Double-checking is never a waste of time when it comes to crisis management
Late last month the White House made headlines when it accidentally exposed the CIA’s top officer in Kabul, Afghanistan. In case you missed the story, here’s a rundown, from a Washington Post article by Greg Miller:
The CIA officer was one of 15 senior U.S. officials identified as taking part in a military briefing for Obama at Bagram air base, a sprawling military compound north of Kabul. Others included U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James B. Cunningham and Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., the commander of U.S. and coalition forces in the country.
Their names were included on a list of participants in the briefing provided by U.S. military officials to the White House press office.
The list was circulated by e-mail to reporters who traveled to Afghanistan with Obama, and disseminated further when it was included in a “pool report,” or summary of the event meant to be shared with other news organizations, including foreign media, not taking part in the trip.
Believe it or not, the Washington Post reporter tasked with assembling the report on the briefing actually noticed the odd inclusion of someone labeled “station chief”, typically a position which includes one’s identity remaining classified, and asked White House press officials if it was intentional, something they initially confirmed.
After the list went live, senior White House officials noticed the mistake, and we’re certain a frantic scramble to remove it ensued. Although the media was largely cooperative, the list had already been published in some places, and the damage was done, placing this high-level CIA officer and his loved ones in serious danger.
What’s the crisis management lesson here? Simple – check, double check, have a trusted colleague check, then check again a few more times before publishing ANYTHING that’s going to the public. Especially in a crisis situation, you can not afford to have bad or confidential information making its way out, and believe us when we say that the news media is not going to pay your slip-up the same respect it does one from the White House and CIA. Once it’s out it will stay out, and if it makes for a juicy story you can even expect it to be amplified.
The need for rapid communication is real, but the damage you can do by putting out information you shouldn’t have is immense, so be very, very careful.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com