pr crisis communications: columbine
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Columbine Massacre ‘99
Lindsay Cameron
Haley Higgs
What happened at Columbine?
• April 20, 1999• Columbine High School, Littleton, CO• 11:19 a.m.
• Two students open fire on campus
• 15 dead (including the two gunmen)• 24 injured• 12:08 p.m.
• Massacre ends after both gunmen take their own lives
Characteristics of theColumbine Crisis
• Panic• Time is Compressed• Sudden and Unexpected• Clear and Present Threat• Nothing is Local Anymore
Type of Crisis
• Sudden• Immediate
How Were Things Handled?
• Crisis Plan• Possessed a Crisis Plan but did not utilize it• No mock drill done at Columbine
• Established a volunteer phone bank at district• For information and offers of help
• Parent relocation sites were set up• Media sites were designated
Fearn-Banks, 2007
How Were Things Handled? (cont.)
• Communication was hard because of cell phone traffic
• Set up interviews, returned phone calls and posted accurate information to aid misinformation on-line
• Informed media effectively but did not inform family, friends and loved ones about the fate of their sons, daughters and friends
Simpspn, C. (2007). Weathering the storm: protecting your brand in the worst of times.
The Impact of Columbine• Implemented differences in CCP’s for schools
• Emergency box for administrators now includes: updated roster of staff and students, blue prints of the school and additional cell phones
• District Changes in Crisis Response:• School and District Emergency Management Plans• Mental Health Crisis Responders• Community Crisis Response Team• Incident Command System• Student Risk Assessment Process
Austin, S. J. (2003). Lessons learned from the shootings at columbine high school. The Human Side of School Crises: A Public Entity Risk Institute Symposium . 1-4.
Theory Applied to Columbine Massacre
• Image Restoration Theory• “Determines what is threatening reputation or image
and also determines which publics must be addressed and persuaded to maintain and restore positive image” (Fearn-Banks, 2007, p. 52).
• Restoring a positive image is extremely important to all publics: parents, students, faculty and staff members, media, state and federal legislators, community and residents of Colorado
Could the Columbine Massacre have been prevented?
• Prodromes• Website• Blog Postings• “Creative” Writing
10 Important Components of Crisis Management in Schools1. Verify
2. Work as a Group
3. Help
4. Share
5. Inform
Poland, S. (2007, March/April). By the numbers. ASCA School Counselor, p. 38-39.
10 Important Components of Crisis Management in Schools
(cont.)
6. Set up Policies
7. Crisis = Curriculum
8. Identify
9. Guide
10.Convene
Poland, S. (2007, March/April). By the numbers. ASCA School Counselor, p. 38-39.
Columbine Anniversaries
• May 20, 1999 – 6 month anniversary• President Clinton and Hillary Clinton visit
Columbine victims and attend special memorial
• April 20, 2000 – 1 year anniversary • Public and private events • People prayed at Columbine neighborhood churches
then went to Clement Park for a candlelight vigil attended by 8,000-10,000 people
10 Year Anniversary
• April 20, 2009• “A candlelight vigil will take place at the Memorial
in Clement Park on Sunday, April 19th at 7:30pm. Donations will be accepted on-site for ongoing maintenance costs.”
• “Join the Columbine Community on Monday, April 20, 2009, at 5pm at the Clement Park Amphitheater to remember...to reflect.”
10 Years Later and What Have We Learned?
• Virginia Tech • Continuously Update CCP
• Advancements in Technology
• No Effective CMP• Failure to use Loud Speaker System; Only E-Mail
• Eagle Alert
From a PR Standpoint: What Would YOU Say?
• What you know…• 26 hours after massacre takes place• Officials suspect others were involved on planning the
shooting but have no direct evidence yet• Formal identification of the dead has not taken place• Not all families have been notified• Several bodies still remain in the school• Autopsies have not taken place but are scheduled to begin
in less than 3 hours