Communication Risk

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Communication Risk the National Pollutant
Inventory (NPI)
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Outline

• Introduction
• Risk Mgt in NEPM Development
• NPI and the media a Case Study of
  Communication Risk

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What is the NPI?

• A public Internet database containing information
  on
• emissions to air, land and water from large firms
  across Australia
• estimates of emissions from smaller industry,
  households and everyday activities (by govt) for
  selected areas
• contextual information including a description of
  each substance, its uses, sources and
  environmental and health effects

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(No Transcript)
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NEPM Development

• Technical Advisory Panel
• Formed to recommend substances for inclusion on
  NPI
• Chaired by Prof Ian Rae
• Rank substances by risk scoring where
• Risk Hazard (human health env.) x Exposure
• Human health effects acute and chronic
  toxicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity
• Environment effects acute and chronic toxicity,
  persistence, bioaccumulation

www.npi.gov.au/publications/tap/pubs/npi-tap-repor
t.pdf
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NPI and the Media

• 2000. New initiative, fanfare of a Ministerial
  launch
• 2001. Not new but not established enough to be
  useful. Potential for use/ misuse not as yet
  understood. Not newsworthy.

 
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NPI and the Media

• 2002..

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NPI and the Media
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NPI and the Media
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NPI and the Media
The Latrobe Valley, Portland, Dandenong and
Newport are the states worst areas for air
pollution.
The Latrobe Valley is the states most polluted
area...
Hundreds of kilograms of deadly toxins are being
released every day...
The NPI breaks down the level of pollution in
Victoria by postcode.
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NPI and the Media
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NPI and the Media
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NPI and the Media

• 2002 Summary
• Strategy
• Proactive Focus on non-industry sources (motor
  vehicles), taking individual responsibility for
  behaviour
• Reactive Defend Vic air quality, explain
  emissions vs pollution misunderstanding, issue
  information bulletin
• Result
• Dirty State!
• Dirty Dozen
• Pollution by postcode

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NPI and the Media

• 2003.. A proactive strategy
• Motor vehicle/ domestic activities message wont
  be picked up
• Press likely to do dirty dozen add it all up
  approach anyway. Why dont we do our own bad
  news story, but control it?
• Media release, series of pre-release interviews
  with The Age
• Objective to have it reported on and make it old
  news by Sunday gazump Dirty State type story

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NPI and the Media
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NPI and the Media
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NPI and the Media

• Mission accomplished, but then.. 3 weeks later

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NPI and the Media

• 2003 Summary
• Strategy
• Proactive Engage journalist, fashion story with
  top 10 front end but positive and informative
  body
• 30 increase in reporters (therefore
  responsibility)
• industry no longer the villain- introduce
  motor vehicles woodheaters
• emissions vs what we breathe
• industrial vs residential suburb comparisons
  (challenge accepted thinking)
• Reactive Prepare for response to a Dirty
  State story (as per 2002)
• Result
• Balanced Age article (Murky Snapshot)
• 3 weeks later (inaccurate) bad news story
  appears!

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NPI and the Media

• 2004.. attempt proactive strategy again
• Expected low degree of interest - no increase in
  reportable substances, not a large increase in
  reporters or emissions, business as usual. Mature
  program (5th year).
• Media release in time for data launch, but no
  targeted interviews with journalists pre launch
• Novel idea celebrate good news (emission
  reductions) search NPI for cleaner production
  case studies.

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NPI and the Media
 
 
 
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NPI and the Media
Different interpretations
Good news
Bad news
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NPI and the Media
a week later the bombshell!
Traralgon is the smog capital of Victoria.
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NPI and the Media
.2nd media release..
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NPI and the Media
The effect one article can have Latrobe Valley
Express, page 1
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NPI and the Media
further articles in same edition..
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NPI and the Media

• 2004 Summary
• Strategy
• Proactive General media release
• industry emissions decreasing
• specific examples of cleaner production related
  decreases
• industrial/ residential suburb comparisons
  (industry emissions in context)
• ambient air quality message
• Proactive/Reactive Large scale data analysis
  regional comparisons, historical air quality data
  in readiness for Dirty State story
• Result
• Minimal coverage initially despite several
  interviews
• Town Under Dark Cloud appears, a week after
  the fact
• EPA Clears the Air response re Latrobe Valley
• LV press strikes back (United in Outrage,
  EPAValley Air Good)

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NPI and the Media

• Key Learnings About NPI the Media
• NPIs transparency and accessibility comes with
  a high risk of data misinterpretation
• Personal responsibility stories not newsworthy
  (blaming industry is easier to rationalise)
• Bad news sells
• Sections of the press may have their own agenda
• The separation of emission and potential
  pollution at ground level (the quality of the air
  we breathe) is not picked up on by many users of
  the NPI
• Most journalists (like the public) will find the
  web database too complex/tedious. Need to feed
  them summarised information

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NPI and the Media

• Key Learnings About Communication Risk
• Prepare, prepare, prepare
• Is this potentially newsworthy material?
• Play devils advocate what could a journalist
  do with this data? What could be newsworthy?
• Imaginative thought search past the obvious.
  If you cant see a headline, look further
• Build the story for them
• Put effort into a proactive media management
  strategy but prepare your reaction as if it fell
  on deaf ears
• Must be able to strike or react while the story
  still has currency