1.
BoatBeat Media Toolbox Webinar
Webinar for Boating Safety Public Information Officers (PIOs)
and U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs (PA) Staff
WWW.BOATBEAT.ORG

2.
Goals of the Media Toolbox
+ Resources for PIOs and the
Media
+ Subject Matter Expert Resources
+ State and National organizations,
contacts, links
+ Access to trending news topics

3.
Understanding News
+ News is…
+ Conflict
+ Unusual
+ Timely
+ Impactful
+ Emotional

4.
What do reporters want?
+ Full Story
+ Accurate Facts and
Details
+ To Interview Key Players
+ Succinct Messages
+ Fast Results

5.
Boating Accident Reporting
+ DO
+ Know what can and cannot be discussed
+ Share safety and education information
+ Answer questions, not statements
+ Answer with knowledge and facts
+ DON’T
+ Share specifics of accident currently under investigation
+ Get wrapped up in messages that do not relate to your organization’s goal
• Be afraid to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out”
• Answer with emotion
• Be intimidated by silence

6.
Missed Opportunity
+ Boating accident at Fish Camp
+ Game wardens are investigating a boat crash on the S River
that sent one person to the hospital. It happened at about 7:30
p.m. on a Saturday. Investigators say one boat went aground
and the other crashed into an object, but they did not hit
each other.

7.
Missed Opportunity
+ Crews douse Bay boat fire
+ Three people escaped injury after the boat they were on caught fire
in the B Bay on Saturday, authorities said. The boat caught fire in the
waters off X Drive, according to a State Police spokeswoman. Sea
Tow and the State Police Marine Unit responded to extinguish the
fire around 6:30 p.m., authorities said. It was not yet clear what
sparked the fire. Police did not immediately have further details. A
boat is on fire in the B Bay, contributor P reports. Everyone
escaped onto another boat. No injuries.

8.
Good Messaging
GOOD MENTION OF WEARING LIFE JACKETS
+ Life vests help save 2 men after boat capsizes
+ Two men are counting their blessings Tuesday night after being retrieved from
the frigid waters of M Sound. Their boat capsized shortly after they left the N
harbor Tuesday evening. It was quite a sight to see. Dozens of first responders
were on scene as the two men arrived on a Agency boat and were placed on
stretchers. "The success story here is the fact that both were wearing their life
vests. We preach that all the time, through the media outlets, that if you're going
to go out please have your life vests on, because you never know when these
conditions could turn bad as they did this evening," said D with the Agency. He
said the men are both in good condition, but were in the pre-stages of
hypothermia.

9.
Good Messaging
GOOD SEARCH SUSPENDED STORY, DETAIL
+ Coast Guard suspends search for missing men on Lake Alpha
+ Coast Guard crews suspended their search Thursday for two men who were reported
overdue from a fishing trip on Lake Alpha. The two men launched from A Lake boat
launch, early Saturday morning and have not been heard from since. "Due to the amount
of time that has elapsed since the two men departed on their fishing trip and the excellent
search conditions our crews experienced over the course of our searches, we have made
the difficult decision to suspend active search efforts," said the Agency. ”We offer our
sincere condolences to the families and loved ones affected.” After receiving
notification of the missing boaters, the Coast Guard conducted a total of 23 searches,
covering an area of nearly 3,800 square nautical miles of Lake Alpha, and used nine
different boats and aircraft in the search. Involved in the search were…

10.
High Profile Cases: Erin Brockovich, 2013
+ Ed Lyngar with the Nevada Department of Wildlife said his
boss told him to “hold” it through weekend
+ After the story broke, started to issue pre-prepared
statement
+ Saturday night, all day Sunday, calls come in from all over
the world
+ Received an endless parade of phone calls for 48 solid
hours
+ Late Sunday evening, Ed became sick of calls, and reached
out to AP and issued a full story to attempt to stop the
incoming calls

11.
High Profile Cases: Erin Brockovich, 2013
+ Without being a ghoul about it: Celebrity interactions offer an opportunity
+ Few people care about issues such as OUI, until someone is killed or someone famous is
arrested: Feel good about exploiting the latter
+ Do treat celebrities with compassion: They are human beings, but we can and should
NOT try and protect them from their own actions
+ Use social media and instant messaging instead of slower forms of communication such
as email or phone
+ Issue a preemptive statement
+ Conduct extensive follow up with reporters afterwards
+ Convince DA to make PSA part of plea deal

12.
Stay Positive: Tips for the Interview
+ Consider your attire
+ Remove hat and sunglasses
+ Keep answers short and sweet
+ Keep up your energy
+ Create sound bites
+ Consider the background

13.
End of the Interview
+ Reporter: “Is there anything else
you’d like to add?”
+ Use this opportunity!
+ Invited for the last word
+ Follow up with the reporter

14.
Proactively Reaching out to the Media
+ Sharing Toolbox content with local media to develop a
relationship
+ Be a resource for the media
+ Coffee or a meal with a reporter to get to know them

15.
Responding to the Media: How to use
Toolbox Content During an Interview
+ Refer to content before an interview
+ Re-familiarize yourself with boating law before and during an
accident
+ Trend pieces during clusters of similar accidents
+ “Weasel Words”
+ What to do when the media gets it wrong

16.
Adding to the Media Toolbox
+ How PIOs can provide new information
+ How the media and other toolbox users can provide feedback
+ Reporting on media use of Toolbox
+ Messaging Matrix

17.
Media has Diversified
+ Newspaper, TV, Radio, Online,
Social Media
+ Target story to right editor
+ Provide quality photos, photo ops.
Fact Sheets

18.
Online and Social Media
+ Brand Journalism
+ Shelf life of social media messages

19.
BoatBeat Media Toolbox Webinar
Questions?
Contact: Diane Corish
National Safe Boating Council
dcorish@safeboatingcouncil.org or 703-361-4294
WWW.BOATBEAT.ORG