Media impact on citizens

While the respondents did not perceive any media influence on the citizens that called the emergency services and/or the support lines during the crisis, media reports of the incident have had an impact on our subjects, both during that night and afterwards. Most of them agreed that on this particular case media acted as partners during the crisis situation by disseminating useful information, but somehow this “partnership” ended the next days, when media disseminated unverified, unadvised and sometimes false information, causing panic and distrust towards the authorities and forcing the involved organizations to fight rumours, in addition to managing the consequences of the event. The fact that media tends to focus only on the negative aspects also emerged. Both public authorities and media should intensify their combined efforts in order to communicate effectively during all three phases of crisis.

Cultural Factors: Communication

Hazards: Man-made non-intentional hazards or emergency situations

Disaster Phases: Response, Recovery

Types of Actors Concerned: Media

Recommendations:

• Inform citizens about the risk they may face and about possible actions and measures, they can take to reduce vulnerability and better prepare themselves
• Use cultural factors to improve the effectiveness of disaster communication