By Elaine Magliaro
The St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy seems to think it has come up with a good way to prevent future problems with the media when people like Michael Brown are shot to death by police officers. It’s offering a course titled “OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING – YOU CAN WIN WITH THE MEDIA.” Really! I’m not kidding.
A flier announcing the course says that it will be “jam-packed with the essential strategies and tactics, skills and techniques that will help you WIN WITH THE MEDIA!” In addition, the training promises to be practical and not theoretical. Prospective enrollees are told that they will be able to take what they learn in class and put it to work “on the street right away!” Not only that—the class is advertised as being “highly entertaining…” It will feature numerous video clips that will illustrate “key points…” And there WON’T be any PowerPoint presentations.
From the announcement flier:
…You will learn a lot, and you’ll have fun doing it! In addition to the detailed case study of Ferguson (including numerous practical tips for handling the media in an officer-involved shooting) topics will include:
- Meet the 900-Pound Gorilla
- DWI and the Media
- Feeding the Animals
- “No comment” is a comment
- Don’t Get Stuck on Stupid!
- Managing Media Assault and Battery
- Managing the Media When Things Get Ugly (think Ferguson)
- Managing the Media in a Crisis (including lessons learned from the Newtown, CT school shooting.)
The personnel being encouraged to take the course are the following: “All upper-echelon law enforcement professionals who ever expect to face media contact will benefit. This includes top-level decision-makers, command staff, supervisors, and subject-matter experts as well as PIOs- Technical Studies”
SOURCES
St. Louis Police Academy Promotes ‘Highly Entertaining’ Course On Michael Brown Shooting (ThinkProgress)
Nicole Plyler Fisk
Gene Howington
FFS Guest Blogger
Joy of Fishes
Chuck Stanley
shortfinals
Terry Welshans
ann li-summers
wordcloud9
Flowers For Socrates 
And here’s the course on how to engineer and control the media narrative being offered by the U. of Miami School of Law being taught by an attorney with the law firm representing Brown’s family:
LAW532 A LEGAL ADVOCACY, MEDIA, AND THE PURSUIT OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
Students will explore a dynamic and multidimensional approach to legal advocacy by focusing on the historical trajectory of the Trayvon Martin case in all its facets. Emphasis will be on decision points and strategic choices that faced legal advocates, the role of the lawyer in shaping the course of litigation, and the dilemmas and opportunities raised by media attention. Students will be led through an examination of the following aspects of the case as it unfolded: civil law; criminal law; federal civil rights violations; Stand Your Ground, and the application of international human rights standards. In this course, students will engage in non-traditional legal analysis, exploring the literature on the sociological intersection of race and the law, and examine and reflect on complementary forms of advocacy, such as the use of the media as a tool of advocacy, tempered by professional regulations and ethical obligations. The course will highlight the emergence and role of the social justice movement that accompanied the litigation, and the ability of music to communicate messages that impact legal reform. The course will challenge students to conceptualize law as an evolving process, rather than a static system; taking students beyond application of legal precedents to creation of law and systemic change by combining traditional litigation skills with alternative forms of advocacy.
https://lawapps2.law.miami.edu/clink/course.aspx?cof_id=1146
nivico,
Way to steal a guy’s thunder.
Maybe I’ll do the post anyway.
Nivico,
One would hope that the powers that be at the policy academy might examine what law enforement officers may have done wrong in responding to the angry residents of Ferguson in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s shooting and the reasons that the police got a lot of bad press coverage. Maybe a course on self-examination and investigating better ways to respond to tragedies like the one in Ferguson would have been better material for instruction at the police academy.
I’ve got to say that there are significant differences between the St. Louis class and the one at UofM. If I had to choose, I would attend the St. Louis class as it seems much more comprehensive:
“Meet the 900-Pound Gorilla”
Students will not be able to meet the 900-Pound Gorilla at the UofM class. This puts the UofM class at a distinct disadvantage unless UoM has an elephant in the classroom; but they’re not saying.
“DWI and the Media”
Driving While Intoxicated and the Media? Naw, that can’t be what it means. It must mean Descriptive Word Index and the Media, or, How To Use Euphemisms And Word Connotations To Subtly Place Blame In A Way That Offers Future Plausible Deniability. Like the next bullet point.
“Feeding the Animals”
This makes sense, as that 900-Pound Gorilla is going to get hungry, and it must have large portions of properly used Descriptive Word Indexes or it will get testy. But why is “animal” plural? Maybe this is an unintentional reference to “the mob,” a well known sidekick of the 900-Hundred Pound Gorilla.
“‘No comment’ is a comment”
This is where having proper training in the use of Descriptive Word Indexes pays off. Everyone “knows” that “no comment” is a dodge. Never say “no comment” when you can obfuscate and suggest blame with a properly utilized Descriptive Word Index.
“Don’t get stuck on Stupid!”
This must be the “highly entertaining” portion of the class.
“Managing Media Assault and Battery”
Does this mean Assault and Battery “on” the Media, or “by” the Media? Quite ambiguous, really. This is most likely a typo.
I could definitely see where the St. Louis class would be much more entertaining and fun: gorillas; animal feeding; Descriptive Word Lists, and assault and battery.
The UofM class seems boring in comparison: civil law; criminal law; federal civil rights violations; Stand Your Ground, and the application of international human rights standards.
I know where I’d put my money!
Gbk,
Does UofM stand for University of Mob?
“Does UofM stand for University of Mob?”
Elaine 🙂
I also assume it to mean 500 lb. gorilla and “the animals”, Terrorize people, murder them, imprison them and most of all make them the objects of your “law enforcement”, so you won’t have to bother the upper classes. Then again the police have to do so little to protect their jobs, because so many entitled people will support them blindly, as long as they beat down on the underclass.
Mike,
The way things are going in this country–most of us will be members of the underclass in the not so distant future.
Elaine,
Why, yes it does! It is a non-matriculated university which utilizes closed libraries and closed public schools as classrooms. Non-enrollment is going through the roof!
gbk,
😉
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve really come to admire the mob. They seem to be the only group capable of figuring out what’s right in front of their faces.
Now if only they would act as well as figuring things out a little (just a little mind you) maybe we would start to move a little faster.
“Way to steal a guy’s thunder.”
Didn’t mean to step on yer toes, bob.
“The St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy seems to think it has come up with a good way to prevent future problems with the media…”
The seminar is being conducted by Rick Rosenthal, and he’s been training law enforcement in media relations for years… this isn’t a course that was created by the St Louis CMPA in the wake of the Brown shooting.
I do have to admit, though, that for a man teaching proper media relations to LE, EMT, fire departments, hospitals, local governments, and the like… his flyer for the class definitely lacks tact in addressing the current situation!
Here’s a good article addressing some of the media issues he speaks about:
http://www.policeone.com/media-relations/articles/5886108-Feeding-the-animals-10-tips-for-winning-with-the-media-after-an-OIS/
nivico,
“The seminar is being conducted by Rick Rosenthal, and he’s been training law enforcement in media relations for years… this isn’t a course that was created by the St Louis CMPA in the wake of the Brown shooting.”
Yes, this is known, nivico.
“I do have to admit, though, that for a man teaching proper media relations to LE, EMT, fire departments, hospitals, local governments, and the like… his flyer for the class definitely lacks tact in addressing the current situation!”
Tact is all the flyer lacks, nivico? One could easily argue that the flyer encourages an “us vs. them” mindset just from the bullet points.
And then there’s this gem: “In addition to the Ferguson case study, this fast-paced class is jam-packed with the essential strategies and tactics, skills and techniques that will help you WIN WITH THE MEDIA!”
You should consider the possibility that seminars such as this contribute to “current situations.”
“In the last couple of weeks, I’ve really come to admire the mob.”
Bob K,
I suspect that the term “mob” refers to those who refuse to accept the common wisdom that we live in a Democracy that is well-guided by “the rule of law” and the “Constitution”. That “train” never left the station in our country, though many play “pretend” as if it had and we all are equal as citizens.
Police chiefs pledge more transparency after Ferguson
By Fiona Ortiz
9/17/14
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/17/us-usa-police-transparency-idUSKBN0HC2IC20140917
Excerpt:
Protests over the Ferguson shooting were fed by anger that the police withheld information about the officer involved and details of the incident.
The chiefs said that they had to lead a cultural shift in policing – emphasizing the importance of de-escalating potentially violent situations – that is often resisted by the rank and file who fear appearing soft on crime.
The forum that organized the Chicago meeting does not produce binding policy, but police departments have adopted its recommendations on the use of Tasers and body cameras.
There are risks in giving out information quickly, the chiefs said, such as tainting a grand jury, and police must be careful to note they are offering preliminary findings that may change as new details emerge.
The chiefs said that even though a police shooting might be ruled justifiable under law, they had to hold officers to higher moral and ethical standards to satisfy the community.
“All it takes is one that doesn’t do the right thing, and we need to step up and separate that officer from employment and pursue criminal charges. We had a frank discussion about the leadership it takes to do that,” said Brown.
Rather than “mob”, I prefer “repressed citizens”
“Tact is all the flyer lacks, nivico? One could easily argue that the flyer encourages an “us vs. them” mindset just from the bullet points.”
Again, here is an excellent article that addresses the bullet points in much greater detail:
http://www.policeone.com/media-relations/articles/5886108-Feeding-the-animals-10-tips-for-winning-with-the-media-after-an-OIS/
• The media are not the bone-crushing, “900-pound gorilla” that many in police work imagine, he said. “That’s a myth.”
• When the media show up and try to get you to jump, you don’t have to “play frog.”
• With proper planning, you won’t become “media roadkill.”
• You (or someone from your agency) will have to deal with reporters when news breaks. “Engagement is inevitable,” Rosenthal said. “Victory is only optional.
4.) Feed the animals early and often. In Rosenthal’s terminology, talking to the media is “feeding the animals.” And the more information they are fed after an OIS, “the less likely they’ll go foraging on their own, finding far less knowledgeable and far less credible ‘sources’ for ‘news’ that is often based on innuendo, hearsay, speculation, vengeance, and biased personal opinion.”
In the wake of a shooting, the media basically have a three-ply need, he says:
• Information (who, what, when, where, why, and how) and what you (your agency) are going to do about it…
• In a user-friendly form (i.e., some pithy sound bites)…
• With pictures (so the TV audience can “see what the story looks like”).
He recommends that the first press briefing be held no longer than two hours after the incident. Then, depending on how “high-profile” (controversial or complex) the case is, you should follow with three formal updates per day:
• midmorning to accommodate noon newscasts
• mid-afternoon for the evening shows
• and early evening for nighttime news filings
These briefings, conducted either by the department spokesperson or top brass, should convey as much factual information as possible, as timely as possible, without truly jeopardizing a successful investigation or possible prosecution. Despite law enforcement skepticism, he argues that “most mainstream media reporters do try to be fair and accurate, and by giving them solid information, you significantly increase the probability that the truth will be printed and broadcast.”
He suggests that the provisions of the federal Freedom of Information Act can serve as guidelines in achieving a reasonable working balance between what can be shared and what should be withheld (exemptions under the Act that pertain to law enforcement can be checked here).
“If you do choose to withhold facts, help the media understand why you are doing so,” he advises.
He offers these cautions to keep in mind during a briefing for reporters:
• Videotape every encounter you have with the media, whether it’s a press conference or individual interview. This is good protection against being misquoted or quoted out of context.
• Avoid saying, “No comment.” Verbally stonewalling or putting your hand over a camera lens makes you look guilty. “In short, you lose.”
• Language that works within police circles may sound less tactful when used for a civilian audience. Calling the use of deadly force against a suspect a “good” shooting, for example, may not set as well with some civilian sensitivities as terming it “within policy.”
• The more controversial a shooting is, the tougher the media questions will be. Anticipate what aggressive reporters will ask and rehearse concise, confident answers ahead of time.
Thanks, Blouise! That’s one of my favorite Monty Python clips.
Elaine,
If the word, killer, can be spun, why not mob? Seems only fair.
BTW … Here, in Ohio, it has been my experience that the Police Chiefs Associations do some very good work. I have attended a few. I have no idea what kind of work they do in Missouri. The Chicago meeting will have some impact.
blouise,
I guess it’s acceptable to refer to members of the media as “animals.” No negative connotation there.
Elaine,
Well, you know what they say …”Negative connotations are in the eye of the beholder.” Or was that “in the ear of the hearkener”?
You can also call the inhabitants of Ferguson animals.
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/21/kevin_sorbo_writes_an_insane_rant_on_ferguson_calling_protestors_losers_and_animals/
of course that begs the question, “who the f@ck is Kevin Sorbo”?
He’s Hercules.
Xena should kick his ass.
Bob,
Judging from the picture of Hercules Sorbo that I saw at Salon–I’d say that Xena already kicked his ass big time
Nothing ‘highly entertaining’ about St. Louis police media training
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/09/22/nothing-highly-entertaining-about-st-louis-police-media-training/
Excerpt:
“Win with the media”? “The training is also highly entertaining”? “You will learn a lot, and you’ll have fun doing it!”? Teaching police officers how to handle the expected and necessary media demands involved in a police shooting should be neither highly entertaining nor fun. The media training ought to reflect the seriousness of the task. It should focus on equipping the top brass with appreciation for the timely release of information and giving them the skills to do so. It should also spend a lot of time on reacquainting the police force with empathy. That basic human trait was sorely lacking in the police response to demonstrations until Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ronald Johnson was put in charge of protest response in Ferguson.
Another Excerpt from the same WaPo article:
“As for the topics — “Meet the 900-Pound Gorilla,” “Feeding the Animals,” “Managing Media Assault and Battery” — I’d love to know what exactly would be covered in those areas.”
If he’d “love to know” what exactly was being covered, why didn’t he research the program before he wrote the article? Took me mere seconds and one Google search on the lecturer’s name to find this information.
It’s an example of demonstrably lazy journalism at it’s best, and it highlights the very essence of the program’s noting that some members of the press will quickly resort to reporting wild speculation and innuendo rather than facts and truth.
“As for the topics — “Meet the 900-Pound Gorilla,” “Feeding the Animals,” “Managing Media Assault and Battery” — I’d love to know what exactly would be covered in those areas.”
If he’d “love to know” what exactly was being covered, why didn’t he research the program before he wrote the article?”
nivico,
I know from your comment what you think about the journalist, but what do you personally think about the topic headings? Do you think they’re fine, or are the somewhat unfortunate in their connotation?
nivico,
Don’t you think it odd that the “marketing materials” don’t follow the the advice given in the course:
“• Language that works within police circles may sound less tactful when used for a civilian audience.”
He should follow his own advice. So now we’ve all been given some insight into “police circle” language with respect to the media.
Additionally, why is there a mindset of, “WIN WITH THE MEDIA!” What is there to “win” if comments are factually based? This is nothing but a class in propaganda.
“This is nothing but a class in propaganda.”
Yep. And not a class in the way the Propaganda Series is either. There is a difference between teaching how to perpetrate deception versus teaching how to recognize and guard against it.
“Additionally, why is there a mindset of, “WIN WITH THE MEDIA!” What is there to “win” if comments are factually based? This is nothing but a class in propaganda.” (gbk)
Well the guy organizing the class is a former TV anchor who has found a nice little niche for himself taking advantage of CEU’s (or CEC’s) needed. Here’s an article on him and his company.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-03-07/business/9903070325_1_police-officers-journalists-law-enforcement
BTW … the pdf is no more … can’t imagine why
please rescue me … caught in filter
Promotional materials for a police course/seminar on a subject matter like this should be self-explanatory. Prospective enrollees–as well as other people who read the flier–shouldn’t have to visit a website or blog to find out what the terminology used in the flier means…or who the “animals” and “900-pound gorilla” are.
BTW, the flier makes note of the fact that this will be Rosenthal’s 10th class at the police academy. I wonder what he covered in his other nine classes?????
“Don’t Get Stuck on Stupid!”
Too late. You already scheduled the course.
St. Louis County cops apologize for flier wording
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press
September 22, 2014
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/09/22/4173739_st-louis-county-cops-apologize.html?&rh=1
Excerpt:
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis County police apologized Monday for the wording of a flier announcing a seminar to help officers interact with the media.
The flier on county letterhead says topics of the Oct. 24 program at the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy will include “Feeding the Animals” and “Meet the 900-pound Gorilla.” Some community activists and others have posted about the flier on social media, saying the “gorilla” and “animals” references have racial overtones.
St. Louis County police spokesman Brian Schellman and seminar leader Rick Rosenthal say the terms are not meant to be racial. The seminar follows the fatal Aug. 9 police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson. Brown was black; the officer who killed him is white…
Schellman said Police Chief Jon Belmar and his command staff were unaware of the flier and its wording until they began getting calls from the media after the flier was posted on Internet sites.
“Being that the flier was sent by our Police Academy, we apologize for anyone hurt by the wording of the flier,” Schellman said. “We believe Mr. Rosenthal’s use of the terms ‘900-pound gorilla’ and ‘feeding the animals’ were mentioning police departments from across the nation dealing with the media and meant no racial harm.”
blouise,
The “pdf” may be gone–but they couldn’t disappear the flier from the Internet.
“…what do you personally think about the topic headings? Do you think they’re fine, or are the somewhat unfortunate in their connotation?”
Like I posted before, the way he promotes his lectures lacks tact.
He’s essentially using the same sensationalistic media approaches that he preaches against (if it bleeds it leads, misleading headlines / bullet points)
The content and substance of his lectures is what really matters, though, and it’s good info and advice. There’s nothing constructive to be had from nitpicking and feigning offense that he promotes his lectures as “fun” and ignoring the overall message.
Bob Stone’s article, too, was also a well written and extensively researched piece on the Michael Brown incident, and the conversation here devolved into petty comments about his using a dog metaphor. It’s like folks were intentionally going out of their way to avoid and derail any legitimate conversation about the substance of his article.
“BTW … the pdf is no more … can’t imagine why”
It will probably show up somewhere; I would love to see the Descriptive Word Index.
nivico,
Bob used “Josie” as a reliable/authoritative source for what happened the day that Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown. Who is Josie? Some woman who called into a right-wing radio talk show and claimed to have the scoop on what actually went down that day. Maybe Bob could have found a better source than Josie?????
Michael Brown Memorial Burns Down In Mysterious Fire
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/michael-brown-memorial-catches-fire
Excerpt:
“The memorial marking the spot where slain teenager Michael Brown was shot by police in Ferguson, Mo. caught fire early Tuesday morning.
Police speculate the fire was caused by candles surrounding the memorial, according to KMOV St. Louis. Some residents of the community, however, suspect it was arson and claim officials did not respond quickly to put out the fire.”
nivico, “Bob Stone’s article, too, was also a well written and extensively researched piece on the Michael Brown incident, and the conversation here devolved into petty comments about his using a dog metaphor. It’s like folks were intentionally going out of their way to avoid and derail any legitimate conversation about the substance of his article.”
I didn’t mention Bob’s dog metaphor, but I could have. My criticism was that he had a point to make and he chose his “evidence” and “witnesses” to make that point. That took a fair amount of research time and effort. The dog metaphor didn’t help his story imo, but it was down the list of my criticisms, so I didn’t mention it.
re: the burning of the Michael Brown memorial. A complete burn by candles? I’d look for an accelerant.
“Being that the flier was sent by our Police Academy, we apologize for anyone hurt by the wording of the flier,” Schellman said.
The modern non-apology apology. “We apologize for the wording of the flier” is an actual apology.
The complete fabrication of “evidence,” and the unwarranted conclusions derived from those fabrications, were the primary weaknesses in Bob Stone’s post.
The substance of his article was discussed to death.
I grew annoyed at the recurring fabulous (defined as “known through fable, unhistorical”) references to dogs. Telling fables was consistent in Bob’s post, but translating back-and-forth from dogs to cops obscured the gravity of a cop shooting an unarmed man to death.
Which we all discussed, at great length.
I have been out most of the day and am about to fade for the evening. However, the main thing that bothered me about the flyer was the total tone deafness of whoever wrote it. Of all the infinite ways it could have been presented, the only way it could have been worse was if they let Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly write it. Or Mortimer Snerd.
The overall notion of the material presented, at least what I can glean from it is pretty good. Rapid response with frankness, and get ahead of developing stories. Recall the sniper story? Chief Moose of Montgomery County, Maryland was a pretty good model for the way to handle a tough story. Frequent press conferences, tell what you know, and admit what you don’t know or cannot talk about due to operational security (OpSec).
It is possible to present serious material with humor. Take my old classmate Jerry Cockrell. He does a great job on his safety and media lectures to pilots. He always could tell a great story and make a serious point at the same time. I take a similar approach when talking to police officers.
One of Jerry’s favorite expressions after some particularly painful learning experience: “Guthrie would be proud.”
http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=One-Trial%20Learning
James Knauer@3:39p.m.
Police speculate the fire was caused by candles surrounding the memorial, according to KMOV St. Louis. Some residents of the community, however, suspect it was arson and claim officials did not respond quickly to put out the fire.”
============================================
given the general attitude of the ferguson pd i can only speculate as to what they would have put the fire out with.
Dr Stanley,
I wish we were paying you something close to scale.
Thank You anyway. 🙂
BTW, I stopped by an ole friend today I’ve not seen in a few years , I enjoyed seeing his latest cool machine. Now we’re going to have a drink or two soon after he digest my latest cool machine. ( I think)
I like people that can still think. And in that regard, I sense you’re ok.