News Releases

“News and Terrorism: Communicating in a Crisis” Workshop To Be Held September 23 in Baltimore

WASHINGTON—The latest in a nationwide series of “News and Terrorism: Communicating in a Crisis” workshops will take place from 9:00am to 3:30pm on Wednesday, September 23, 2009, in Baltimore at the Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 West Baltimore Street, just blocks from the Inner Harbor.

The workshops are produced by the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation, in association with the National Academies and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The workshops are designed to examine communication during an emergency—what works and what needs work—as well as to provide scientific background information on potential terrorist threats and guidance on how journalists and public information officers can better prepare in the likelihood of a real world crisis.

Each workshop features a scenario exercise, tailored for each location, in which a small group of journalists, government officials and experts react to a simulated terrorist incident—chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear. The workshops also include useful scientific information, advice on protective measures and disaster planning guidance.

Moderating the workshop will be Aaron Brown, the anchor for the PBS program “Wide Angle” and the Walter Cronkite Professor of Journalism at the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. 

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and NAE President Charles Vest will be making opening remarks.

Among the panelists for the scenario exercise will be Christopher Thomaskutty, the Deputy Mayor for Administration; Mark Miller, the news director for WBAL radio; Richard Muth, the Director for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency; Gail Bending, the news director for WJZ-13TV; Robert Maloney, the Director for the City of Baltimore’s Office of Emergency Management; Matthew Baise, the Head of Digital Media for The Baltimore Sun; Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department; Kirby Fowler, the President of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore; and a representative from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The National Academies comprises four organizations: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. The Department of Homeland Security was formed in 2003 to prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the nation. RTNDF provides training programs, seminars, scholarship support and research in areas of critical concern to electronic news professionals and their audiences.

On June 20, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Academies joined with the Potomac Conference of The Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Radio-Television News Directors Association to produce “Media and the First Response” in Washington. This first-ever working session among the media, government information officials, and science and technology experts was designed to provide a better understanding of the challenges of terrorism response and reporting. The program served as a model for the current workshop series.

NOTE:  The workshops are free of charge, and a reservation can be made by clicking here.