Media is crucial in emergency response
The media could make the difference whether or not a difficult situation evolves into a disaster during any major emergency incident in Australia. Ernie Davitt reports.
Such is the importance of the media's information role that Canberra-based think tank the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) says the Australian Government should establish a media emergency forum.
ASPI believes the forum should include emergency management and security officials together with representatives of media organisations.
ASPI also argues for introduction of a national public safety protocol covering the release of public safety messages through the media in the event of exceptional circumstances, such as a terrorist release of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear) material or mass casualty terrorist attacks. The protocol would be in addition to existing arrangements between emergency management agencies and the ABC.
It also suggested involving working journalists in real-time counter-terrorism exercises and for journalism schools to examine how to give students practical training and knowledge to cover terrorist acts in an ethical and informed manner.
The suggestions were made in a recent ASPI policy analysis paper entitled The Australian Media and Terrorism by Dr Anthony Bergin, who is the director of research programs for ASPI and Raspal Khosa, a research fellow responsible for managing the ASPI Outreach Program.
Suspicion by journalists
A leading Canberra-based journalism academic says that despite a natural suspicion by journalists about collaborating with authorities after a terrorist incident, she believed improved cooperation could benefit journalists, emergency agencies and the community.
University of Canberra journalism lecturer and former ABC regional news editor and political reporter, Julie Posetti, told ASM:
“The development of a co-operative relationship between news managers, working journalists, journalism academics and emergency services officials can only enhance the preparedness of the media to deal with reporting a crisis.
“Such an approach has the potential to enable the media to better appreciate the public safety goals of the emergency services and it should also aid the authorities' understanding of the incredible demands on news organisations during disasters and events like terrorist attacks.”
Much progress says EMA chief
The head of Emergency Management Australia, Tony Pearce, told ASM that a good deal of progress has been made in recent years resulting in emergency agencies working closer with the media, both during emergencies and during quieter times.
Whilst he acknowledges Dr Bergin's sentiments as positive suggestions for greater cooperation, he said that it may not be widely known just how much effort has gone into building good relationships nationally.
He said that in addition to the significant work that has gone toward developing solid working relationships between the emergency services and the media in States and Territories, a forum of Commonwealth agencies involved in emergency issues does exist and meets, with participation relevant to the issue at hand, on a regular basis on a range of specific projects. Among these is:
* a forum of media officers in national security and related federal agencies – with State and Territory police media participation – meeting regularly to progress media liaison, public awareness and training ideas
* an avian influenza pandemic preparedness working group of Commonwealth Government departmental public affairs representatives has been responsible for preparing a raft of public awareness and emergency advice material
* an Australasian food standards communications group which includes many national and State agencies and organisations
* a national steering committee, led by EMA, which is planning this year's annual conference of emergency media and public affairs officers.
Mr. Pearce said that extensive consultation has been progressing between the Attorney-General's Department (including EMA), media networks and peak media organisations - both commercial and free-to-air - and State and Territory emergency management agencies to develop guidelines for the broadcast of emergency warnings and alerts.
“Further, and after considerable consultation, a National Security Public Information Guidelines document has been prepared for Commonwealth Government departments and agencies that are involved in national security work,” he said.
“The document has been approved at a high level and the guidelines provide the basis for how department media officers communicate and cooperate with media representatives.
“They cover any form of national security emergency and have been made available to state and territory police and emergency services organisation's media directors.
“EMA includes an accredited module on Working with the Media in an Emergency in several of its education and training courses at the Emergency Management Australia Institute.
“This facility at Mt Macedon in Victoria is also looking towards hosting training courses specifically for media and public affairs personnel in the emergency services and related agencies.”
Always more that could be done
Mr. Pearce said that despite these initiatives there was always more that could be done, and he was very supportive of any activity which increased the awareness and cooperative links between those responsible for managing emergencies and the media.
While the ASPI paper drew the line at developing a terrorism reporting code and accreditation for reporters, the paper argues that a forum could regularly bring together senior media editors, government officials and local government emergency planners, police and private industry to consider media issues arising from emergencies that include terrorist incidents.
ASPI said that inaccurate information through media coverage of a terrorism attack could have adverse impact as a result of a lack of subject matter expertise among journalists covering a terrorist incident, particularly if it were a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident.
The academics argued that, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, both the ABC and SBS would be invaluable channels for public safety communication.
“Emergency Management Australia and State/Territory emergency management organisations have memoranda of understanding with the ABC for emergency broadcasting,” they said.
“SBS radio could broadcast emergency advice in a range of languages. Wire services such as the Australian Associated Press (AAP) would also be very important in this context: AAP supplies news to virtually all of Australia's metropolitan and regional daily newspapers, radio and television stations and online services.
“While the authorities will also source helpful information from media coverage, inaccurate or speculative reporting would be a distraction for authorities managing the consequences of any attack.”
Censorship not an option
In almost all terrorist emergencies, censorship would not be an option. There would be huge pressure to air eyewitness accounts as soon as possible and the media would self-regulate on fact-checking.
In deciding what to publish in the earliest phase of an attack, journalists and their editors will consider two main criteria: Does the public need, or have a right to, this information? Will anyone be endangered by its publication?
The coverage of criminal investigations will be a strong focus of media activity following a terrorist attack. Media coverage during this period may have a bearing on any subsequent terrorism trials of apprehended suspects.
Because TV and radio stations were high-profile institutions, they could be the targets of a terrorist attack themselves, the ASPI paper warned.
Since September 2005, about 450 print and broadcast staff have been trained in how to work safely in hostile situations in Australia. A second level of training for hostile environments overseas was introduced in December 2006.
Julie Posetti said that pre-emptive training was the key for journalists and she highlighted the importance of involving journalism academics (preferably those with experience covering disasters/conflict) given the desire to incorporate appropriate training for terrorism reporting in tertiary journalism courses.
About the author: Ernie Davitt is the National Affairs Editor of Australian Security Magazine.