For more information see http://www.cba.org.uk/featured/pandemic-training-helps-bridge-the-gap-between-broadcasters-and-health-sector/

1. Disaster Broadcasting
The Role of Broadcasters in a
Pandemic
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

2. The Broadcasters Role in Disasters
• News
– Independent
– Immediate
– Without fear or favour
– Accurate
– Many perspectives
– Using the audiences
• Public Interest
– Partnerships with agencies
but always independent
– Information to save life and
property
– Immediate
– May be repetitive
– Telling real stories
– Collaborating with the
community
– Assisting agencies
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

3. Types of Disasters
What can we prepare for?
• Natural
– Typhoons, tornadoes, storms, earthquakes,
tsunamis, volcanoes, fires, floods, droughts,
pandemics,
• Manmade
– Wars, strikes, famines, terrorism, economic
depressions, crashes (flight, train and road),
shipping, nuclear and chemical (accident or
terrorism)
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

4. Ongoing Responsibility
• Before
– BCP in place
– Disaster Plan
– Agency
relationships
– Monitoring
– Collaborations
– Ability to adapt
– Not sensationalized
• During
– Keep me informed
– Use trusted sources
– Calm the public
– Be useful
– Accessible
– Multiplatform
include Social
media
– Stay on air
– Maintain interest
and energy
– Don’t scare us
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant
• After
– Rebuilding
– Clean up
– Mourning and grief
– Financial loss
– Mental health
– Good stories to
inspire
– Prolonged
– Help coping with
fear

5. Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

6. • Critics of social media often complain they encourage
frivolous recordings of what people are eating for
lunch or where they're having drinks after
work………….But……… what if social media could help
detect and track global disease outbreaks weeks earlier
than traditional surveillance methods, allowing officials
to introduce treatment and reduce the spread of a
potential pandemic?
• From the Globe and Mail http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/social-
media-could-help-detect-pandemics-md-says/article584757/
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

7. Information Sources
• Discussion: How is information gathered – live and
recorded, from the field, from agencies, from experts, from
governments, from the public, from social media, from other
media organisations?
– Consider:
• Keeping reporters safe
• Over reliance on experts and officials
• Media can be faster than agencies with vital information
• The media feeding frenzy - the dangers of following
• Real stories matter
• The public can provide information that saves lives
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

8. Information Sources
• Discussion: Who to trust, how to sift information and
sources, when is it fact, how to treat unsubstantiated
information, rumours and hearsay, how to differentiate
between fact and fiction.
– Consider
• Very few people in disasters maliciously misinform
• How trustworthy is social media and citizen reporting?
• Who do we need in our newsrooms and program control
rooms?
• Do we have enough people editorially capable?
• How practiced are we at good editorial judgement in crisis?
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

9. Are we prepared for a crisis?
• Discussion: Operating under severe stress and limited
resources – how to maintain effectiveness, accuracy, trust
and still serve the community well.
• Consider
– What we broadcast is vital and may save
many lives.
– Do we have disaster plans? Have we practiced or simulated disaster?
– Can we call in extra resources
immediately?
– What contingency do we have if our
transmission fails?
– How well have we performed
in disasters?
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

10. the best policy for limiting infectious disease outbreaks is to get the
news out loud and quickly …….. but…………. media reports of rumours
that turn out to be untrue could make future outbreaks more severe
• From: How Media Reports Influence Pandemics, MIT Technology Review http://www.technologyreview.com/view/419652/how-
media-reports-influence-pandemics/
And another perspective:
“The media has gone into full gear with little analysis and review of the
evidence……..
• the global outbreak is imminent…
• The worst health crisis facing the world in 90 years…”
From Global Research, Centre for Research on Globalization
http://www.globalresearch.ca/political-lies-and-media-disinformation-regarding-the-swine-flu-pandemic/13433
Political Lies and Media Disinformation regarding the Swine Flu Pandemic
By Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

11. Disaster Broadcasting - Pandemic
• Discussion: How we should prepare ourselves for a
pandemic? – what to do? – using the information we have heard
and discussed in the morning sessions
– Consider
• Plans
• Preparedness
• Collaborations in place
• Advanced notice?
• Nature of broadcasts
• When is a pandemic a disaster?
• When does a disaster require rolling public service
coverage?
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

12. Who Pandemic Guidelines –
Communications - Objective 3
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

13. Who Pandemic Guidelines
Communications – relevant actions
WHO Actions
1. Provide information to facilitate risk
communication related to influenza.
2. Plan and test capacity for meeting
current and expected future
international information demands,
among others by maintaining a web
site.
5. Increase the familiarity of news
media with WHO activities, operations
and decision-making related to
influenza and other epidemic
diseases.
7. Develop feedback mechanisms to
identify emerging public concerns,
address rumours, and correct
misinformation.
National Actions
1. Establish phased national communications
strategy or pandemic influenza.
3. Plan and test capacity for meeting expected
domestic information demands for diverse
audiences, including professional/technical
groups, the news media and general public.
4. Ensure communications infrastructure is
adequate for pandemic needs.
5. Establish and maintain a web site with relevant
information.
8. Familiarize news media with national plans,
preparedness activities and decision-making
related to seasonal and pandemic influenza.
10. Develop feedback mechanisms to identify
public level of knowledge about pandemic
influenza and emerging public concerns. Address
rumours proactively, and correct misinformation.
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

14. WHO Outbreak Communication Guidelines
Trust; Announce Early; Transparency; Public; Planning
• Review and discuss: Look at WHO Outbreak
Communication Guidelines – how do they fit in with our own BCP
and Disaster Broadcasting Plans? – how do they fit in with our
need to serve the community but remain independent?
– Reflect on:
• News coverage begins with a potential pandemic unfolding, but
when does emergency response broadcasting and BCP begin?
• What sort of coverage is needed? What is essential?
• Just news? Some break ins with community information?
• Rolling 24 hour coverage? Maintain over days, weeks or months?
• Are we well enough prepared for a pandemic?
• How long will it last.
• Is possible for us to fulfil all our obligations to our communities?
• What steps do we need to take to ensure coverage continues
throughout the Pandemic?
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

15. Pandemic Issues for Broadcasters
• Discuss a couple of challenges:
– Providing information to save lives is essential, but over-telling of
pandemic tragedies can add to the trauma in people’s lives, how do
we provide the right balance?
– From our previous discussion about sources and maintaining trust
and accuracy, what systems, safeguards and guidelines do we need
to provide out teams from before the pandemic starts.
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

16. Pandemic Issues for Broadcasters
• Discuss a couple more challenges:
– Which teams?– news teams of course for news, but
for community service rolling coverage, maintaining
trust means to have the best and most trusted
broadcasters on air – how do we maintain that over
weeks or longer? Staff may need to be, or become
blocked from travelling home to families so how do
we maintain staff welfare balanced with our
essential service?
– Our need to cover news, stories and issues from a
pandemic will never finish, but when does our role
for disaster response community service come to an
end?
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

17. • Review of discussions:
– What do we need to do to be really prepared for a
pandemic or other disasters?
Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant

18. Dr Mike McCluskey
International Media and Broadcast Consultant