PUBLISHER'S CORNER Managing Negative Press TONY CORPIN, PUBLISHER I
recently had a family friend ask me about former Cleveland school bus driver Ariel Castro who faces rape and kidnapping charges related to a case of three women who had been kidnapped and held hostage for the better part of the last decade. Tey were wondering how this might affect the public’s perception of school bus drivers.
More so, would parents feel safe about putting their kids on school buses if this kind of person could be driving? Tis was a tough question for me to answer, and I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. My first thought was that he wasn’t technically driver when he was caught, but the again he was allegedly perpetrating the crimes during his tenure at the school district. Tere was also little mention in the media of his termination from the Cleveland Met-
ropolitan School District, which came about because he left his bus unattended outside of a school without notifying his dispatcher or depot, after learning his preschool routes were canceled. It was reportedly the fourth incident in which he showed a lack of judgment. He also left at least one child unattended on the school bus at the end of a route. Does one bad apple ruin the lot? Tis saying is cliché, but in this case it’s a logical ques-
tion being asked. Could one bad school bus driver or former driver affect public perception of the entire school bus industry? Usually driver-specific incidents don’t get so much na- tional press attention as this one did. I’m sure that no one would argue that this kind of bad press for the school bus industry hurts us all. But how do you combat it in your operations? Have you been faced with an issue of negaitve press at a local or even national level? Do you have a game plan in place? When Rachel Meranus, vice president of communications at PR Newswire, assesses
options for dealing with negative press, she says there are three basic scenarios to consider: Take no action, contact a reporter or editor directly to proactively give your side of the story or issue a public response. For anybody on the receiving end of bad press, the initial impact inevitably seems worse
than it really is. Downbeat perspectives can seem like personal attacks, which engender emotional reactions. But it’s especially important to keep a cool head and follow procedures to deal with the situation in the most effective manner. Each scenario takes into account several variables that could occur as the article or press gains attention. Meranus also goes on to say, while there’s no set formula for handling such a situation,
organizations that remain focused during adversity usually end up in the best position. If bad press does occur, the best approach is to remain calm, keep a level head and try to put it into perspective, as overreaction can worsen the situation. Tink through your options and respond accordingly. Bad press can be a chance not only for you to make your case clearly known but to show leadership and clarity of mind under pressure. As an industry it’s our job to keep kids safe. Te service we provide is invaluable to
parents and our communities. Te trust of the parents and general public is vital to our longevity so be sure to be prepared if bad news should ever strike.
58 School Transportation News June 2013
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