In the wake of the Nov. 25, St. Louis County Grand Jury decision, residents of Ferguson and cities across America of all races and ethnicities are puzzled by the lack of transparency and preparedness of both county investigators and the city of Ferguson’s public relations (PR) efforts.
What some deem a “PR nightmare” for Ferguson has left the community angry.
Ferguson public relations team: internal madness
Just before the shooting of Brown, the Devin James Group, a minority-owned firm, was brought in by Ferguson city leaders to help market the town.
Devin James initially continued in his role as a public relations specialist, to bridge the racial divide between Blacks and whites. Ferguson also hired another firm, Common Ground.
However, some in the Black community expressed outrage on social media upon learning Common Ground was composed wholly of white employees. Then, James was fired and his $100,000 contract was abruptly revoked by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership after reports surfaced that he was found guilty of a fatal shooting many years prior.
For his part, James was quoted to the effect that his contract, which was terminated by “lack of transparency,” was sabotaged, claiming officials knew his history before his hire.
“My background was leaked for the purpose of getting me out of the picture because I can expose their B.S.,” said James who criticized Common Ground, claiming the white firm lacked a crisis communication plan and struggled to keep up with media demands.
Negative interaction with the media
Compounding these missteps, say critics, rather than partnering with the news media, Ferguson police arrested many members of the press and community leaders, resulting in negative news coverage. For example, two reporters from The Washington Post and The Huffington Post were arrested early on in the case as well as leaders such as prominent activist and academic Cornel West.
“As they took me into custody, the officers slammed me into a soda machine, at one point setting off the Coke dispenser. They put plastic cuffs on me, then they led me out the door,” wrote Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery in a blog post.
He continued: “‘I hope you’re happy with yourself,” one officer told me. And I responded: ‘This story’s going to get out there. It’s going to be on the front page of The Washington Post tomorrow.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, well, you’re going to be in my jail cell tonight.’”
Delay of key case information
After the Aug. 9 shooting, the community was given few details about what actually occurred, including the officer’s name. For “safety reasons” the Ferguson Police Department did not release the name of the involved officer until more than one week after the incident. After nine days of silence, Chief Thomas Jackson revealed Darren Wilson, a six-year veteran of the police force.
“I don’t think it was a bad thing the name wasn’t released, it was more of the timing,” said Denise Herd of Indianapolis-based Herd Strategies, a marketing and communications agency, who decried Ferguson for PR mismanagement and ineffective communication. “Sometimes you have to hold on to information when it is in the best interest of the public.”
Nearly a month and a half passed before Brown’s autopsy report was released, which some suggested, failed to match Wilson’s testimony. Others found the two provided similar evidence.
Ground shaking grand jury delivery
On the evening of Nov. 24, after coming in contact with more than 60 witnesses and after more than 15 weeks of deliberation, the officials released 24 volumes of material, which covered 23 meetings the grand jury held between Aug. 20 and Nov. 21.
The evening was much anticipated as hundreds of Ferguson residents dominated the streets with radios to learn the final verdict that was initially scheduled to be released mid-November. During the day of Nov. 24, officials said a decision had been made and would be announced at 9 p.m.
Tension built throughout the day as many awaited the ruling. While 9 p.m. was the scheduled time, the prosecutor did not begin to speak until around 9:15 p.m. Many news coverage segments frozen in the time of the decision displayed Ferguson citizens roaming the streets in terror, but lacked the display of sensitive emotion.
“I don’t think there was ever a good time of day for delivery so it had to be done with the best interest of the public in mind,” noted Herd. “There are other people who must be informed before the public including the family and the officer but perhaps it could have been a bit more strategic in the timing. You have people on all different time zones watching this but I can’t say I agree with the 9 p.m. time.”
She mentions the announcement was close to the Thanksgiving holiday, during the evening and on a school night. She believes the delivery could’ve been more powerful at an earlier time than the evening pertaining to safety.
Potent recommendations
While James made note that the public relations aspect of the case was undoubtedly chaotic, other firms feel as if the situation could have been handled differently.
“I think they waited too long to release information and it’s hard to say why when not being in the room. In the beginning they didn’t have a PR person managing their messaging and was doing it themselves then ended up hiring (Common Ground).”
According to Herd, The Devin James Group was initially referred to the city by Common Ground. She said sometimes in a time of crisis, at code red, there isn’t time to do a complete background check, the trust of a colleague is taken.
“Organizations – especially those in high-risk industries – should have a crisis communications plan in place before a crisis happens,” commented Jen Schmits Thomas, president of JTPR Inc. “A good crisis plan includes possible scenarios and what responses would take place in each. It also outlines the crisis team members and their roles, and everyone is prepared and ready to play their role so that when a crisis happens, the team is ready to jump into action.”
Crisis management
While Schmits Thomas and Herd agree that every business should have a crisis communication plan, including a point person, because emergencies ignite at rapid paces, it is important to correct misinformation.
“During a crisis, it’s critical to provide accurate information as soon as possible. When there’s an information void, someone is going to fill the void with misinformation and/or speculation,” said Schmits Thomas. “You want to stay in front of the information and not find yourself responding to inaccuracies. Even if you have very little information confirmed, provide updates on what you do know. So even if all you can say is, ‘We’re continuing to investigate the situation,’ say it. Failing to provide updates or saying, ‘No comment’ creates the impression of confusion, guilt and/or wrongdoing.”
