Difficult situations and crises

As a team of experienced former journalists and communications experts, the Media and Research Communications team can offer advice and guidance about responding to negative, difficult or sensitive enquiries from journalists, or unwelcome social media interest.

If you have difficult news to break, remember that you are not on your own. We are available to help and advise in complete confidence.

Preparing in advance

It's helpful to consider how to handle a story before it breaks:

• Try to visualise how difficult, sensitive or controversial issues might appear to outsiders.
• Keep an eye on what is in the news at the moment. The ‘news agenda’ could affect how much your story is publicised.

Dealing with enquiries from the media

Journalists often have to produce stories about complex issues that are accessible to the public using a relatively small number of words and within very tight deadlines. To achieve this, journalists often have to be direct.

The Media Relations team can offer advice and guidance to inform responses to approaches from journalists.

If a journalist contacts you directly

• Listen, don't give an immediate response.
• Identify the caller; take down their name, contact number and email address, and the media outlet they're attached to or on whose behalf they are calling.
• Establish what they want to know and their deadline.
• Assure the journalist that you will pass the enquiry on and that a press officer will contact them as soon as possible.
• Contact pressoffice@york.ac.uk (and your Head of Department) and agree on how and by whom the matter will be handled.
• Discuss the context of the issue, decide your key points and identify potential questions with a press officer.
• Make sure that you avoid conflicting responses from within the department.
• Remember that the journalist has been assigned a task, and is under pressure to obtain answers.
• Be aware that everything you say could potentially be published, so avoid getting into a discussion with the journalist but remain polite at all times.

Crisis management

From time to time, the University is faced with an emergency or crisis situation. Inevitably, this will result in heightened media interest.

Crises can come in many forms, such as the untimely death of a student or a member of staff, fires or other damage, outbreaks of disease or large-scale cyber security incidents. It is important that the public aspects of such situations are handled by the Media and Research Communications team.

The University has emergency protocols for dealing with incidents such as these. A dedicated crisis management team will be created to handle the issue.

It is important that messages to the media and staff and students are coordinated by the crisis management team.

If a crisis occurs, you should alert:

• the Press Office (pressoffice@york.ac.uk or call +44 (0)795 315029)
• your Head of Department

As well any relevant teams from the following:

• the Academic Registrar (for issues involving students)
• Human Resources (for issues involving staff)
• Campus Safety
• Cyber Security

Media enquiries and any official comment should be handled by the Media and Research Communications team. They will relay information to the University community.