"Drawing on more than 100 in-depth interviews with journalists and aid agency press officers, participant observations at the Guardian, BBC and Save the Children UK, as well as the ordinary people who created the words and pictures that framed these disasters, this book reveals how humanitarian disa
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sters are covered in the 21st century – and the potential consequences for those who posted a tweet, a video or photo, without ever realising how far it would go." (Publisher description)
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"The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for anyone involved in humanitarian assistance who produces communications on behalf of an organisation (e.g. press releases, social media, fund raising appeals) or engages with the media (e.g. interviews). It aims to support communications expert
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s to provide accurate information that protects and supports infants and young children and their caregivers and reduces harmful interventions." (Page 1)
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"Scholars from various research disciplines have focused on ways of helping a civilian population withstand mass natural or human-instigated disasters. The present study examines the theoretical principles suggested by Hobfoll et al. (safety, calming, efficacy, connectedness and hope) by an analysis
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of the spontaneous discourse of educational radio presenters during emergency broadcasts when the region’s residents live under the constant danger of rocket fire. This study analysed 198 broadcasting hours sampled from three different periods of military conflict (2008-14). The radio presenters’ spontaneous discourse was analysed by content, drawing a distinction between resilience-promoting (function) and resilience-impairing (dysfunction) messages. The findings show that despite the presenters’ intention to help the community contend with the difficult situation, numerous resilience-impairing messages also appeared in their spontaneous discourse. The present study contributes by providing an additional layer of theoretical research on interventions in community stress situations and looks at utilizing the potential inherent in educational radio as a tool to aid development of community resilience." (Abstract)
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"In this moment of unprecedented humanitarian crises, the representations of global disasters are increasingly common media themes around the world. The Routledge Companion to Media and Humanitarian Action explores the interconnections between media, old and new, and the humanitarian challenges that
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have come to define the twenty-first century. Contributors, including media professionals and experts in humanitarian affairs, grapple with what kinds of media language, discourse, terms, and campaigns can offer enough context and background knowledge to nurture informed global citizens. Case studies of media practices, content analysis and evaluation of media coverage, and representations of humanitarian emergencies and affairs offer further insight into the ways in which strategic communications are designed and implemented in field of humanitarian action." (Publisher description)
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"To meet the growing needs of disaster-affected communities around the world, we must do more to truly listen to them and tailor our responses accordingly." (Abstract)
"This booklet first presents as a case study an overview and analysis of the actual reporting during the May 2014 flood in Serbia from the gender perspective. This part contains examples of gender stereotypical portrayal of men and women, but also the lack of visibility of female contribution to the
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humanitarian response. The modern system of emergency management is essentially determined by a new security paradigm. This is important to the understanding of the gender perspective in emergency management and the main characteristics are described in part 2 of this guide. This is followed by a study of the media and its role and ethics concerning the reporting of emergency situations – covering the gender aspects of emergencies. This part includes recommendations for media action in accordance with the global as well as national approaches to strengthening the resilience of people and communities for a timely and effective accommodation and recovery from the effects of disasters." (Page 8)
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"Culture and Crisis Communication presents an examination of how politics, culture, religion, and other social issues affect crisis communication and management in nonwestern countries. From intense human tragedy to the follies of the rich, the chapters examine how companies, organizations, news out
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lets, health organizations, technical experts, politicians, and local communities communicate in crisis situations. Taking a wider view than a single country’s perspective, the text contains a cross-cultural and cross-country approach. In addition, the case studies offer valuable lessons that organizations that wish to operate or are operating in those cultures can adopt in preparing and managing crises. The book highlights recent crisis events such as Syria’s civil war, missing Malaysia Flight MH370, andJapan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster. Each of the case studies examines how culture impacts communication and responses to crises." (Publisher description)
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"Beneficiary Communication is a program which emphasizes the use of communication equipment in passing relevant, timely and accurate lifesaving information to communities. The program supports an environment of transparency and accountability through creation of feedback mechanism. It is about provi
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ding practical, useful information at the right time, listening to people’s needs and opinions and using this information to improve the programming and operations of Partner national society (PNS), National Society (NS) and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Beneficiary Communication program utilizes technology like SMS, Radio, Mobile Cinema, Posters, Sound tracks, Wall painting or traditional channels like drama and community meetings to pass lifesaving information to communities.
The impacts listed in this report cannot be solely attributed to the use of beneficiary communication tools. The impact is the contribution of the tools to the realization of the results of the projects in which the tools were mainstreamed. Indeed, the results of the programs in which beneficiary communication tools was mainstreamed are the impact of the use of tools by proxy.
The levels of knowledge of the beneficiaries with regards to causes of malnutrition and prevention of diseases which are caused by unhygienic conditions such as cholera have increased tremendously. This is evident from the results obtained through the pre and post mobile cinema evaluation on the above mentioned thematic areas, from the sites where the Red Cross Societies have implemented projects aimed at addressing malnutrition and hygiene.
The activities of the beneficiary communication program were well received by the target communities in all the five countries. The communities appreciated the mobile cinema and drama perhaps due to ease of learning from audio visual or observation. The putting to practice the knowledge gained in various thematic areas is another way of determining how well the beneficiaries have received beneficiary communication activities. A random check of households by personnel in-charge of community health in Rwanda revealed that nine in ten beneficiaries put to practice the knowledge they acquired from the mobile cinema shows.
The use of audio visuals and drama in local languages in all the countries sampled has proved to be an effective way of training both literate and illiterate members of the society. This is because both illiterate and literate members of the community simply learn through listening and observation." (Executive summary)
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"In 2010, Ryan and Matheson (2010) compiled evidence to quantify the importance of communication activities to emergency management. The study involved a comprehensive content analysis of emergency incident and emergency exercise debriefing sessions and reports spanning 2003 to 2008. Six years on, t
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his 2015 study replicates that work to determine the current significance of communication in emergency management. It also identifies trends in issues that occur during emergency events. This study considers recommendations and findings from 22 reviews of recent disaster events and training exercises from around Australia. Using content analysis, 20.4 per cent of the findings relate to issues with communicating with communities. This represents an increase of 1.3 per cent on the 2010 study. Resourcing, skills in social media, and community consultation and engagement feature in the study results". (Abstract)
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"Two major media revolutions transformed the humanitarian response to disasters facing the Arab Gulf States, namely the 1991 launch of Pan-Arab satellite TV channels, and the 2010 advent of social media. Drawing on her own professional experience, the author argues that both media revolutions have h
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ad positive effects on humanitarian response in GCC countries and the Arab region. She explores the impact of mainstream Pan-Arab satellite TV channels in successful fundraising through telethons and 24/7 news reporting, resulting in an increasing awareness of humanitarian needs. A new public understanding of accountability in the distribution of mobilized resources has also emerged. Obaid has detailed the use of social media and the connections forged between volunteers, donors, and the victims of conflict and disaster. Both facets of the media revolution have the potential to become more relevant and effective in raising awareness of humanitarian crises, delivering relief, and helping the victims recover. Technological empowerment and skills-based media training will facilitate media accessibility and use, and are the ways forward in creating sustained, effective, and timely humanitarian response in the Arab region, and beyond." (Introduction to part 6, page 304)
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"In this essay, a different way to approach reporting on natural disasters has been suggested. It requires news reporters and their editors to recognize that there are progressive unions and allied organizations that exist, and because of their rootedness in their various communities across the coun
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try, that they can help provide more honest and accurate accounts of natural disasters than can be gained from government officials and outside NGO staff-members. It has been argued that gaining access through these local organizations can provide approaches to news reporting that actually help the affected community heal, by portraying survivors as active protagonists to overcoming the death and destruction instead of helpless victims." (Conclusion)
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"Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach presents case studies of organizational, corporate, and individual crises, and analyzes the communication responses to these situations. Demonstrating how professionals prepare for and respond to crises, as well as how they develop communications plans, th
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is essential text explores crucial issues concerning communication with the news media, employees, and consumers in times of crisis. Author Kathleen Fearn-Banks addresses how to choose the best possible words to convey a message, the best method for delivering the message, and the precise and most appropriate audience, in addition to illustrating how to avoid potential mismanagement. The fifth edition of Crisis Communications includes updated cases that provide wider coverage of international crises and media technologies. It includes a new section on social media in crisis communication scenarios and includes additional comments from social media experts throughout various chapters. New case studies include "Police Departments and Community Trust," "The Oso Mudslide in Washington," "School Shootings: Communications To and For Children," and two additional international case studies - "Ebola Strikes Liberia: Firestone Strikes Ebola" and "Nut Rage and Korean Airlines." (Publisher description)
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"The guide is not about how to use media for public relations or fund-raising purposes; it focuses on working with media to share useful and actionable information with communities affected by crisis. Humanitarians call this kind of communication different things: “community engagement”, “comm
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unication with communities”, “beneficiary communication” or “humanitarian communication”. They all mean the same thing: harnessing the power of communication to save lives. The focus is on local and national media because, if you want to reach local communities you need to go through local channels, which can provide specific, localised information and are in close proximity to their audiences." (Introduction)
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"The purpose of Lifeline programming is to make content for people affected by humanitarian crises in order to help save lives and reduce suffering [...] Lifeline programming requires a different approach from conventional newsgathering and reporting. It involves sharing practical, actionable inform
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ation that audiences can use to improve their situation, and also providing encouragement and reassurance. It’s about reporting for those affected rather than about them. Topics may include issues around safety, food, water, shelter, health, hygiene, trauma and more." (Page 4)
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"This Managing Social Media During Emergencies Guide is designed to assist Councils to better plan, manage and continue to improve the effectiveness of social media use during an emergency event." (Intorduction, page 4)
"The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has developed this paper to support Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers in their communication and advocacy on community resilience. The paper explains the IFRC’s definition of and approach to building communi
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ty resilience, sets out key messages, and suggests how to communicate the rationale for promoting community resilience to a broad audience. The document draws on the IFRC’s Framework for Community Resilience and the strategy behind the One Billion Coalition for Resilience. The messages and evidence in this paper should inform discussions, plans and decision-making in national disaster risk reduction or disaster management platforms, policy forums, community consultations, and project design." (Page 4)
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