Public involvement case study -- The public, the media, and chemical weapons in the front yard: Spring Valley, Washington, D.C. (1993)
- Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, AL (United States)
On January 5, 1993, a worker digging a utility trench in an upscale Washington neighborhood uncovered some World War I chemical munitions. Once emergency officials heard the words ``poison gas`` and ``munitions,`` District of Columbia emergency equipment and workers streamed into the neighborhood. Reporters descended on the site. Soldiers in chemical suits arrived. Residents were evacuated. With the onslaught of flashing police lights, uniformed soldiers, and omnipresent news cameras, local homeowners began to panic. This one site had all the attributes of a great news story: disaster, panic, conflict, danger, and big government. But you didn`t see this story played out nightly on CNN. In fact, it wasn`t picked up as a major, controversial story. That`s because of the excellent work by those removing the munitions and a strong public involvement program. These turned a potential public relations disaster and media nightmare into a success story. Public involvement changed angry, frightened citizens into firm believers in the project. It turned cynical media into informed news outlets. And it made the munitions removal effort easier. The focus of this paper, however, is on the public relations battle.
- OSTI ID:
- 124595
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940499-; ISBN 1-56590-014-6; TRN: IM9548%%185
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Federal environmental restoration and waste minimization conference and exhibition, New Orleans, LA (United States), 25-29 Apr 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of 1994 Federal environmental restoration III and waste minimization II conference and exhibition: Proceedings. Volume 2; PB: 858 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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