Jennie Donohue: Lessons from Lockerbie: Observing the 25th Anniversary of the PanAm #103 Tragedy

When I was informed that Jennie Donohue was coming to speak about the PanAm #103 tragedy in my public relations class, I could not have been more intrigued to hear about her experience studying abroad during that unfortunate time. However, her lecture covered more than her experience during the tragedy. She discussed the importance of properly communicating during a crisis.
Ms. Donohue talked about how important crisis communication is, which has enhanced my understanding about public relations in times of crisis. The fact that students just like I am now were killed in this horrible plane bombing, and the media got the facts wrong at first, is astounding to me. It shows that in a competitive communicating society, we have pressure put on us to be first, but being first is not the most important thing when reporting news.
Donohue began telling her story about how twenty-five years ago, instead of flying home with her other peers from London after their semester abroad, she and her best friend decided to go backpacking in Europe over the winter break. She was in Italy during the tragedy and explained how she felt completely alone when she found out the news about her fellow peers in the bombing from some Canadians she met in a hostile.
I could see the pain in her eyes and hear the tightness in her throat when she explained that she felt lost and alone because there was no immediate way to contact her friends and family at the time. She explained how she was also angry because there was misinformation about people who had been proclaimed dead. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to not be able to pick up a cell phone and call my parents to talk about something so tragic that directly affected me and my fellow peers. I also can’t imagine how much the misinformation in the media affected her and made her think some of her friends were dead, when they weren’t.
Donohue explained to us that as professionals, we still need to know how to be compassionate to people while maintaining our professionalism. She explained this through an anecdote of her returning home from Europe after that winter break. She said that as she went through customs, she was completely disheveled and upset and just wanted to see her family as soon as possible. The security guard who was checking her passport was bombarding her with questions like, “What are you doing in Europe”? “Why are you coming to the United States”? These questions went on and on until Donohue broke down and started crying and saying, “I just want to go home”.
The security guard stared at her for a little bit, then a sympathetic smile spread across his face as he said, “we’re glad you’re home”. Hearing this story reaffirms my belief that even as professionals, we can still be compassionate to our audiences while doing our jobs, because it is a necessity to reflect and consider the impact of our communication on others during difficult times.
After this presentation, I know that as a public relations professional, I will always try my best to get the facts right and not worry about being first to publish a story. I also know that just because I’m working or telling a story, does not mean that I cannot be compassionate and caring toward people while still maintaining my composure and professionalism. Overall, this presentation was extremely eye-opening and beneficial to me.