ERIC Number: ED298569
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1988-Jul
Pages: 16
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Osage Avenue Is Burning: The Influence of Race upon Crisis Public Relations in Philadelphia.
Bishop, Robert L.; Boles, Wendy Gotchel
A study examined public relations aspects of the police confrontation and bombing of the revolutionary Black group, MOVE, in Philadelphia, in which 11 persons were killed, 250 were left homeless, and 61 homes were destroyed. It explored if and how race affected the crisis and whether Black media and general media were treated differently. City public relations personnel and journalists were interviewed. Press coverage was checked in "The Philadelphia Inquirer," the major newspaper in the city, and "The Philadelphia Tribune," the leading Black newspaper. The most important guideline for crisis public relations is that public relations managers must be included in policy planning and debate and that competent public relations managers have contingency plans for various potential emergencies, strikes, storms and other disasters. After the crisis erupts, it is necessary to first gain control of the informational crisis by controlling access to the scene. Findings showed that Philadelphia ignored clear warnings of impending crisis and almost completely failed to follow professional guidelines in preparing for and coping with the MOVE crisis. The careless manner in which the crisis was handled seriously hurt Philadelphia's reputation. Although the police public relations office has been improved, the city must develop a comprehensive crisis plan involving each departmental public relations unit, the interaction of these units with each other, and the chain of command. (Three tables of data are included.) (RAE)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Historical Materials; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania (Philadelphia)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A