Mohamed Bouaida
In a noticeable development in dealing with crises, the state was represented in the Ministry of Interior and Media to the extent of media responsibility by dealing with the most prominent, closest and most strange event despite being expected, when the threat of the war to Bahrain approached through the sister of Qatar to attack Iranian missiles on the rule of “many” American “many”.
Its night, the Ministry of Interior’s cooperation with the Ministry of Information was highly professional and responsibility, or as it is said, “Like what the book said.”
The strange thing is that on that night, I took a tour on the official television channels of the Gulf states, and I did not find any real dealings with the event, except for Bahrain TV, which took it a heavy concern in paying attention to educating the audience and providing all the information necessary for the safety of people, and irrigating the curiosity about what to do in such situations.
The goal of facing crises is to manage the situation through the use of the human and material capabilities available to stop deterioration and losses, secure and protect other entity -forming elements, and control and eliminate the crisis.
From this standpoint, several questions jumped to the mind about the media and how to employ them in managing security crises, as how do the media deal with various crises? Is her performance in these circumstances different from her performance at normal times? Are you satisfied with covering the crisis? Or seeks to provide solutions to her, or is it that it politicized and exploited to achieve certain goals and interests?
The media plays a dangerous role in managing security crises, and therefore it can be used intelligently in managing crisis through two aspects:
The first is “positive”: it is using intensive media campaigns to eliminate the phenomenon or for the media and the correct guidance to address the crisis.
The second is “negative”: It is through the media blackout based on complete ignorance of the news and not to inform the public of the crisis.
The media has a dual task management:
The first side of it is news, as the news of crises is followed up and the results of their confrontation, attempts to confront, limit them, and the extent of development, that is, the extent of success in that.
This is done by transferring information to the public honestly, quickly and credible, and surrounding them what is really happening on the ground.
The second aspect is directed, and it is considered the most dangerous aspect in the media process, through the planned knowledge process, the positive method based on the formation of the culture of the individual and society, and the creation of the required awareness and the development of perception of the seriousness and dimensions of the crisis, which leads to the formation of a certain conviction that leads them to carry out a certain behavior.
In no way, it is not possible to deny the importance of the role of the media in managing the security crisis – as is the case with any crisis – whether or not, the media has an impact on directing public opinion, and it has an impact on decision -making by the makers and decision -makers.
The media plays an important and leading role in its interactions with the crisis negatively and positively, and this role has increased with the information and communications revolution and the expansion of space broadcasting, to the extent that the decision makers became dependent on the media to assess the situation and formulate positions and moves.
Not only that, but it has become obligatory for the media to deal with the various crises of society, because the media may be the first shelter – if not the only – to get to know the crisis faced by society, the appropriate methods of dealing with it, and ways to overcome and overcome them, and this requires these means to deal with the crisis with wisdom and craftsmanship until it exceeds it.
From the foregoing, it turns out that the media is the first line of contact with crises, as the media’s intention, its subject, its patrol and its ability to influence public opinion makes it the most qualified authority to deal with crises since its very early stages. The omission or marginalization of the media aspect will negatively be reflected on the effectiveness of the confrontation and will create other crises, pending and not visible on the sidelines of the main crisis.
The “Azami” media also constitutes an important and prominent role in managing crises through the media message to educate citizens, gain them, raise their morale, focus on positive aspects, work on developing them, showing and treating negative aspects.
Also, the basic mission of the media is to make the information to be sent known and understandable to the recipient in order for the interaction and the required effect, just as the use of symbols, words and images without transferring ideas, information and experiences whereby the recipient of the message interacts, is not considered a media work.
The media plan must contain the negative effects of the crisis while maintaining the provision of data and information to the public enough, taking into account the laying of the foundations for media coverage so that it does not cause panic, panic and negative responses to the future of the media message. The media plan must also be clearly defined and depends on media planning and coordination between media institutions to unify the media discourse and produce media and communicative messages in its general framework to address any rumors that find in the crisis fertile soil for its spread.
This plan must be based on prior and thoughtful planning, as it cannot be left for experience, improvisation or error in the event of the crisis, and media planning is not an option that can be accepted or rejected, but rather it must be based on an integrated strategy.
Planning is to set a set of assumptions on any situation in the future, thus developing a plan that clarifies the goals required to reach within a specific time period. Through this plan, the media must exercise an impact on the targeted masses, and therefore the central task of the media message through which it begins not only to be found or sent, but also to reach and affect, given that the media is a teleological practice.
That night, I found everything that was clear, with a noticeable development in the state’s media dealing with the crisis, and the remarkable cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and Media was fruitful, away from intimidation and panic, and also away from the policy of denial and dilution.
There is accumulated experience practiced by the state in cooperation with the official and private media authorities in dealing with the event, and a well -studied pre -emptive plan that was characterized by calm, sobriety and responsibility, the ultimate goal in it was the citizen first.
