Dr. Muhammad Rizwan Bhatti
The world has become globalized village. The advent of technology has made communication easy and information spread far and wide in the spur of moments. There are different types of Media such as print media, electronic media, social media, Digital Media and out of home media like billboards. The types of media are different channels through which information and entertainment disseminate to different segments of society. Leveraging digital media in crisis communication is critical for better community engagement and effective policing to maintain law and order.
Digital media comprises social media, websites, online publications, email newsletters, and mobile apps; it offers a diverse platform for spreading information immediately and interacting with the community in the crisis time of trial and tribulations. Crisis communication is the viable strategy to disseminate the information about the critical events to media and relevant stakeholders to reduce damage and misgivings, maintaining public trust, taking appropriate actions and responses. Police has to grapple different crisis situations such as violent riot, religio-political protests, rallies and worst form of terrorism. The best example is the recent bigotry incident occurred at Sargodha.
The crowd was belligerent, but the timely response of higher hierarchy, taking into confidence of stakeholders such as peace committees and timely, unambiguous, accurate and transparent information to media help in dissolving the crisis situation which may exasperate into violent riots across the province. Moreover, dealing of Jaranwala incident was exemplary. The issue was serious. Riots in the Jaranwala city were erupted due to alleged desecration of Quranic verses. RPO Faisalabad Dr. Muhammad Abid Khan handled the crisis situation in a very judicious manner. He rushed to the site without wasting any time and involved all the stakeholders to alleviate the tense security situation. He directed his Public Relation officer to monitor the electronic, print, social and digital media.
Furthermore, he established rehabilitation centers to accommodate the vulnerable community. The rehabilitation camps were provided with health care facilities, food and accommodation. He utilized the digital media to avoid misinformation and disseminate timely and relevant information to media in order to prevent speculations and misgivings. IGP Punjab made tremendous task to accomplish the Meesaq Centers to serve the minorities at their doorstep. Meesaq centers did remarkable job by reconciling the different issues that may escalate into dangerous enmity. He leveraged the social media to defuse crisis communication for better community engagement.
Digital media serves as a critical tool in crisis communication due to its immediacy, wide reach, and inter-connectivity. Unlike traditional media, digital platforms allow for real-time updates and direct interaction with the audience, which is vital during a crisis. Social media platforms like Twitter, Face book, and Instagram enable organizations to disseminate timely information, correct misinformation, and engage with the community directly. Websites and mobile apps provide a centralized hub for detailed updates, resources, and emergency contact information. Email newsletters ensure that important updates reach stakeholders directly in their inboxes.
Crisis communication commences long before a crisis happens. Police department should formulate a comprehensive crisis communication plan that comprises effective digital media strategy. Crisis communication plan should identify key digital platforms, designate spokespersons and outline ways and means for speedy dissemination of information. No one knows when crisis situation emerges. So, it is necessary to engage the community through the usage of social media, print and electronic media by giving them information about good work done by police, mechanism to combat crime and criminals and sharing information about the services being rendered to public for their convenience and integrity.
There are diverse ways to engage community such as holding of open courts, making awareness messages, effective wielding of social, print and electronic media to transmit information about the actions being taken for the protection of life and property of citizens. This practice also precludes the misinformation and unwieldy speculations on the part of media and public. In order to deal with crisis in an appropriate manner, undoubtedly, three P’s like Preparedness, promptness and post incident transparency play a very crucial role to avoid any sort of speculation, misgivings and embarrassment to organization.
During a crisis, concise, timely and accurate dissemination of information is of paramount importance. Police must employ digital media to impart real-time updates. Social media platforms are significantly important for ready announcements and reliable updates. It is important to ensure that all information is reliable and accurate to avoid displaying misinformation, which can aggravate the crisis. In the crisis situation, PROs serve as “Ethical Compass”. His integrity should be aboveboard and beyond reproach.
Digital media is important because of its interactivity. It allows for two way communication. Police should pro-actively interact with the community by responding to questions, addressing grievances, and providing fair justice. Social media management tools can facilitate effective monitoring and prompt response to comments and messages. This two-way communication engenders a sense of cohesive community and trust, reassuring the citizens that their issues and grievances are being heard and addressed accordingly.
Utilizing various forms of multimedia content can enhance the effectiveness of crisis communication. Furthermore, appropriate usage of Multimedia contents increases the efficacy of crisis communication. Additionally, Info graphics, videos, and images can transmit intricate information more vividly than text alone. For example, visual guides on safety procedures or evacuation routes can be more easily understood and remembered. Moreover, Multimedia content has the capacity to reach to the wider audience.
However, Consistent and transparent communication is necessary in the time of crisis. The hierarchy of Police must ensure that all digital communication is coherent on diverse platforms to avoid confusion and dichotomy of thought. Clarity about the pervasive situation helps to dispel the misgivings and it also maintain the credibility of an institution. Regular updates satisfy the public that the situation is being monitored continuously and no aggravation is in sight.
The notables, influencers and community leaders can play a very crucial role in diluting the volatile situation with their presence and word of trust on Police. Their narrative about the good effort of police can neutralize the propaganda of miscreants and disgruntled elements. Therefore, robust collaboration and communication with important luminaries of society who has strong presence and influence on line digital media platforms can help spread information speedily and also give credibility to the message, put forward by police. Moreover, there message can also help in preventing misinformation and provision of actual facts to the public and followers of any religio-political organization.
Nonetheless, along with dissemination of correct information, perpetual monitoring of digital and electronic media channels is critical for vibrant crisis communication. It is really essential to track the public sentiments on social media to avert any mischief and to foresee the impending dangerous events. In this respect, proper feedback mechanism through conducting surveys and polls can help in discerning the concerns of community and necessary information requires for the understanding of situation. If the response to manage the crisis is effective and disaster has been diminished, then it would be essential to make an elaborate assessment of crisis situation.
Post-crisis communication is more crucial as the simmering and smoldering situation can again become conflagration. Police hierarchy through its PROs should continue to provide fresh updates about the emerging situation and rehabilitation efforts. Again if we take the case study of Jaranwala incident, RPO Faisalabad Dr. Muhammad Abid Khan kept updating the media and relevant stakeholders about the rehabilitation efforts for forlorn Christian community. The apprehension of main accused was shared with press and media.
The modus operandi of involved miscreants was also shared with the public through social media. The public was told about the real facts of incident. So, post crisis engagement is essential to obviate the possibility of confusion and spreading false rumors. Moreover, public should know about the recovery efforts of police and administration to mitigate the crisis impact in society. In addition, the appreciation of community involvement in the elimination of crisis should also be acknowledged at all forums.
Leveraging digital media in crisis communication for better policing and gaining public trust is essential to end the crisis and placating the grievances in the crisis situation. The immediacy, promptness, access, and interactivity of digital platforms render those unparallel tools for spreading information, dove tailing with the community, and managing public perception during the time of crises.
However, proactive planning, real-time information dissemination, managing two-way communication, using multimedia content, keeping consistency and transparency, managing influencers, overseeing feedback, and perpetual post-crisis communication, organizations can effectively manage crises and build stronger, more resilient communities. Leveraging the social media for effective crisis communication is really essential to deal with any crisis situation and to engage the public at larger level. This act will help in managing the grievances of public and enlighten the audience about the steps being taken for the redressal of crisis.
About Author
Dr. Muhammad Rizwan Bhatti is Ph.D Political Science from GCUF and Police officer. He can be reached at rizwanbh79@gmail.com
Beautiful article
very informative article ????