The trick is knowing what to do then doing it immediately and effectively. By Bradley Wilson Editor
“Plan.” For some school publications staffs, it’s a fourletter word. For others, typically more successful staffs, having a plan for contingencies means successfully handling of whatever events are thrown at them. The trick is knowing what to do, then doing it immediately and effectively. Knowing what to do when a crisis occurs maximizes the learning opportunities from what otherwise would just be a tragedy. When a disaster strikes, journalists are torn between needing to deal with emotions of the victims at the same time they are coping with their own emotions. With advance planning, this process can be smoother than when tragedy takes a staff by surprise and no preformulated plan is in effect.
Before 1. Have a written policy for dealing with student deaths to ensure each death will be covered equitably. 2. Complete the general contact list of emergency contacts. Assign a reporter to everyone on the list. 3. Make sure every staff member has a roster complete with home addresses and phone numbers (including cell phones and beepers) of every other staff member. 4. Establish a means of communication should phone lines be out. For example, arrange to use one family as the “dispatch” center for student journalists. 5. Create a system for backing up essential computer information such as pages and art files. Have that information updated and stored off-site at least once per week. Storing it in the school’s
fireproof safe will do you no good if you can’t get back into the school. 6. If the school is evacuated in an organized fashion, designate students to take backup disks and recent negative files with them if practical. At any given time, anyone in the classroom should know who is responsible for making sure everyone in the lab gets out and who should try to take what materials. (Practice this during fire drills and weather alert drills.) 7. Plan a strategy so student photographers – or anyone else – can take every camera out with them if the school is evacuated. Because most photographers will not be in the room at the time of evacuation, this is another reason for photographers to carry their cameras with them at all times. 8. Establish a working relationship with the local television stations and newspapers. If your facilities are unavailable,
14 • COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY
make arrangements to use theirs to continue publishing during and after a crisis. Let them know the student reporters and photographers will be available to work with them as well. 9. Establish a working relationship with neighboring schools. If your facilities are unavailable, make arrangements to use theirs to continue publishing after a crisis. Let them know that a reciprocal arrangement will also be in effect should a disaster strike their school. 10. Establish a working relationship with the emergency agencies that will respond – police, fire and EMS. Which units will be first on the scene? What additional units will respond if the incident exceeds the capabilities of the first-on-scene units? Emergency workers will work better with people they know. continued on page 15
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