Wonder How Much Media Attention This Will Get?

[skeptic 992]

Youth protection conference hosted by BSA.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-boy-scouts-host-anti-abuse-forum-183117154.html

[WasE61 23]

Probably not going to be much in the press about this since ...

 

"The public is excluded from the Thursday symposium, but the organization says that will encourage candid discussion among participants."

 

How can the media report on what it doesn't have access to?

[Horizon 97]

The BSA stepped away from the media for many years after Dale, and we still have not done a good job of building a strong, outbound marketing team. Crisis management itself is its own specialty - and modern techniques recommend that you get in front of the media constantly with new information and conversations. Your goal is to bore the media and the public with too much information, so that you drop off of page 1.

 

We should have a media day at this event, or invite a few key members of the media to attend and report. Let them listen in during the discussions of how to make kids safe. They will get to know us, our peers in other youth organizations, and they will hear the various challenges that occur like with Timmy's mom is late picking him up, and you don't have a second adult to hang around, and you are short on extra kids. Or when a kid gets a tick on his testicles and you need to give him privacy plus two adults to help remove it. etc. etc. etc.

 

Letting them hear of the real challenges, the real issues, etc. would help us a lot in our PR fiasco we are in right now.

[AZMike 173]

My newspaper reported it this morning, and it's on AP, so it should be getting wide publicity.

 

The big issue raised at the conference is how youth organizations can legally share information on potential abusers with other organizations, without placing individuals and organizations at risk of lawsuits under privacy laws.

 

This is a huge concern, and it is good that the BSA is taking the lead in raising it. This is one of the ways I've suggested that the BSA reclaim its standing - become the leader in youth protection training and advocacy.

 

The reason for making this a session closed to the media was so the the participants could talk freely without fear of every statement being microanalyzed by the media and attorneys. A media conference will (I hope) be held afterwards to explain what was discussed and conclusions.

 

The BSA should host a national training conference for all youth organizations to promote youth safety training with outside speakers, similar to the Dallas Crimes Against Children Conference which is held every August and is the largest law enforcement training conference in the country (this is heavily subsidized by outside corporations, such as Facebook and Google - the BSA should consider becoming a sponsor as well - www.dcac.org). As the BSA's youth protection policies become stricter, there is a real danger that offenders will migrate to smaller youth organizations, so the BSA should advocate for better policies for all youth organizations.

[prof 58]

I heard about it as well. It was on local NPR affiliate, though I'm not sure if it was the local or national broadcast!

[prof 58]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=164043769

Here is a link to what I heard about on NPR

[WasE61 23]

All fine, well and good. More involvement between organizations is a good thing.

 

I don't buy the privacy law issue...since all "suspicions" are now supposed to be turned over to the Police.

 

But without full disclosure to the public (including all of the files from 1988 to date) of everything going on in BSA, the public is going to be as wary as they are of Penn State.

 

Every youth program has this problem ... I have no doubt. I do think BSA, by the nature of the program, offers more opportunity for problems.

 

[Tokala 16]

It was in the November 1 edition of the Tampa Bay Times. Not on the front page though since it's not as "interesting" to the public.

[AZMike 173]

"All fine, well and good. More involvement between organizations is a good thing.

 

I don't buy the privacy law issue...since all "suspicions" are now supposed to be turned over to the Police."

 

Have you tried to get an honest appraisal of a potential hire from a former employer lately? Due to fears of being sued, at best you will get the dates he worked there, and nothing else.

 

Let's take a hypothetical: You have a new adult scout leader who consistently violates the two-in-depth policy despite being counseled. He makes some statements about kids needing to express their sexuality at a very early age that you and the other scouters hear and that you find disturbing. You hear that he and his wife are separated over an issue involving his son, but you don't know anything else. There were no indications or opportunities for a hands-on offense against a scout of which you are aware. The leader has no criminal history that showed up on his background check. He makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Out of a sense of caution, you call the police and speak to a detective on the crimes against children detail, who listens sympathetically but tells you there is little he can do without an outcry from a victim. He says he can't file a report based on the violation of an internal BSA policy. He asks you to keep an eye on the guy, and call him if you hear anything else. You share your concerns with the SM and SE, and his leadership position is revoked.

 

You hear that he has applied for a paid youth counselor position with a church youth ministry in your town. The Minister of that church calls you and says that the former ASM listed his experience with your troop.

 

What do you do?

 

What is your potential for being sued if you relay your opinions and he doesn't get the job?

[WasE61 23]

Sure Mike, I'll play along.

 

What do you do?

 

I report the YPT violations to Council and the Police. Then I tell the Minister the truth of what I know. It is a moral imperative.

 

What is your potential for being sued if you relay your opinions and he doesn't get the job?

 

From my first answer, I think you have the idea that I don't care of potential ramifications when it comes to protecting children.

 

Do you think such a person would want to go to open Court and have his questionable behavior aired out?

 

You either have moral compass in your pocket, or you don't.