PCC Shaun Wright resigns
Discussion
Forces were forced to have professional PR teams.
When the police were obliged to give information unless there was some specific reason not to they followed the directions, with officers saying what they had seen and done. This was a gift to those whose role it was to spin the facts, such as journos on the media and those politically inspired. Had the internet and forums been around in those days, the naivity would have been exploited by posters with a mission.
Or, to put it another way, certain circumstances would have been highlighted whereas reasons, mitigation and such would have been ignored or distorted. No one who has read the various threads on here needs examples of this as they are all too familiar.
I was an 'out of hours' press liaison officer and I tried to be open and fair to those who phoned in as my lad was a journo and so I knew the problems.
We had a professional PR chap who was a source of good advice and could explain the systems. Excellent chap. He was, of course, what now would be called a spin doctor. A better description of his role would be to give information in a manner which those with a bigger interest in their own political or personal objectives rather than the truth could distort.
The fire service had stones thrown at them when they tried to extinguish a fire a small group of 10 years old kids had started in a local estate one evening. The reporter asked me: Is the riot a response to the heavy handed and insensitive way the way [the council estate] was policed?
That's why the police need PR people.
When the police were obliged to give information unless there was some specific reason not to they followed the directions, with officers saying what they had seen and done. This was a gift to those whose role it was to spin the facts, such as journos on the media and those politically inspired. Had the internet and forums been around in those days, the naivity would have been exploited by posters with a mission.
Or, to put it another way, certain circumstances would have been highlighted whereas reasons, mitigation and such would have been ignored or distorted. No one who has read the various threads on here needs examples of this as they are all too familiar.
I was an 'out of hours' press liaison officer and I tried to be open and fair to those who phoned in as my lad was a journo and so I knew the problems.
We had a professional PR chap who was a source of good advice and could explain the systems. Excellent chap. He was, of course, what now would be called a spin doctor. A better description of his role would be to give information in a manner which those with a bigger interest in their own political or personal objectives rather than the truth could distort.
The fire service had stones thrown at them when they tried to extinguish a fire a small group of 10 years old kids had started in a local estate one evening. The reporter asked me: Is the riot a response to the heavy handed and insensitive way the way [the council estate] was policed?
That's why the police need PR people.
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