May 11, 2010
Out of Tragedy Comes Triumph – Southern Style
Today’s guest blogger is Trey Campbell, Director of Communications for the Southwestern Company and 2010 President of the Nashville Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
In a week of highs and lows, the water being the high and our hearts sinking with every local news report being the low, Nashville and all of Middle Tennessee can be proud. Out of tragedy comes triumph.
A volunteer, one of thousands, helps in the recovery.
As for the Middle Tennessee public relations community, maybe the time will come when we’ll take a deep breath, reflecting on what could have been (or should have been) reported to a national audience. Until the stench of river water is out of our town, though, it won’t get too much thought. We’ve got work to do.
As PR professionals, many of whom have a journalism background, we know all too well what reporters and networks find newsworthy. With that in mind, one of several local, baffling questions taxing many Middle Tennesseans is, “Why have the national media, to a certain extent, snubbed Nashville?”
Is it that we are not perceived as a “major” market? Is Nashville stereotyped by country music and pick-up trucks? After all, what more do the media want? I guess a $1.5 billion-plus flood of a capital city (estimates in Metro Davidson County alone) isn’t sexy enough to beat out two other lead stories for the week – the Times Square bombing attempt or the BP oil spill? Where’s the conflict with a flood? Not here. No looting, no rioting, not much government or local red tape, no barriers to people getting help fast. Mobilization took place, plans were put into action and thousands of people responded – as they should. While the fright was real, the panic was subdued, washed away with the receding waters.
My own parents, former Nashvillians who now live on Pensacola Beach and are no strangers to natural disasters, did not believe the extent of the flooding until they saw Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel had come for a swim… er, visit. Is this the new standard of broadcast journalism for natural disasters? “Oh, Jim’s here… must be official now… it’s NOW a situation.”
Any PR professional will tell you the media have changed. This time, social media got the scoop – and kept it for days. The YouTube videos, Facebook photos and text messages told the story before the national media fully caught on. God bless CNN’s Anderson Cooper and a few other journalists who admitted to missing the boat (no pun intended… ok, yes, it was) after jumping aboard. I’ve heard numerous accounts of friends and relatives of Nashvillians who had no idea how bad the flooding was until they saw photos on Facebook. Why is that?
You know what? It doesn’t matter anyway. Speaking for the PR community, the time is not for wordsmithing or asking questions about the media’s whereabouts during a tragic, historic story in the history of a storied city. The PR community, just like many other local businesses and organizations, is not concerned at this time with attention, but solutions. The way a community the size of Nashville and over 50 other Tennessee counties has handled the situation speaks louder than any coverage ever will. The benefits of coverage, however, are that it often leads more quickly to aid, dollars and other resources for recovery. It’s not about the spotlight, it is about helping people, and the coverage sure could have helped.
“Hi, national media? Meet Nashville.” We are a big town with a small town feel; sophisticated, but down-to-earth; we are a cultural and higher education hub known as the “Athens of the South;” big business and corporate, global headquarters call this area home – as do two major league sports teams. We areMusic City U.S.A. What makes our community newsworthy? Maybe not a catastrophic flood, but how we dealt with it. Again, it still doesn’t matter – the story is the people. It usually is. The devastation of our homes and iconic, historic buildings like the Grand Ole Opry House may have been second fiddle on any given news day last week. But this ain’t no country song. The people of Music City outplayed the devil for a “fiddle of gold” when reacting to a crisis and taking care of our own. Report that.
A message to the national media from local PR practitioners who pitch you on a daily basis – “WE ARE NASHVILLE! Pardon our mess, pleased to meetcha!”
Opportunity? Nashville's response to its disaster could serve as a blueprint for other communities who experience similar tragedies later. If the right organization did a documentary on the recovery over the next year, it could spread the word about Nashville in a way the disaster coverage overlooked. When we often hear about what has been botched, here would be a chance to learn from what is right. Is that a job for the local PR community?
Excellent idea, Don, regarding the documentary! Surely with all the talent Nashville has, especially those producers, videographers and PR folks whose job was impacted by the flood, this type of communication is doable. I’m going to ponder further and talk to some colleagues. Thanks again!
While agreeing with much of what Trey Campbell says about Nashville, I must disagree with the phrase suggesting that the national media "snubbed Nashville." There was indeed so much national attention on the Times Square bombing attempt, the arrest of the perpetrator, and on the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf at the exact moments that our rains and flooding were occurring — it was not a "snub" but rather a failure to immediately grasp the extent of what was occurring in Middle Tennessee because of focus elewhere. Time Magazine had an amazing photo in this week's edition (page 11) along with this exact explanation of how the media "missed this". And Anderson Cooper certainly did lots of national "mea culpa" and belated recognition of our fabulous volunteer efforts. I think the perception that Nashville is "stereotyped" is very off the mark — it's a comment I've heard before and it always strikes a very sour, negative, defensive note with me. I've never heard just comments EXCEPT from Nashvillians.
All good points, Jeanne. Like many newsrooms today, I also think the national media has to do more with less – there are fewer reporters, fewer camera crews, fewer travel resources, etc. I know firsthand what "not grasping the extent of what was happening" truly means, and like you and Trey said, pictures say a thousand words. I think Music City will continue to receive local coverage for a LONG time, national media will get some feeds from that, and maybe 48 Hours is already working on an anniversary story! Thanks for your comments and insights.
Great blog!
Wow! I was listening to my favorite country music station the other day and a gentleman from FEMA was being interviewed. He stated that because Tennesseans were taking care of their own and had responded to the situation at hand that they (FEMA) really didn't realize the level of devastation that had taken place. He said that other states could learn how people should respond by following our lead. This article is so spot on!!!
WHAT A TRIBUTE TO NASHVILLE! YA'LL MADE US PROUD!