“Not If, But When” – Strategies for Communicating the Unexpected
No one had really heard of Aurora, CO, Ferguson, MO, or Uvalde, TX until the unthinkable happened. Then, in a blink of an eye, all three cities were thrust into the international spotlight. It’s not really ‘if’ anymore but, ‘when’. Award-winning instructor Steve Gregory will walk you through the press conferences of some high-profile events. He’ll detail what worked and what didn’t. He’ll also offer some methods of handling your message in a time of crisis. Steve’s experience as an investigative journalist in Los Angeles offers attendees a view into how reporters respond to these types of stories, regardless of an agency’s size or location. Steve has covered some of the nation’s biggest stories including riots in Ferguson, MO and Los Angeles, CA, Wildfires on Maui, the San Bernardino Terrorist Shooting, OJ Simpson’s armed robbery trial, and conflicts along the US/Mexico Border.
Steve Gregory
Steve Gregory is California’s first working journalist to earn POST-certified instructor status (level II). He teaches media relations and crisis communications to public and private sectors. Steve is also an internationally certified instructor with IADLEST and ILEETA. For the last 30+ years, Steve has been a national correspondent working in Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Steve is an adjunct instructor with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the University of Southern California’s Safe Communities Institute. In October of 2022, Steve became an instructor at the inaugural National Public Safety Innovation Academy in Winter Haven, FL. His 38-hour master class is among the most popular of the 8-week STEM-based executive leadership course. Steve is also a board member of the Radio & Television News Association of Southern California where he chairs the media access committee. He co-developed a media relations model for the LAPD and a conflict resolution protocol in use between the LA Press Corps and law enforcement.
In 2020, The California Commission on POST gave Steve its award for Excellence in Training.
Steve was on scene moments after a fatal terrorist mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA; was all over the hunt for a cop killer in Southern California; was in the courtroom during the OJ Simpson armed robbery trial, sentencing and parole hearing in Nevada; lived roadside for 9 days in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina; was in the middle of the riots in Ferguson, MO where he was attacked and dodged gunfire – while on the air; has been in the middle of numerous Immigration Protests and Civil Unrest, and traveled to Tijuana to cover the trial of a jailed US Marine in Mexico. In August of 2023 Steve was on the island of Maui covering Hawaii’s deadliest wildfire.
Steve is in demand as a presenter, consultant and instructor. He is based in Los Angeles where he works as a Special Correspondent for Audacy-owned KNX News 97.1 FM.
