A story broke recently in Joliet, Ill. that is a classic example of anomic, or closed-off, communication. An anomic company does not respond to its publics. Isolationist behavior seems desirable in the short term, but history shows it can cripple an organization or even an industry.

The April 21 Herald News had a 72-point headline that said, “All Shook Up.” A 72-point headline is supposed to be reserved for declarations of war. The lead sentence says an “exceptionally loud blast … shook things up … in the area surrounding the Material Service quarry.” We next learn a seismograph indicated the vibration was within legal limits. Then we are told of two previous “enforceable violations” and that several seismographs have been placed in the area at the request of the township's attorney and a state representative.

One enforceable violation involved falling rocks damaging cars in a nearby used car lot. The story ends with residents claiming damage to their homes. They said Material Service refused to pay for a cracked window, roof damage, mold (?), and cracked plaster. The last sentence reads: “Material Service officials did not return phone calls.”

I am not singling out Material Service. Their response is typical. I had a student working as an intern at a British Petroleum refinery. A large tank exploded, spewing thick black smoke. My student said the PR staff was sent home with the phones ringing off the hook. Corporate policy was not to talk during a crisis.

There are at least four key publics in the Material Service story. Once they are identified their relationships become more clear and the advantages of less anomic behavior are apparent.

The most powerful public is officials and legislators. They can have the greatest impact on the quarry by taking legal action or, eventually, by passing laws that make it difficult for the quarry to survive. For them this was an opportunity to get their names in the newspaper and to show that they are looking out for voters.

News media are an intervening public. Though the opinions of a few reporters are unimportant, they become important because they can put the potentially damaging story on the public agenda. Thus they are the trigger mechanism for the actions of officials and legislators. For the newspaper, this was an opportunity to engage in advocacy journalism and attract subscribers.

The three or four neighbors who complained to the newspaper are a significant public because they trigger the response of the newspaper, which triggers the response of officials and legislators. For neighbors, this was an opportunity to vent and maybe get some free work done on their homes.

Is this sounding like “There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly?” The people running the quarry are the most important public because they trigger the reactions of the neighbors who trigger the actions of the local media who trigger the actions of officials and legislators. They have four basic courses of action.

First, they can alter their blasting methods to keep rocks off other people's cars. But I don't write about that. Second, they can ignore the neighbors, the news media, and the officials and legislators and hope they all go away. This is a wonderful short term plan, but it doesn't play out well.

Third, they can encourage neighbors to talk to the company instead of the newspaper. What would it cost if, no questions asked, a quarry replaced every pane of broken glass for free in a six-block radius? Probably a lot less than closing a quarry prematurely. Last, if all else fails, quarry representatives could talk to the newspaper and get their side of the story printed. It might at least delay the reaction of legislators.

Thomas Roach, Ph.D, has 25 years in the communication's field, holding corporate and academic positions. He is currently a tenured professor of communication. He can be reached by e-mail at thomasjroach@msn.com