BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - PROVIDING information in times of crises to reduce misinformation and disinformation was the aim of a two-day TechCamp, hosted by the United States Embassy and the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency (CDEMA) in a changing global environment.
The camp, which was held in the United States, brought together journalists, Government Information Officers and Disasters Response Coordinators to better understand their roles to be able to communicate fact-based information during times of crises and disasters.
Too often the public has been utilizing social media for information and ignores mainstream media as a source of fact-based information, which leads to the spreading of misinformation and disinformation.
Keith Goodard, CDEMA’s Communications & Public Relations Specialist, reminded that the media is part of the information dissemination to the public and, in the 19 countries that the agency covers, they want everyone to be prepared not only for tropical storms but all disasters.
While highlighting the importance of being prepared, Goddard told SKNVibes that it is important that all of the media is in sync in understanding disaster preparedness, during and after the disaster, so that the public could be aware in the time of crisis.
This, he noted, could only be done through an informed and qualified media pool across CDEMA member states.
“It is therefore important that we build relationships with the media for them to have a better understanding of what comprehensive disaster management is, about what disaster risk management is about, and the understanding of what early warning systems are about. Those are the things that form part of the mix of the whole idea of comprehensive disaster management,” explained Goodard.
Donald Maynard, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy Barbados, explained to SKNVibes that crisis communication is a critical part of disaster management, since all stakeholders, inclusive of the media, have a “shared responsibility and duty” to the people of the Caribbean to communicate during times of crisis”.
It is through the hosting of similar workshops that the US Government is assisting in crisis communication that there is shared knowledge and experiences that help guide decision making and communication.
“Our responsibility is to save lives, make people safe and secure and save property during times of crisis. And that is our hope that out of this workshop communicators will go back to their home countries and do an even better job of getting the news out and being better prepared for crisis,” noted Maynard.
In the case of St. Kitts and Nevis, three representatives formed part of the more than 30-pool, who undertook the training. SKNVibes News was represented along with ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation and the St. Kitts-Nevis Information Service.
