All the World’s a Stage

Last Sunday, millions gathered around their TVs to watch the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. Some waited anxiously to see if Sandra Bullock would finally take home a statue, while others made bets on which film would take the title of Best Picture. If you’re like me, you watched for all the glam and glitter walking down the red carpet, mentally critiquing every wardrobe decision and choice of lipstick color.

Avatar may not have caught as many Oscar’s as anticipated, but it made out pretty well this year, grossing more than a billion dollars, while The Blind Side brought in more than $250 million. Even in a recession, the box office is bringing in record breaking numbers. Why? Because drama sells. And the entertainment industry isn’t the only one that knows it.

Anyone who deals with the media on a regular basis knows, “if it bleeds, it leads.” Why? You guessed it, because drama sells. Media coverage of the recent events at SeaWorld proved to be no exception.

The unfortunate death of one of SeaWorld’s whale trainers is not something that happens every day. Yet, most media accounts of this sad and unexpected accident have taken a turn for the much more dramatic – a tragic premeditated murder at the hands of a violent, blood-thirsty killing machine.

One Google search of the incident pulls up pages upon pages of headlines like “Premeditated SeaWorld Killer Whale Attack,” “The Killer Whale Who Kills,” “Tilikum Trainer Had to be Pulled From Jaws” and “SeaWorld’s Serial Killer Whale.”

The media has managed to make quite the spectacle of what was, when it all boils down, an accident involving a wild animal. Take for instance the amount of references to the animal as a killer whale. Dramatic headlines and stories about the “deadly SeaWorld attack,” continuously refer to the whale as a “killer whale.” While this is a proper term for the species, I find it interesting that in other stories, more sensitive reports and those directed at honoring the victim, the whale is referred to as an orca whale.

Also interesting are references by the media to the whale’s “other victims,” asserting that this is not the first time he has killed someone. Further investigation into these incidents finds the whale, Tilikum, was one of three orcas blamed for the death of a woman in 1991, and was accused of killing a man in 1999 who died of hypothermia after he somehow wound up in the whale’s tank after hours. While undoubtedly associated with other accidents, I’d say calling the animal a “serial killer” is a bit off base.

By blending selective information with attention-grabbing headlines to encourage certain interpretations, alas, a drama is born. While I commend SeaWorld for its transparency during this time of crisis, the incident serves as a prime example of the need for effective media management – not just to communicate the facts, but to thwart rumors and perceptions that only help feed the media beast.

Friend or foe, the media will be there in a time of crisis. Whether or not an organization is prepared to handle them – aye there’s the rub. Because all the world’s a stage, and the media loves a good drama.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 03/12 at 02:19 PM

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