DPK Public Relations Featured in COVID-19 News
When America's journalists want to offer their readers and viewers analysis related to crisis communications planning and response, they turn to DPK Public Relations. Below are links to some of the recent news stories that offered guidance for how to communicate in a public health crisis.
Coronavirus in Florida: DeSantis junks tested storm briefings playbook. Why?
Palm Beach Post
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200410/coronavirus-in-florida-desantis-junks-tested-storm-briefings-playbook-why
“One of the key functions of having visibility in times like this is being able to report public health information, but, also, by doing so, you are building trust with the public,” said Dan Keeney, president of DPK Public Relations and an expert in crisis management. “It’s either an opportunity seized or an opportunity missed.”
Especially when the public is facing a variety of challenges and concerns. Troubles with the state’s unemployment benefits process have been well-documented. There has been confusion about testing for COVID-19. Panic buying has left retailers bereft of supplies like paper towels and a meme-inducing shortage of toilet paper.
Keeney and others said there are reasons leaders may opt to lay low in times of crisis. One is that they simply lack answers. It is a strategy, he points out, which has been adopted by more U.S. governors than just DeSantis.
Why and how communicators must address the coronavirus outbreak
Ragan.com
https://www.ragan.com/why-and-how-communicators-must-address-the-coronavirus-outbreak/
The coronavirus outbreak brings back memories of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Dallas, says Daniel Keeney, founder and president of DPK Public Relations. Some of the same healthcare management and communications mistakes committed in 2014 are being repeated in the coronavirus situation. Drawing on an analysis of the Ebola crisis by Kathleen Lewton, principle with Lewton, Seekins & Trester LLC, Keeney offers these recommendations:
Know the facts before you speak. Early in both the Ebola and coronavirus outbreaks, health experts knew very little about the disease and how they spread. As the coronavirus started spreading, political leaders, including Washington Governor Jay Inslee and President Trump, issued unrealistically positive public statements. Even now, it’s not known how easily or rapidly the virus spreads, partly because information from China is unreliable. Organizations affected by the handful of coronavirus cases in the U.S. are employing strict measures to prevent spread from the infected patients.
Don’t be pressured into releasing information. The media’s appetite for information is insatiable. Don’t allow journalists’ complaints about lack of transparency pressure you into releasing information you’ll later regret. Focus on responding to and correcting inaccurate statements on Twitter and other social channels rather than worrying if a journalist feels slighted.
Communicating is critical but is no substitute for training. Staff members at hospitals admitting the first Ebola patients were not trained in fundamental aspects of Ebola patient care. Since the Ebola outbreak, U.S. hospitals have implemented more training in dealing with patients with infectious disease. Businesses, too, must offer training to employees in risk prevention, including frequent and thorough hand-washing. It also helps prevent the common flu.
Coronavirus: Be informed & be prepared so as to live
Chronicle
https://www.chronicle.co.zw/coronavirus-be-informed-be-prepared-so-as-to-live/
We can draw lessons from the Ebola outbreak in 2014, says Daniel Keeney, founder and president of DPK Public Relations. This will help making the same healthcare management and communications mistakes committed then from being repeated in the coronavirus situation.
In his wisdom, Keeney offers these recommendations:
Know the facts before you speak. One of my teachers used to implore us to engage our brains before we spoke. In this case, get your facts right first before you go viral.
“Early in both the Ebola and coronavirus outbreaks, health experts knew very little about the disease and how they spread. As the coronavirus started spreading, political leaders, including Washington Governor Jay Inslee and President Trump, issued unrealistically positive public statements,” Keeney observes.
Information should be from reliable sources, finish and klaar!
Don’t be pressured into releasing information. The media’s appetite for information is well known. Journalists put pressure on authorities to release information even when it is half baked. The focus should be on responding to and correcting inaccurate statements on Twitter and other social channels rather than worrying if journalists feel ignored.
Communicating is critical but is no substitute for training. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw top local health personnel engaging in training on how to handle the outbreak at a local hotel. I am told that the training was to be cascaded to lower level health workers in preparation from a possible outbreak.
Photo Credit: Olgierd Rudak