FEMA Briefing: A Heck of a Press Conference

With wildfires raging across Southern California last Tuesday, cable networks Fox News and MSNBC (below) broke into their coverage to broadcast a live press briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Harvey Johnson, a deputy administrator, took the podium to update the public on the government’s response to the devastating blazes. However, the questions portion of the briefing featured unusually soft queries—surprising given journalists’ tendency to cross-examine the Bush Administration in the years since the Hurricane Katrina disaster. According to a USA Today article, off-camera voices in the room asked questions such as “Sir, we understand the secretary and the administrator of FEMA are on their way out there. What is their objective?” and “Sir, there are a number of reports that people weren't heeding evacuation orders and that was hindering emergency responders. Can you speak a little to that, please?”

The problem is that these voices were not those of Washington reporters. They were of FEMA employees attending the briefing, lobbing softball questions to their boss. Journalists were unable to make it to the briefing because FEMA announced the conference less than 15 minutes before it began. The agency did create a 1-800 number reporters could call to listen to the conference, though it was not configured to allow for questions. While the conference itself was uneventful, reaction was overwhelmingly negative as word came out that the event was staged. White House Press Sectary Dana Perino said, “It's not something I would have condoned, and they, I'm sure, will not do it again." Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security (the department overseeing FEMA) was even harsher, saying “"I think it was one of the dumbest and most inappropriate things I've seen since I've been in government.” FEMA has since apologized and explained that it wanted to get information out as quickly as possible. When reporters did not make it in time, employees felt obligated to pose “questions” instead. CBS’s Bob Schieffer said in his weekly commentary that Chertoff should get rid of these employees all together and then “explain to the new people that the best way for a disaster relief agency to get good publicity is to do a good job helping disaster victims.” Since then, John Philbin, head of FEMA’s public relations, has left his post. In the end, the conference did little harm to the public but proved to be a major embarrassment for the administration. If the agency was solely interested in distributing information, administrators should have just turned on the cameras and read a statement to the networks tuned in at the time. The moment that those employees off camera began with the fawning questions, the American public was deceived.

The Bush administration has faced criticism for staged media content before. A 2005 New York Times article revealed that at least 20 federal agencies had produced news stories on topics from military strategy in Iraq to farm policy. These “video news releases” were sent to local TV stations and many found their way into actual broadcasts. Out of laziness or oversight, most aired without the newscast attributing the content to the government. These segments usually included “‘interviews’ with senior administration officials in which questions are scripted and answers rehearsed.” Meanwhile, opinions from critics or government watchdogs would be notably absent from the pieces. Such tactics worked well at a time when stations were under pressure to both expand their coverage and cut costs. To fill those extra minutes on the air, a free piece with slick production and a reporter who sounds credible made a very tempting addition. Admittedly, this type of press manipulation is far more complex than the decision to fake a news conference in the fog of a regional disaster, but both illustrate the administration’s strained relationship with the media. Perhaps the besieged administration sees packaged news as the only way to get good coverage—even though the aftermath usually gets more of the attention and negates the original message.