COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN: When the crisis managers meet the news media

The mass media and emergency management personnel (especially crisis managers) lack a real understanding of each other’s work. Closer co-operation, including regular two-way familiarisation courses, would help the groups understand each other, facilitate a realisation of similarities between the groups, and result in more efficient dissemination of information, to the benefit of society in general. Additionally, journalists and emergency services personnel need to understand the role that the reporting of “bad news ” events plays in helping communities “rehearse ” for – and so deal with – tragedies. Journalism strea