specific deadlines or dates

• Corrective Action -Took responsibility for fixing it

What do we learn?Proactivity & Time Management Matters

What do we learn?Proactivity & Time Management Matters

• Immediate collaboration and response among agencies and communicators

• Safety first / immediate closure of bridge

• Fix it even if it’s not your responsibility

Key LessonsKey Lessons

• Proactive and quick response is key

• Have a plan for collaboration between state & federal agencies, emergency personnel, and elected officials

• Clear and unified messaging

• Offer other options

Reputational Crisis: United AirlinesReputational Crisis: United Airlines

• Sunday, April 9, 2017: Dr. David Dao forcibly removed from flight

• Immediate public outrage / even with little risk

United Flight 3411United Flight 3411

Real physical risk

Public response

PR Response 1Monday Afternoon: “An Upsetting Event”

PR Response 1Monday Afternoon: “An Upsetting Event”

“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened. We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation.”

– Oscar Munoz, CEO, United Airlines

PR Response 2Monday Evening: Internal Emails go Public

PR Response 2Monday Evening: Internal Emails go Public

“As you will read, this situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it became necessary to contact Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help. Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this. While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.”

PR Response 3Tuesday Morning: It’s Never Too Late

PR Response 3Tuesday Morning: It’s Never Too Late

“I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it

right…. It’s never too late to do the right thing.”

CEO Oscar MunozCEO Oscar Munoz

• PR Week Communicator of the Year 2016

• Stepping down

Public ResponsePublic Response

What do we learn?Internal & external communication is important

What do we learn?Internal & external communication is important

• Slow and insufficient public response

• Internal response denied responsibility

• Third response came after increased public outcry at lack of action taken

What else do we learn?Everyone is a journalistWhat else do we learn?Everyone is a journalist

• Social media culture

• Requires a heightened understanding of the complexity of audiences and interaction

• Advances the news cycle more quickly

Key LessonsKey Lessons

• Internal / External communication must match

• It doesn’t matter if it is your fault / take responsibility to fix it

• Address why the issue happened in the first place

• Respond directly the first time

Where the work happensWhere the work happens

Real physical risk

Public response

Planning & PracticingPlanning & Practicing

InternalReactive:• Who calls who• Who can make decisions• When to reach out to

other agencies

Proactive:• Building corporate

ExternalReactive:• Who is a spokesperson• Content guidelines for all

forms of media• What are the guidelines

for actionProactive:• Preparing statements and

communicators

Internal: Focus on Organizational CultureInternal: Focus on Organizational Culture

• Day-to-day decision making and habits– What is acceptable?– What is the process when someone makes a

mistake?– Collaborative, hostile, or neither?– Do people identify with their work?

External: Build relationships strategicallyExternal: Build relationships strategically

• Reporters, political officials, and others you might need

• Work on creating goodwill with the “public”

• Have communication channels ready with multiple audiences

Best Practices & PrinciplesBest Practices & Principles• Always be available in a crisis

• Never say “No Comment”

• Update your stakeholders / media as much as possible

• Put the media in contact with representatives

• Know the real work is before and after a crisis

Last TakeawaysLast Takeaways

1. Planning is absolutely necessary for a timely and professional response

2. Build and nurture the relationships you might need before you need them

3. Maintain open and clear communication before, throughout, and after the event

Thank you / QuestionsThank you / Questions

Dr. Hollie Smithholliesmith@uri.edu