The latest in a nationwide series of News and Terrorism: Communicating in a Crisis workshops will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, at the Tampa Convention Center.

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 from the public and private sectors react to a simulated terrorist incident—chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear. (The tabletop scenario exercise will be “not for attribution.”) The workshops also include useful scientific information, advice on protective measures, and disaster planning guidance.

Moderating the Tampa workshop will be Deborah Potter, former CNN and CBS News correspondent and current executive director of NewsLab, an online training center for radio and television journalists. An introduction and welcome will be provided by Kathleen Graham, RTNDF's vice president for programs. 

Due to limited space, the workshops are by invitation only. If interested in attending, contact Jon Ebinger at jon@rtndf.org or 202-467-5250. Attendance can be confirmed online by clicking here. 

Confirmed scenario exercise panelists are:

• Howard Altman, Courts and Cops Team Leader, The Tampa Tribune
  
  
• RC Bauer, Director of Information and Programming Services, Clear Channel Radio
  
  
• Mark Dubina, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
  
  
• Dan Fulcher, Hillsborough County Emergency Management
  
  
• Dr. Cynthia Lewis-Younger, Florida Poison Information Center–Tampa
  
  
• Morris Pyle, Assistant News Director, WFLA-TV Tampa

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.