MEDIA RELATIONS

asr2015
MEDIA RELATIONS
 
Media relations may well be considered
as one of the greatest challenges
confronting law enforcement today. Not
only the Philippine National Police (PNP),
but every police department in the world
is faced with the daunting task of dealing
with the ever-critical members of the
media.
MEDIA RELATIONS …..
Most people from their impressions of
crime and the justice system from media
accounts. In the case of the PNP, media
coverage of the police had been difficult
through the years because of the tendency
of the press to give more focus on the
negative aspects of law enforcement. This
has resulted in sweeping judgments of the
community towards the police further
tarnishing the organization’s reputation.
MEDIA RELATIONS ……
The PNP Media relations activity is
consistent with the policy of rational
transparency in all police activities, and of
upholding the rights of the people to be
informed on matters of public interest. It
seeks to establish the specific guidelines
on how every member of the PNP should
deal with members of the media,
especially in releasing public information.
MEDIA RELATIONS ….
This also aims to re-orient and further
motivate every PNP Personnel to be
cognizant of the importance of a good
working relationship with the media as
vital component of the organization’s
overall police community relations with
utmost awareness of the limits of
disclosure of information.
Understanding Media Relations

Media Relations refers to how the police

refer to how the police deal and interact
with members of the working press and
how the media respond to them. It also
means establishing and maintaining
meaningful working relationship with
the media
Why is Media Relations Important?
Media accounts affect how people form their impression of
the police or any public office, efficient or not, effective or
not, credible or not;
Public perception about the police and its members affects
how the community deal with them, trusting or not,
supportive or not;
In order to build good media relations, it is a must that the
police get to know and understand the media, as well as
learn what cops and reporters have in common.
It is therefore important to foster good media relations.
Thus, in order to build good relations –it is a must that the
Police get to know and understand the media, and vice-
versa, the media needs to know and understand the police
Understanding the Media
It is important that law enforcement officers
understand the impact of media on police
work.
There is a need to acknowledge that although
critical to the police, most media reports are
occasionally justified.
 It is unfair for the police to stereotype all
members of the press as anti-cop.
In reality, police-media relations is still
mutually supportive
PNP Media Relations Policy
Signed by the CPNP on 21 November 2006 (MC
2006-022)
Aims to establish guidelines on how the PNP deal
with the media, especially in releasing public
information.
Aims to motivate every PNP personnel to establish
a good working relationship with the media.
Every member of the PNP should know what to do
and the best guide is the media relations policy.
PNP Media Relations Policy
The media relations policy provides the guidelines
on how to deal with the media.
It contains the procedure in releasing information –
on what information can be or cannot be given out to
the media, on: intelligence information, investigative
and non-investigative information on criminal and
SOCO matters, as well as on internal investigation of
PNP officers.
Guides the PNP on what to do and how to respond to
the media in times of crisis/ emergency situations.
Guides the PNP on how to handle bad news.
 
HANDLING MEDIA EVENT
Authorized/accredited media representatives will
be allowed reasonable access to the PIO and the
unit head / chief as governed by existing policies.
In cases when information must be
denied/withheld to the press, the basis for such
shall be fully and courteously explained.
The PNP recognizes authorized identification
from all legitimate local, national and
international news organizations. In cases when
any media representative fails to present
authorized identification, it may be used as
ground for restricting access to requested
information or to incident scenes.
HANDLING MEDIA EVENT
Public information shall be released to the media as
promptly as circumstances allow, objectively and
without partiality.
A media representative may be given Information
through telephone if his/her identity is known or
can be authenticated.
Ranking officers at crime or incident scenes may
provide factual information to the media as
governed by the policy (MC 2006-022,dated
November 21, 2006). But when the officer is
unsure of the facts or the propriety of releasing
information, he shall refer the inquiry to the PIO.
HANDLING MEDIA EVENT

During an inter-agency operation, the agency with

primary jurisdiction will determine the dissemination of
appropriate press releases. The information shall
recognize all assisting agencies.
Written press statements shall be approved first by the
chief or his designee before it can be disseminated to
media.
The Chief, Operations Center shall see to it that the
Chief, PNP and the Chief, PIO are properly informed of
events that may have media interest.
The PNP will be consistent in issuing information to the
media for public dissemination.
Public Information: Techniques, Approaches and
Strategies

1. TECHNIQUES:

a. Build Media Relationships

b. Release News and Only News
c. Practice Interviewing
d. Adjust with the Times
e. Use Different Strategies
f. Prepare for a Crisis
2. APPROACHES:
a. Speaker’s Bureaus
b. Reaching the public through technology and websites
•Television
• Radio
• Audio Visual Presentations
• Mobile services
• Informative websites that invites the public’s involvement
c. Reaching the public through informative materials
• Newsletters
• Newspaper columns
• Flyers
• Brochures
• Tarpaulin/Streamer Displays
• Media Campaign
d. Civic Education for the Youth
3. STRATEGIES
a. Take responsibility as a communicator for being the face
and voice of your organization.
b. Create visionary messages that people will find
captivating.
c. Communicate your messages through a clever story.
d. Get to the point quickly and clearly, using words we all
understand.
e. Interweave your messages throughout all levels of your
organization, like a beacon shining on a path to enhance
understanding.
f. Be consistent, timely, truthful and relevant in your
messages.
g. Avoid talking about your organization, instead of talking
about the value of what your organization does.
 Procedures in Preparing Effective Public
Information for Programs and Projects
1. Know your organization’s or target
audience’s current situation.
2. Know your resources.
3. Know your objectives and goals.
4. Know and define your target audience.
5. List messages and strategies you will use to
reach the target audiences you defined.
Procedures in Preparing Effective Public
Information for Programs and Projects

6. Define the tactics you will use to make the

strategies you've listed a reality.
7. Create a time-line for implementation.
8. Delegate obligations and responsibilities to
your team to ensure all parts of the plan are
completed.
9. Create measurements of results/ success.
10. Review the plan after implementation and
conclusion of the plan.
Best Practices In Public Information

1. Police Information and Continuing

Education (PICE)
2. PNP Summit for High School
Writers/Editors
3. Seminar Workshop on Basic Video Editing
4. Production and Distribution of
Informative Materials
5. BASIC NEWSWRITING/ WRITING
THE PRESS RELEASES
ABC’s Of News writing
A- accuracy
A false news story undercuts the public trust.
Check numbers, spelling of names, who said what and other basic.
Facts
A story can be creative and compelling, but if it contains errors, it is worthless.
 B- brevity
Each word in your story should do a job. If not, take it out
Get to the point. Say it just once. Don’t be redundant
Don’t say “8AM in the morning”, since 8 A.M. is in the morning. Just say
8 A.M. or 8 in the morning
C- clarity
Starts with complete, competent reporting
Understand your subject so completely that your story leaves it crystal
clear in the reader’s mind
The story should leave no questions unanswered
Explain anything that would not be obvious to the average person
Facts of the Story
The news release should be able to answer or
give information on the following questions:
 
Who
What
When
Where
How
So What
News Values
 Impact- determined by the number of people
affected.
• Proximity- the closer your audience is to the
event, the greater its news value.
• Timeliness- news, like fish, is better fresh
• Prominence- the persons involved
• Novelty- if an event is unusual, bizarre, the first,
the last, or once in a lifetime.
• Relevance- how does the story affect the reader?
• Usefulness- how can I use this information?
• Human Interest- if people are talking about it, its
news.
News making Events

Major accomplishments
New campaign, major operation
Crime incidents
Designation of PIO/SPOKESPERSON

There shall be a designated Public Information

Officer/official spokesperson at every Regional
Office and National Support Unit (NSU).

Responsibility of the Unit Commander

Generally, it is the responsibility of any unit
head/chief to respond to queries raised by the
press, as well as decide on what stories or press
releases would be given out to the media. He may
delegate this responsibility to the unit
PIO/spokesperson.
Duties of the PIO
The PNP/unit PIO at all levels is available to:
a. Assist the news media particularly in covering
routine news stories
b. Be present at the scene of major incidents
c. Prepare and distribute news releases
d. Arrange for, and assist at, news/press conferences
e. Coordinate and authorize the announcement of
information about victims, witnesses and
suspects
f. Assist in crisis situations handled by his unit
 Duties of the PIO
g. Coordinate the release of information that concerns
confidential police operations and/or investigations
h. Serve as the official liaison between media
representatives and the different PNP units and assist
other officers/personnel in dealing with the media
i. Coordinate all public information activities of the PNP
and its different units
j. Identify news agencies and keep a roster of media
reporters (including addresses and contact numbers), and
k. Establish and maintain guidelines and procedures on the
accreditation of reporters and the issuance of media
passes for uniform application by all PNP units/offices
(when necessary);
 Roles of Public Information Officer
1) Know the media
2) Engage the media
3) Tell the story—good or bad, accurate and
timely
4) Ensure that all information provided to
internal or external audience is accurate.
5) Take appropriate action to correct erroneous
information that appears in any medium.
6) Avoid information classified in the interest of
national security
 Media Accreditation Process

A media representative wishing to cover/gather news

information about the PNP shall have to:
1) Submit to the PIO a Certificate of Endorsement
from his/her editor/station manager.
2) In the case of foreign media, an accreditation from
the International Press Center (IPC) must be
presented to the PIO, while freelances must submit
their letter of intent.
3) Fill out the Media Personnel Information (MPI)
form to be provided by the PIO.
How To Deal With the Media
1. Authorized/accredited media representatives will be allowed reasonable
access to the PIO and the unit head/chief as governed by existing
policies. In cases when information must be denied/withheld to the press,
the basis for such shall be fully and courteously explained.
2. The PNP recognizes authorized identification from all legitimate local,
national and international news organizations. In cases when any media
representative fails to present an authorized identification, it may be used
as ground for restricting access to requested information or to incident
scenes.
3. Public information shall be released to the media as promptly as
circumstances allow, objectively and without partiality.
4. A media representative may be given information through telephone if
his/her identity is known or can be authenticated.
5. Ranking officers at crime or incident scenes may provide factual
information to the media as governed by this policy. But, when the officer
is unsure of the facts or the propriety of releasing information, he shall
refer the inquiry to the PIO.
How To Deal With the Media
6. When it is an inter-agency operation, the department/agency with
primary jurisdiction will determine the dissemination of appropriate
press statements/releases.
The PNP will issue statements consistent with this policy when it is
the agency with primary jurisdiction. The information shall
recognize all other assisting agencies.
7. Written press statements shall be first approved by the unit
head/chief of his designee before it can be disseminated to the
media.
8. The PNP communications center shall immediately inform the
Chief, Operations Center upon receipt of information about events
or activities that may call media attention.
9. The Chief, Operations Center shall see to it that the C, PNP and the
C, PIO is properly informed of events that may have media interest.
10. The PNP will be consistent in issuing information to the media for
public dissemination.
Releasing Information to the Media

1. Intelligence Information
While it is the policy of the PNP to
cooperate fully with the media, it may
keep from the press those regarded as
active or classified such as ―criminal
information of intelligence value.
Releasing Information to the Media
2. Non-Investigative Information
The PNP allows the release of information of
a general nature which is not specific to an on-
going investigation.
3. Investigative Information
From the initial stage of a criminal
investigation until the completion of trial or
disposition without trial, police personnel shall
refer all requests for information to the Head
of Office or his designee.
Releasing Information to the Media
4. Arrest Information

A) Following arrest, issuance of an arrest warrant or filling of

an information or indictment, it is permissible to release:
a) the name, age, residence, occupation and family status accused;
b) the time and place of arrest, whether pursuit or resistance or
resistance was encountered, whether weapons were used, charges
placed against the suspect and description of contraband seized;
c) the identity of the arresting officers and the duration of the
investigation unless the officers are engaged in undercover
operations; and
d) the amount of bond, scheduled court dates and place of the
suspect’s detention.
Releasing Information to the Media
B) Following arrest and formal charging of a suspect, but prior
to adjudication, the following types of information should not
be released without express permission of the unit head/chief:
a) Prior criminal conviction record, character or reputation of a
defendant;
b) Existence or contents of any confession, admission or statement of
a defendant, or his failure or unwillingness to make a statement;
c) Performance or results of any tests, or a defendant’s refusal or
failure to submit to tests such as polygraph;
d) Identity, statement or expected testimony of any witness or victim;
e) Any opinion about the guilt or innocence of a defendant or the
merits of the case; and
f) Any opinion or knowledge of the potential for a plea bargain or
other pre-trial action.
 Releasing Information to the Media
5. Special Considerations – In Criminal Matters
a) PNP personnel shall extend every reasonable courtesy to news media representatives at crime the
scenes. This may include closer access of personnel and equipment than available to the general
public to the degree that it does not interfere with the police mission or the movement of traffic.
b) At the scene of such crimes as hostage and barricaded situations, the Officer-in-Charge shall
designate a preliminary press area as early as possible and as close to the scene as safety and
operational requirements allow.
c) In cases where a suicide or suspected suicide has occurred, only factual information describing
how the incident happened may be released to the media. The name, age, address, sex and
occupation of the victim may also be released but only after the suicide’s next of kin had been
duly informed of the incident. The fact that a suicide note exists may also be acknowledged
without further comment. The content of such notes is personal and confidential, and shall not be
released except as provided by law.
d) Suspects or accused persons in custody shall not be posed or arrangements made for
photographs, telecasts or interviews, nor shall departmental personnel pose with suspects or
accused persons in custody until after investigation has been conducted.
f) When an individual is charged with a criminal offense and is sought by law enforcement
authorities, photographs may be released to the media to help locate the individual. No
departmental photographs, videotape film or composites of subjects in custody shall otherwise be
released to the media unless authorized by the departmental
Releasing Information to the Media
6. Special Considerations – In SOCO Matters
a) The news media shall not be allowed access to any
area of scene of an incident or crime where there is a
possibility that evidence may be damaged, altered,
destroyed or otherwise prejudiced by its existence
being published or portrayed
b) When the Investigator-on-Case or Scene of the Crime
Operatives (SOCO) have finished processing the crime
scene and have secured all evidence, members of the
news media may be allowed to enter the area and take
footages/photographs of the scene upon permission of
the on-scene commander or SOCO team leader.
Releasing Information to the Media
c) Recovered/collected items/evidence may be presented to
the news media only after the same had been processed,
accounted and turned over to the evidence custodian.
d) On private property, photography, film or videotape
recording mustrequire the permission of the owner or the
owner’s representative.
e) Information such as type and quantity or property taken
during robbery incidents may be released by the
SOCO/first responders/investigators at crime scenes but
beyond that, the first responders/Investigator-on-Case
must avoid giving premature information that may affect
the result of the investigation to the news media.
 Releasing Information to the Media
7. Special Considerations – In Non-criminal Matters

1) At the scene of significant accidents, man- made or natural catastrophes,

the principles of media cooperation shall be maintained to the degree that
they do not interfere with the mission of the police, fire, and medical or
other emergency relief workers.
2) Media access to and movement within fire lines shall be controlled by the
Fire Officer-in-Charge. In consultation with the fire officer in charge, the
ranking police officer at the scene shall establish an observation point
from which the media may observe and photograph the incident.
3) News media representatives should be prevented from access to any area
because of the possibility of their injury or death. The PIO should explain
the circumstances of the situation and in case the media insist entry in the
area, the concerned media must execute in writing that he was informed of
the risk and access in the said area is his own volition.
Releasing Information to the Media
4) Daily administrative reports of criminal activity will be made
available on a routine basis to media representatives. Statistical reports
of criminal activity will also be made available to the media.
5) Media representatives shall be denied access to the contents of
investigative or incident reports and records where release of the
information would:
a) interfere with law enforcement proceedings, including pending
investigations;
b) deprive a person of the right to a fair trial or an impartial adjudication,
or give one party to a controversy an undue advantage by exclusive
access to such information;
c) constitute an unwarranted invasion of the personal privacy rights of
another person;
d) reveal the identity of an individual who has furnished information to
the department under confidential circumstances;
Releasing Information to the Media
e) disclose investigative techniques and procedures, thereby impairing
future effectiveness of the department;
f) endanger the life or physical safety of any person;
h) internal investigation of PNP officers - sensitive information concerning
the internal investigation of any officer or member of the PNP shall not
be released to the media without prior approval/permission of the C, PNP
or the Chief of Police or his designee.
i) Daily Activity Reports and other concerns - The PNP will make available
to authorized/accredited members of the media on a routine basis, its
daily activity reports. If and when a conflict between a member of the
PNP and a representative of the media arises, the parties involved are
encouraged to inform the PIO or his deputy for resolution. If a member of
the media wishes to speak with an individual officer, the request should
be coursed through the PIO or his designee, who shall then determine the
availability of the officer. However, if possible, such request should be
made in advance. Officers are expected to cooperate with the media
representative to the extent of this policy.
 CRISIS AND THE MEDIA
  With The Media During Crisis/Emergency Situations
Dealing
1. Crisis Situations
a) In times of crisis/emergency situations, the police assume
different levels. When crisis arises out of man-made
emergencies, the Peace and Order Council, at the
appropriate level, where the Chief of Police or
District/Provincial/Regional Commanders are members of,
shall be the organizational body that shall primarily act on
the crisis situation.
b) When a crisis results from aircraft hijacking, disturbances
in the civil aviation of terrorism that has national
significance, the responsibility lies with the National Action
Committee on Anti-Hijacking and Anti-Terrorism Council.
In such cases, the local police may be called upon in
assisting capacity.
 CRISIS AND THE MEDIA

c) For crisis arising out of natural disasters or calamities,

it is the National Disaster and Risk Reduction
Management Council and its subordinate entities that
assume primary responsibility. Again, in such cases,
the local police unity may be called upon to assist.
d) It is in crisis or emergencies resulting from peace and
order problems such as terrorism and criminality
where the police organization assumes a primary role.
In such instances, it is also the primary responsibility
of the PNP to inform the public through the media, of
the situation, without jeopardizing ongoing efforts at
managing the crisis or emergency situation.
CRISIS AND THE MEDIA

To adequately prepare for crisis, a

proactive strategy based on containment
and counteraction rather than a reactive
strategy based on hesitation, denial, or
confrontation must be developed.
2. Types of crisis/ emergency

a) Man-made crisis/emergencies
Civil Disturbance: labor strikes/demonstrations, riots, anarchy
Welga ng Bayan (transport, fuel, etc)
• Revolt: mutiny, insurrection, coup d’état Revolution
• Border Incident
• War: conventional, non-conventional,
chemical/biological/ radiological warfare
• Kidnapping
• Hijacking
• Hostage-Taking
• Terrorist activities (bombing, assassination/liquidation,
extortion, etc.)
 
b) Natural crisis/emergencies
•Fire
•Marine/Air, Land and Sea Disasters
•Structural Collapse
•Hazardous Spills
•Utilities Failure (power, water, telephone)
•Nuclear Incidents
•Food Scarcity/Famine
•Fuel Shortage
•Pestilence/Epidemic
•Floods, Landslides and Mud Flow
•Volcanic Eruption
•Earthquake
•Tidal Wave
•Typhoons
•Drought
3. What the spokesperson can do during crisis
There are several things that a PIO/spokesperson can
do in times of crisis. One is to ―stonewall it‖: Deny
that a crisis exists, refuse to answer media questions
or simply ignore the issue. However, although silence
may work in some cases, this kind of behavior
suggest a ―public-be-damned‖ attitude that could
harm the PNP’s goodwill with the public.
Another option is to ―manage‖ the news about the
crisis by releasing partial, often inaccurate, and
delayed information while concealing especially
unfavorable acts. Make sure, however, that any
attempt to cover up the issue do not leak to the media
as this could shatter the spokesperson’s credibility.
4. Communicating with the Media During Crisis
In times of crisis, the PIO/Spokesperson plays a very
important role in dealing with the media,
particularly:
a. in the delicate negotiations that have to go on
between source and media about what to use and
what not to use;
b. in providing enough opportunities, such as news
conferences, for information to be given to the
media; and
c. in educating as well as informing, so that
reporters don’t fall back on stereotyping to
explain the incident itself or the people involved
in it.
The PIO/Spokesperson must also
remember the following in dealing with
the media in times of crisis/emergencies:

a. Maintain control. (Release only what you

want and when you want.)
b. Emphasize your concern for the welfare
of all involved. (Be sincere.)
5. Additional proposals for media coverage of terrorist acts (which may also
include hostage-taking or similar acts of terrorism):
a. Agreement by the police to establish a ―broadcast area‖ and a separate
―news center at the scene of the incident but ―apart from a regular police
line.
b. Briefings to the media by the ―actual police negotiator on the situation
―if the circumstances allow.
c. Agreement by the media not to telephone a hostage-taker, immediate
notification of the police by reporters of any calls from hostage-takers; no
publication of such conversations ―without first conferring with the police
negotiator for advice.
d. Limited use of live telecasting and close-ups of the actual windows where
police officers may be stationed.
e. No identification by media of groups claiming responsibility for bombings,
no speculation on what might be happening with reports confined only to
facts released by the police.
f. Limitation of details of terrorist acts so there is no provision of a ―how to
guide for terrorists, or a portrayal of the hostage-takers as heroes.
Note: At the discretion of the Officer-in-Charge, an inner perimeter may be
established for the media from which to record the event.
Dealing With Bad News
Principles in dealing with bad news for senior
officials
1. Accept without rancor (or false hope of changing)
the ―adversarial relationship‖ which exists
between the press and law enforcement agencies.
2. Institutionalize that acceptance by not permitting
overreaction to ―bad news.
3. Protect the credibility of the PIO or
unit’s/department’s spokesperson (and through
them the organization) by alerting them to ―bad
news‖ before it appears in the press.
Dealing With Bad News

4. Allow the PIO/spokesperson the latitude to

limit the ―badness‖ of the news.
Specifically: Authorize the PIO to reveal the
―bad‖ along with the ―good.
5. Adopt a defensive attitude by responding to
queries only, or, worse yet, simply ignoring a
problem and hoping it will go away is a
leadership failure. It usually doesn’t go away.
6. Bad news doesn’t smell better the older it
gets.
 Writing the News Release
1. In doing the headline, be creative and keep it one sentence.
Capitalize the first letter of all words but do not use all caps.
Exclamation marks are only for advertising, not for news.
2. The first paragraph should begin with a strong introductory
paragraph that capture’s the reader’s attention and contains
the information most relevant to the message such as the five
W’s – who, what, when, where, and why. This paragraph
should summarize the press release and include a hook to get
your audience interested in reading more.
3. The succeeding paragraphs should contain more detailed
important information, and make up the body of the release.
Pick up with the information provided in your first
paragraph, including quotes from key staff, customers or
subject matter experts. Make sure you use correct grammar
so as not to affect your credibility negatively.
 Writing the News Release

4. As for content, make sure to keep in mind that you

are writing a press release to grab the attention of the
media. It is very important to maintain factual
accuracy, make sure you are cleared to use quotes or
any necessary information, and most importantly
have an angle that will appeal to journalists (often by
connecting your release to current events or issues).
Effective releases usually utilize a strategy known as
the inverted pyramid, which is written with the most
important information and quotes first.
.
Writing the News Release

5. Try to keep the press release to fewer than 400

words total. Remember, succinct and to the point
works best.
6. The body of the press release should be more than
one paragraph. The final paragraph should restate
and summarize the key points of the press releases.
7. ### - end press releases with these characters.
8. Make sure to check for absolute accuracy in
typing and make sure all names, dates, time, and
places are correct.
 Writing the News Release
9. Make sure it would be possible to cut off the bottom half
of the release and still provide journalists with sufficient
information.
10.The news release must be written using the inverted
pyramid format by starting with a summary of the event,
followed by details, background information, and lesser
details. The summary lead must be able to answer the five
(5) Ws – Who (identifies the person or persons involved
in the event); What (tells what happened); When (what
day and time the event happened); Where (the place
where the event occurred); Why (the reasons for its
happening); and the H – How (the process and means that
made the event possible.).
MEDIA POLICY/ GUIDELINES (DO’S & DON’TS)

The PIO/Spokesperson, upon clearance from the

Head of Officer, shall hold a Press Conference
or Media Briefing regarding a major
accomplishment or significant incident within a
period of two (2) hours from the time of the
activity.
Access to PNP documents by the media and the
public- information are accessible but with
caution to the public and the media as maybe
indicated in the police blotter.
Wearing of Uniforms during live TV interviews
MEDIA POLICY/ GUIDELINES
(DO’S & DON’TS)
Cases covered by RA 8505 (Rape Victim
Assistance Protection Act of 1998)- Protects the
identities of the victim and suspect (Entry maybe
treated as confidential and “ for record purposes
only” as requested).
Non-Presentation of Suspect to the Media (Refer to
the Memo of the Chief, PNP on October 7, 2008
entitled “Policy Prescribing the Presentation or
Non-Presentation of Suspect to the Media”.
No access of Media to Crisis/Conflict Area
No live coverage of Actual Conflict Situation
END