Case Study
You are the Media Relations Director for Abbott-Northwestern Hospital. You were awakened at 3:00 this morning by the head of the Physical Plant for the hospital who told you that heavy overnight rains had caused extensive flooding at the hospital, knocking out electrical generating equipment. You rushed into work where you were already getting calls from worried administrators, patients and families of patients, and the news media.
It is now 6:00 a.m. In order to control the flow of information and to keep from having to repeat yourself to every caller you have decided to issue a statement to the media.
Here are the facts as you have been able to gather them:
• All non-emergency patient surgeries scheduled for today (July 3) have been canceled.
• All patients requiring emergency surgery are being or have been transferred to other hospitals.
• Further statements will be issued on a regular basis.
• Patient wards are operating on emergency backup power only (power available for instrumentation and limited lighting).
• Surface flooding from streets and backup of storm sewers was detected around 2:30 a.m.
• Basement generators were automatically shut down as a safety precaution. It is not clear how extensively they are damaged.
• No one has been injured.
• An information line has been set up at 933-6027.
• No estimate for return of full electrical service has been made. Engineers are assessing situation at this time.
• There are no plans at this time for any large-scale evacuation of patients.
• All out-patient services scheduled for today have been canceled.
• All staff are asked to report for their shifts as usual.
Write the news release. Consider the following issues.
1. Who are your audiences?
2. What are the needs of your primary audience(s)?
3. How can you facilitate transmission of this message for your secondary audience(s)?
4. What is the most important information? (which should be first?)
5. What is the least important information? (which should be last or not used?)
6. Can you think of anything else that you would want to find out before you write your news release? (If so you can add other information that you think is important.)
|