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Saturday, August 18, 2007
The Utah mine saga
I was surprised at a breakfast club meeting a few days after the Utah mine collapse to hear a friend condemn mine owner Bob Murray. I thought Mr. Murray handled his news conferences perfectly, but what do I know?Mr. Murray, or his adivsors, managed this tragedy by the numbers:
1. Send the top guy out to speak.
2. Speak with knowledge.
3. Speak with true empathy.
4. Tell the truth as it was known at the time.
I'll stop here, because that's the point in time of my discussion with my friend Allan. I really wanted to know why he felt that way, because his opinion is what counts, not my "expert" opinion. I felt a learning opportunity coming on.
Allan thought Bob Murray was crude in his speech and was a defensive know-it-all.
Without a doubt, Mr. Murray is a man of the people. He grew up in the mines, not in a board room. So his speech pattern tended to the vernacular. That wasn't a turnoff for me. I appreciated his genuine approach. I was, however, a bit wary of his declaration that the collapse was caused by a "seismic event" rather than the "cut and retreat" mining method, even as geologists were insisting otherwise. Was he setting the stage to protect himself from lawsuits? Maybe. But I believe HE believed wholeheartedly what he was saying. Because he sounded so sincere, even to my cynical ear.
I'm from the south where we still say Ma'am and Sir, and refrain from calling someone by his or her first name until invited to do so. (Or at least my generation does. I'm still snatching baseball caps off my grandsons when we enter a building.)
There was also that testy interchange with Rep. Nancy Pelosi during a congressional hearing in which he pointed out the obvious, that Ms. Pelosi had never been in a mine. That doesn't make her ignorant of the facts, but it certainly gave a bit more credibility to Mr. Murray's testimony. And his combative personality was in full array. Mr. Murray's self-confident, take charge approach seemed more bullying in that exchange than it did at the mine.
I just did a gut check with Allan to see whether his opinion has changed in the intervening week. Nope. He still thinks someone more polished, such as myself, should have been doing the speaking. Well, thanks, Allan, for the vote of confidence in me. It's great to have a friend and personal cheerleader!
But I disagree. Mr. Murray continued to give at least twice-daily news conferences and individual interviews. His attitude of concern for the miners and their families never wavered. Neither did his belief in seismic events. As time has passed it's obvious that all of this is taking a physical toll on the man. He's no spring chicken, yet there he was leading reporters into the mine so they could see for themselves what the rescuers were doing.
That one action may prove to be the most important thing he did. He put reporters in the middle of the story, not reporting on the periphery or having to "find" stories tell. The reporters obviously bonded with Mr. Murray.
When the time was right, Mr. Murray brought in outside experts to do the speaking. Perfect timing. Perfect chorus to what Mr. Murray had been saying.
The other praiseworthy action by Mr. Murray was that he always spoke to the families before the news media. He put them first. Putting the victims first is key. Thank you, Jim Lukaszewski, for pointing that out to me. (Any true student of crisis communications will want to Google Jim. He's one of the most prolific and pragmatic in the field.)
Tell me, y'all, what you think about all this. (Remember, I'm from the south, and there is no word that adequately substitutes for y'all.) Do you agree with Allan, or with me? Or parts of both?
Comments:
Pam, I have to agree with you. Sending out a crusty old guy who came up from the mines to become a leader in the industry imparts a degree of immediate credibility.
In an era where guys like pretty-boy Tony Snow are lured away from Faux News to attempt to present a cogent summary of the inexplicable actions by this administration, I think it's refreshing *not* to be briefed about the mine disaster by One of Them.
There's no perfect way to report on disasters like this, but I would think that a one-time miner giving an impression of empathy is one great way to start.
Bob Murray, Owner Of Crandall Canyon Mine, Is A Public Relations Disaster
Robert Paul Reyes
August 18, 2007
When a tragedy or scandal hits a corporation, the CEO usually hires a crisis management firm to take over public relations.
When the president of a beleaguered company looks like Boss Hog on crack, it's imperative that he hire a professional as a spokesman.
Six miners have been trapped for almost two weeks in the cave-in at the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah, and now three rescue workers have been killed in another cave-in or "bump".
The disaster at the Crandall Canyon mine calls for an expert in public relations to handle the press and the concerns of an anxious community.
But it's Crandall Canyon mine's colorful co-owner and operator Bob Murray, who has been facing the press every day.
"Bob Murray, has dominated news conferences, narrated video of rescue efforts for TV news and — despite safety concerns — personally led reporters and family members on a tour of his mine." - Quote from the Associated Press
Bob Murray has been an unqualified disaster as a spokesman for his company, his misleading and self-serving comments don't fool anyone.
He repeatedly insisted that the cave-in was caused by an earthquake, when all the seismic experts are convinced that the cave-in caused the earthquake.
About five of six days into the tragedy Murray informed the press that at his next press conference he would have "definitive" news. In my mind "definitive" news meant that he had information about the status of the miners. Murray had no such definitive information; I don't even remember what trivial tidbits he passed on to the media.
Mining experts questioned Murray's lame-brained decision to lead reporters on a tour of his mine.
Murray proclaimed that the rescue effort wasn't endangering the lives of the rescue workers, and we all know the truthfulness of that statement.
You couldn't keep Murray away from the cameras the first few days of the cave-in disaster, but now that three rescue workers have been killed, he is nowhere in sight. Come out of your hiding place you coward, and face the music!
A few generations ago a disgruntled mine worker would have made sure that Murray had an "accident" of his own. But in these more enlightened times we take revenge via the judicial system. I hope Murray is sued by the families of the Crandall Canyon mine, and maybe he will finally do the right thing and step down from his leadership position.