Becoming Crisis-Ready for the Press: Tips from a former journalist on how to work with the media during a crisis
There's no way to predict when a crisis will happen, but your company must be ready to handle one when it occurs, especially when it comes to communicating with the media.
Drew Levinson was a journalist for more than 25 years. He knows first-hand that nothing makes news like a crisis. He covered his fair share of them, including Enron, the school shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech, a major explosion at a sugar plant factory in Savannah, major storms, large food recalls, a data breach for a national children's clothing retailer, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The list goes on.
Drew knows what reporters need from companies, how interviews will be conducted, how the questions will be posed and where the finger of blame will initially be pointed.
Now, Drew is on the other side, working with biotech and biopharma companies developing new drugs and treatments to save lives. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. For example, he worked with a company that was conducting an early-stage clinical trial when one of the patients died unexpectedly. Not only was it heartbreaking for the family, but potentially devastating for the future of both the company and the drug.
Crises can happen anytime, anywhere. And when they do, leadership must make difficult and important decisions because the stakes couldn't be any higher. Lives, reputations and jobs are at risk, especially in biotech.
And you can count on journalists "knocking on your door" to find out what happened to whom and why. And when they do, you need to be ready.
In this session, Drew will use specific examples and colorful anecdotes to inform the audience on how to become crisis-ready for the press and how to work with the media during a crisis while sharing actionable tips and takeaways that all PR pros and communicators can immediately implement within their organization.
Drew Levinson is EVP and Head of Media Relations at LifeSci Communications and a former CBS News national TV correspondent. Together with his public relations background, he has 30 years experience to draw from as he provides our clients with media counsel including strategy, crisis, and reputation management.
Drew spent more than two decades as a local and network television news correspondent. While at CBS News, he reported on major world stories including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, five presidential elections and natural disasters. He covered hundreds of medical and health stories including the first self-contained mechanical heart implanted in the U.S., major breakthroughs in cancer and Parkinson's research.
At LifeSci Communications, Drew helps our clients raise their profile in the media. He leverages his extensive media knowledge and expertise along with his relationships with journalists to position our companies in influential top tier television, print and online media outlets along with financial and science trade publications.
Prior to joining LifeSci, Drew was a senior vice president at Hill+Knowlton Strategies where he worked closely with the firm's global account teams helping them develop messages and story angles relevant to journalists and their audiences. He provided media strategy, crisis management and executive communications coaching to a full range of clients including biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies, medical groups, and hospitals.
Drew graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Peace, War and Defense.
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Drew Levinson was a journalist for more than 25 years. He knows first-hand that nothing makes news like a crisis. He covered his fair share of them, including Enron, the school shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech, a major explosion at a sugar plant factory in Savannah, major storms, large food recalls, a data breach for a national children's clothing retailer, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The list goes on.
Drew knows what reporters need from companies, how interviews will be conducted, how the questions will be posed and where the finger of blame will initially be pointed.
Now, Drew is on the other side, working with biotech and biopharma companies developing new drugs and treatments to save lives. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. For example, he worked with a company that was conducting an early-stage clinical trial when one of the patients died unexpectedly. Not only was it heartbreaking for the family, but potentially devastating for the future of both the company and the drug.
Crises can happen anytime, anywhere. And when they do, leadership must make difficult and important decisions because the stakes couldn't be any higher. Lives, reputations and jobs are at risk, especially in biotech.
And you can count on journalists "knocking on your door" to find out what happened to whom and why. And when they do, you need to be ready.
In this session, Drew will use specific examples and colorful anecdotes to inform the audience on how to become crisis-ready for the press and how to work with the media during a crisis while sharing actionable tips and takeaways that all PR pros and communicators can immediately implement within their organization.
Drew Levinson is EVP and Head of Media Relations at LifeSci Communications and a former CBS News national TV correspondent. Together with his public relations background, he has 30 years experience to draw from as he provides our clients with media counsel including strategy, crisis, and reputation management.
Drew spent more than two decades as a local and network television news correspondent. While at CBS News, he reported on major world stories including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, five presidential elections and natural disasters. He covered hundreds of medical and health stories including the first self-contained mechanical heart implanted in the U.S., major breakthroughs in cancer and Parkinson's research.
At LifeSci Communications, Drew helps our clients raise their profile in the media. He leverages his extensive media knowledge and expertise along with his relationships with journalists to position our companies in influential top tier television, print and online media outlets along with financial and science trade publications.
Prior to joining LifeSci, Drew was a senior vice president at Hill+Knowlton Strategies where he worked closely with the firm's global account teams helping them develop messages and story angles relevant to journalists and their audiences. He provided media strategy, crisis management and executive communications coaching to a full range of clients including biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies, medical groups, and hospitals.
Drew graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Peace, War and Defense.
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