Worcester PD to Press: Not All Media Outlets Created Equal

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Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The Worcester Police Department has let the public know that not all media outlets are created equal in a recent social media forum.

According to the Worcester Police Department – represented by Police Chief Gary Gemme, Captain Jeremiah O’Rourke, and Lieutenant Richard Bates in the online forum – different media outlets take on different priority levels for police response; “established local media” outlets like the Worcester Telegram, TV Channel 3, and radio stations WTAG and WCRN are rated at a much higher priority for response than the other local media organizations, which take bottom priority for a response, along with out-of-city media organizations.

“The WPD responds and disseminates more information to the media than all other city departments combined,” said the Worcester Police Department on their Facebook account. “The above stated tasks are prioritized and labor intensive. The current requests for information from media with limited circulation exceed the requests for information from more established media with larger circulation. At times these requests are beyond our capacity to respond or the information has been disseminated through a written press release.”

While the Worcester Police has created a criteria in terms of what they view as a credible news organization warranting response, they do admit that all media responses as a whole are at a lower priority than writing and distributing press releases through their website and social media accounts.

Proper Media Relations

John Guilfoil – whose company John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC specializes in police department, fire department, and government media relations – has always advocated for social media to play a prominent role in media relations as it plays an important role in engaging with citizens, but says that the ultimate role of communication and informing the public lies in the relationship between media and the police.

Although not willing to comment about the practices of the Worcester Police Department, Guilfoil says that his strategy in dealing with the media is to be as open and friendly as possible. Even if the Police Department isn’t able to give out information or doesn’t know the proper answer offhand, it is always important to answer phone calls and requests to build a relationship, something that the Worcester Police Department failed to do 43 out of 43 times in a one-month period.

“When it comes to police and media or fire and media, we have to work together, and my advice to every police and fire chief is to show as much kindness, patience, and consideration to reporters as possible,” said Guilfoil, whose PR firm works with around 30 police and fire departments in Massachusetts. “Communication with media is likely the most visible way police and fire departments reach the public during a crisis. Perception can shape public opinion and policy during a crisis and its aftermath.”

Many Tasks, Little Resources

According to the Worcester Police, the reasoning for not being able to respond to every media request is due to the shear amount of requests and information that is required to be distributed in a day coupled with the lack of resources that the department has.

While the department says they do the best they can, their limited resources – two full-time media specialists who made a combined gross pay of $176,117 in 2013 - require them to prioritize requests based on their criteria of which media outlets are more important to respond to.  

“WPD attempts to provide information to local media and the public through the timely dissemination of press releases and social media postings,” said the Worcester Police Department on their online forum. “WPD has addressed [issues facing the city] through multiple mediums and continue to be responsive. Given our limited resources available to respond to the media, we request email as the most efficient medium for seeking information.”

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