The February 27 Pressing Issues Forum held at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library was a platform in which media and PR professionals had the opportunity to discuss the topic of crisis management, which has been at the forefront for Toledo’s PR and media professionals the past year.
The crisis management panel was moderated by Shaun Hegarty, investigative reporter at WTVG-TV, 13abc, and included Jim Blue, anchor and managing editor of WNWO-TV, Channel 24, Dave Kielmeyer, senior communications director at Bowling Green State University, and Shannon Lands, the public information office for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.
Public Relations: Crisis Management
The August 2014 ‘Toledo Water Crisis’ was the topic of much conversation during the forum. The media professionals present at the forum said that they would rather have received phone calls at 2 a.m. regarding the crisis, rather than faxes during the middle of the night.
One of the reasons the Press Club of Toledo hosts Pressing Issues forums is to help public relations professionals to better share information with members of the media.
Panelist Jim Blue explained, “I’d prefer to have a phone call on my personal phone.”

Other highlights of the forum included the mention of social media and how during times of crisis, anyone can provide information or misinformation. It was highlighted that BGSU uses social media to distribute the correct information out to large numbers of people quickly.
For information regarding future Pressing Issues forums, stay tuned to the Press Club of Toledo’s event’s calendar.