The fear of flu

The growing debate surrounding Swine Flu, or should I say Influenza A, or even H1N1, has turned to the media handling of this event, causing many to argue that it has been overhyped. So as consumers of media become more analytical and savvy, how do we know which media to trust and will this become a case of crying wolf? Many argue that other viruses such as SARS were hyped so the news is now falling on deaf ears. We’ve had the credit crunch spreading through the papers for months now; this is something new.

Maureen Taylor, previously the national medical reporter for CBC Television News, gave some timely advice to journalists in a recent article in which she advises against predicting outcomes. Radio 2 recently discussed the ‘worst case scenario’ and the Guardian ran the headline ‘Up to 1.2 million could be hospitalized in Britain in event of pandemic’. Hardly reassuring news and it is speculation not fact, as we continuously hear of the ‘possible’ pandemic. Thomas Abraham, spokesman for the WHO added: ‘We have consistently said a pandemic is imminent’ but the outcome is about as uncertain as the name we are meant to use for the virus, so why does the British media assume the worst? The fact is it makes a more dramatic story than the news that 27 people in Britain have the virus and seem to be okay.

The US government are now saying that it will be ‘less severe than feared’ yet despite having fewer cases and no deaths, we in Britain remain more cautious with Sir Liam Donaldson calling this ‘premature’. Perhaps it’s a cultural difference that we prefer to focus on the negative. Maureen writes that she doesn’t feel the Canadian media hyped SARS and it would be interesting to compare this with the reporting in the UK.

Our media industry analysis at Mediatrack for clients around the globe often calls for a comparison of markets and how the media report international events. What is clear about Swine Flu is that readers are losing a degree of faith and trust in the media they read, posing a bigger threat to the future of public relations, which is not to be sneezed at.

The value of evaluation

In the words of Francis Ingham, PRCA director general: “the best way to fight budget cuts is to demonstrate the value you are adding.” It is certainly encouraging to see that as the PR industry matures, more MDs are recognising the need for evaluation; a survey complied by the PRCA revealed that 84 per cent consider it “very important to the credibility of PR”. We couldn’t agree more.

You would be forgiven for thinking, we would say that. Yet we are finding that as the recession overshadows business it is ever more crucial to be aware of factors affecting reputation. Many organizations are fighting a crisis in confidence so it is key to send out the right signals to your audience.

Media industry analysis will soon tell you which areas of your strategy are working, as well as identifying those that aren’t. It might be that you choose to condense your source list to the titles that really matter to your audiences because targeted, quality measurement is more relevant. It’s also crucial to hone your messages and channel resources effectively to weather the storm.

A few words say it all

To mark Gordon Brown’s first year in office, The Guardian published the article ‘Brownspeak: the year in words’ which takes a look at his statements in response to key events throughout the last, shall we say eventful, year. As experts in media industry analysis we are naturally adept at evaluating key messages and have identified a telling change in tone during this ‘year in words’. What starts as a confident, determined, moralistic tone becomes progressively more apologetic and uncertain as times goes on with the latest comment regarding the elections starting on the vague note “perhaps”.

Perhaps it’s time for Gordon to employ some tactics of crisis public relations as his reputation is in trouble and therefore strong, honest statements are called for. As journalist Jackie Ashley comments: “Inside No 10, they are planning for a new autumn offensive. Brown's core theme will be pared back to "fairness" and he will try to admit his mistakes more openly and, in effect, ask for a second chance.” Let’s see what he has to say as his second year in office unfolds.

In May 2007 on announcing his taking over of the premiership
My father was a minister of the church. For me, my parents were - and their inspiration still is - my moral compass.'

In Downing Street as prime minister, June 27
'On this day I remember words that have stayed with me since my childhood and which matter a great deal to me today, my school motto: "I will try my utmost."

First speech to Labour conference as PM, September 24
'This is our vision: Britain leading the global economy by our skills and creativity...drawing on the talents of all to create British jobs for British workers.'

On the election that never was, October 9
'I considered an election but my first instinct is always to keep on with the job of governing and to set out my vision for the future.'

On the nationalisation of Northern Rock, February 18
'The right move at the right time for the right reasons'

On the U-turn over scrapping the 10p tax band, April 23
'I don't think I've been pushed about at all. What I've done is listen and made the right long-term decision.

On disaster in the local elections, May 4
Perhaps I've spent too little time thinking about how we can get our arguments across to the public.

To the suggestion he might step down, May 4
I am resolute and determined, and I've got convictions and ideas, and I'm not going to be put off by a few days' headlines.