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Media Perspective on Response Communication

JUNE 12, 2015--The Deepwater Horizon oil spill brought unprecedented media attention. Add to that modern media trends like the 24 hour news cycle and social media, spill responders and media faced new challenges communicating with each other.


On June 8, 2015, the University of New Hampshire convened members of the press and the Federal response community to discuss how to better communicate in the next environmental disaster.

Panels provided candid perspectives from responders and media perspectives. U.S. Coast Guard, EPA, and NOAA were represented for the response community. Media representation included national and local media outlets. OR&R Director Dave Westerholm and Debbie Payton both spoke as panelists for OR&R. Ciaran Clayton from NOAA Public Affairs and Jeff Dillen from NOAA General Counsel provided additional NOAA perspectives. Topics covered a review of federal communications strategies for response, social media, and recommendations for the future.

Some of the top recommendations media had for response communications were:

  • Be open and honest, including about what you know, don't know, and risks or uncertainty.
  • Create opportunities for media access.
  • Respond quickly with information. When that’s not feasible, tell reporters when you would be able to provide answers to their questions.



Of course, the work isn't done. Moving forward, the University of New Hampshire hopes to continue the discussion and continue to build relationships between the response community and the media.

View entire agenda here. Video will be available soon. For further information, contact Meg.Imholt@noaa.gov.

Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.

Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:49pm PST