Issues Management and the media

Hey,

During the semester break I commenced placement at CSPR a boutique consultancy founded and run by Christine Silbert.
I came into my placement position at a very busy time for the consultancy. When I started it was just a few weeks out from the Mundaring Truffle Festival, so things were still getting were very much under way in the planning and implementation stages of the project management. Within in my first few days, I got a first hand experience of the importance of good media relations, and good issues management. Two to three weeks prior to the festival weekend an issue arose firstly which was identified by the shire, and then passed onto the consultancy for advice on how to manage it. Within a day, this issue had made front page and inside cover of the West Australian. I am talking about the consumption of horse meat at MTF. Vince Gaereffa, a well known butcher in Perth, had got approval to sell horse meat at his stand at the festival. As soon as animal lovers and activists heard about the approval, complaints and even threat letters started to flow in. Within a short amount of time, with collaboration between the shire, Vince and the consultancy, decided the best option was to not sell the meat at all. The decision was made with the best interest of the publics and the patrons attending the festival in mind. Within hours of the issue arising into such a problem, a media release was issued from the shire confirming that they would not be selling horse meat any more.

This incident taught me the value of being fast and decisive when an issue arises. A decision has to be made and it has to be followed through. In such a situation there are many different insights that need to be taken into account. Although it is important for a decision to be made promptly as to avoid any more controversy, different opinions and perspectives should be considered when making such a decision. When this occurred, I got to witness firsthand the importance of effective and efficient communication between all parties. It was impressive to see how fast everyone worked and how fast they solved the issue before it became anything bigger.