Environmentally Responsive Citizens Need A Strategy

Environmentally Responsive Citizens Need A StrategyEnvironmental communications and reporting are done in various ways. Sometimes, the media report on an event or phenomenon, and the issue is the topic of the story. The other time, the media do not publish the topic of the story, but the news organization has picked it up and published it. Then, in order to address the issue, organizations, agencies, and citizens to go out and make the necessary information available in the form of reports and presentations to the media.As an example, one might think that the topic for a story on a new oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico would be a particular type of oil, a certain place, or a certain time. However, when it is about environmental communications and reporting, no such assumptions apply. Sometimes, when a major event like an oil spill happens, it is covered by national and international media. At other times, a specific type of oil, a different geographic location, or a different time peri od are the focus of the media's attention. In either case, a group of citizens and organizations needs to be concerned about the issue, and be ready to respond to the media's request for information.Some organizations have learned the best way to go about responding to a request for information from the national media is to set up a meeting with the media reporter and make sure all the facts and supporting evidence are presented. Such a meeting can be a tremendous opportunity for groups to explain the issues to the media and illustrate the resources available to deal with the issue. At the same time, the meeting can be a method for gathering relevant information about the issue, and a valuable networking opportunity for many people involved in the environmental issues.Another strategy for dealing with the issue of environmental communications and reporting involves the creation of a public relations plan that will handle the situation in a professional manner. This plan should inclu de methods for protecting the privacy of the witnesses and should include a written response plan that outlines how the media and citizenry will receive the information. The plan should also cover the ramifications of the media's request for information. Another important step is a session where the media and citizenry can meet to discuss the information received.Once the session has been completed, a draft of the entire plan should be completed. A final meeting with the media and the citizenry can be scheduled to further organize the information-sharing procedures. Any member of the planning team can help to make sure this entire process is organized properly, and that the staff understands their responsibility to the information and the citizens who depend on them to provide it.Not all the techniques for dealing with environmental communications and reporting involve the formal reporting processes. For example, a community or group of citizens can deliver a briefing to the media a nd the public. Such a briefing can focus on a particular subject, such as learning about how to protect a home from flooding, or showing the public how to prepare for a storm.The material can be relevant and interesting, and help to demonstrate the need for an effective response to environmental communications and reporting. A meeting or presentation in person, rather than on the internet, is also important. Many times, it is the information that cannot be easily described online that can prove most useful to the media.Once a group is ready to engage in the environmental communications and reporting process, the first step is to identify what resources are available and begin planning to make sure the information is accessible to the media. After that, some sort of information exchange or dialogue should take place between the media and the concerned citizens. Finally, some kind of a meeting should be scheduled so that the media and the citizenry can exchange information in person.