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Caribbean Risk Communication Training
Workshop
Roger D Ramcharitar Director, Government Communication
Ministry of Trade, Industry, Investment & Communication Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Dealing with the Media & Social Media in Emergencies
The Crane Resort
Barbados
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SALUTATIONS [slide 1]
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INTRODUCTION
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad &
Tobago, I am delighted to congratulate and thank the Pan
American Health Organisation and the World Health
Organisation for partnering and jointly taking leadership in
bringing this conference together.
It is a signal that the Caribbean region is not only ready to take
responsibility for the risks we face, but is also capable of taking
action when the times demand. And today, the times demand it!
At present, countries of the Caribbean are facing risks brought on
by influenza-like illnesses; dengue haemorrhagic fever,
Chikungunya; and the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
In addition to ongoing aggressive public information strategies for
awareness, symptom information, treatment protocols and
prevention strategies, Trinidad & Tobago has mounted a
comprehensive response to Ebola prevention.
The Cabinet-appointed National Ebola Prevention,
Information and Response Team was established by Prime
Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, on 09 October
2014. The team is led by the Vice Chief of Defence Staff,
Brigadier General Anthony Phillips-Spencer.
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This team includes all major stakeholders in health, business,
State agencies, and international partner agencies.
Indeed, PAHO and the WHO are active members of this team as
well, as is my colleague from my country’s coordinating agency,
the National Operations Centre, Esther Jones.
As a member of this team, part of my responsibility is to support
and advise on measures for “Dealing with the Media & Social
Media in Emergencies”, which is also the focus of this
presentation.
I am therefore delighted to also be a representative of this high-
level team in delivering the views which will follow.
THE SCENARIO [slide 2]
The present scenario is that the Caribbean is faced with a number
of stubborn and serious infectious diseases.
Nation States, with the help, support and technical contribution of
global organisations such as PAHO and the WHO have attained
varying levels of preparedness.
Work is ongoing at both the State Sector and Private Sector
levels to ensure that each country is not only prepared to fight
the spread of infectious diseases, but is also ready to respond
and as far as possible, prevent.
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CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES [slide 3]
Such initiatives are faced with challenges, which substantially
increase in times of emergency.
Among the challenges faced when emergencies strike, include:
(i) A lack of coordination when theoretical plans are put
into action;
(ii) A lack of physical, human and financial resources to
successfully drive delivery;
(iii) Relatively low levels of technology and internet
penetration which restricts the different levels of
contact we maintain;
(iv) The all-pervading problem of high demand, but not so
high supply of medical staff and experts;
(v) The absence of information filters – the world has no
lack of information available, but not all information is
based on fact;
(vi) The manner in which choice and personal preferences
have inspired the growth of entertainment, but not
necessarily information.
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To fully describe the impact of these challenges, I want to share
with you some of the main measures and statistics for the world
and our region.
If we turn to the ‘We Are Social’ online network, we see their
global digital statistics telling us:
The world population is 7.1 Billion people;
3.5 Billion are mobile users;
2.9 Billion are internet users, and
1.9 Billion are social media users.
The “We Are Social” global digital statistics looked deeper, at
the Americas which:
Accounts for 966 million people;
605 million of which are internet users;
An even 605 million are mobile users, and
462 million use social media
But then they looked strictly to the Caribbean, and their 2014
statistics showed:
There are a total of 41.8 million people;
Of which 15.4 million are internet users;
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8.5 million are social media users, with
7 million active mobile subscriptions.
But for the sake of clarity, it is important to take a look at some
of the country specific data.
COUNTRY POPULATION INTERNET USERS
MOBILE SUBSCRIPTIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS
Guyana 736,000 295,000 638,000 176,000 Haiti 9.9 million 1.2 million 6.1 million 740,000
T&T 1.2 million 857,000 1.7 million 560,000
Jamaica 2.9 million 1.6 million 3.5 million 800,000
What these statistics tell us is that:
In 7.1 Billion people;
We are 41.8 million or 0.5% of the world population;
15.4 million or 0.2% of us use the internet, and
And 8.5 million of us, or 0.1% use social media.
I want to contextualise this further so I will turn to another
source. SiliconCaribe.com is said to be the first, longest running
and Most Influential Caribbean Technology News Site.
SiliconCaribe ranked the top Caribbean social websites and found
in the top five:
(i) Caribbeanmassive.com – a social network;
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(ii) Likeachampion360.com – a sports fan network;
(iii) Westindiantube.com – a video sharing social network;
(iv) Kingstonpo.com – a social network for Dancehall and
Reggae;
(v) Teencaribbean.com – A social network for Caribbean
teenagers
Let’s now bring the conventional media into context. I’m sure
some of you would be familiar with ING.com which is a global
financial institution.
ING.com in 2014 commissioned research
(http://www.ing.com/Newsroom/All-news/NW/2014-Study-impact-of-Social-Media-
on-News-more-crowdchecking-less-factchecking.htm) which stated:
“Dialogue on social media is gaining importance. Journalists
widely use social media posts despite having doubts about their
reliability. At the same time PR professionals believe that news is
becoming less reliable as journalists do less fact-checking.”
The topline findings of the survey can be summarised as this:
(i) One-third of journalists consider social media posts to
be unreliable sources, but half of journalists admitted
social media were their main source of information;
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(ii) Half of journalists consider consumer opinion as more
reliable than a release by an organisation. Social media
gives a sense of public opinion, but when writing
articles, they do not always check whether public
opinion is based on facts;
(iii) Less focus on fact-checking; and the motto has become
- ‘publish first, correct if necessary’. About 20% of
journalists always check their facts before publishing;
almost half of journalists said they published most of
their stories as quickly as possible to correct later if
necessary, and PR professionals said that since the
arrival of social media, journalists are getting in contact
less frequently to check facts, and
(iv) About 60% of Journalists said they feel less bound by
journalistic rules on social media than with traditional
media such as a newspaper article.
Even if we were to adapt and combine these findings to the
character and personality of the Caribbean person, we find that
our challenges may be quite complex.
Active social media users in the Caribbean accounts for 0.1% of
the world population which is what some may even be tempted to
call negligible.
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And within that 0.1%, we have seen that the social media choices
of people of the region show a preference for entertainment,
sports and networking.
But the conclusion drawn from this can NOT be that social media
has no influence on the majority of the Caribbean in the context
of news.
By virtue of the fact that Journalists in the conventional media
are also included in that small percentage, it means there is a
very narrow window through which the news and information
influence can be magnified tremendously.
That window opens by Journalists using social media as one of
the influencers in the nature of the stories they write for print
publication and electronic broadcast.
This is the single largest opportunity that we are presented with!
GOALS AND STRATEGIES [slide 4]
With the insight I mentioned earlier into penetration and user
choices for social media, our information goals and strategies
actually become much less complex.
In times of emergency, where infectious diseases threaten the
people of the Caribbean, it is not enough to say that conventional
crisis communication protocols have been activated and we have
done our best to inform people.
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Strategies that are built based on that loop that exists, that we
can tap into, can ensure that we maximise the reach of
information, health warnings, service information and public
education.
TARGET AUDIENCES [slide 5]
Global organisations such as PAHO and the WHO will therefore be
faced with shifts in the publics and audiences they attempt to
reach with information.
In fact, audiences now are more structured and layered than at
any other time in modern history.
In mounting a communication strategy that requires the support
and active participation of the conventional and social media,
audiences will now include:
(i) Children – with further subdivisions including children
at pre-school, at primary and secondary school, out of
school but not employed, in foster care, in medical
institutions and in high risk communities;
(ii) Working professionals – with further sub-divisions
including those employed in public sector organisations,
those employed in the private sector, those with access
to professional associations, those who work in
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education and therefore would have a lead-role in the
children audience;
(iii) Semi-skilled, out of office workers – with further sub-
divisions including taxi-drivers, agriculture and farm
workers, vendors, construction workers…all of whom
have a direct interplay with working professionals and
children on a daily basis;
(iv) And of course, the media – with further sub-divisions
such as New Media Journalists, Columnists, Sub-
Editors, Writers and Photographers…again, all of whom
have a direct link to all other categories.
PARTNERS [slide 6]
Partnership therefore is essential and I would even add that
partnership is the critical element in ensuring that information
continues to flow across all layers and all sections of what makes
up a national community.
This means that partnership is made much more robust when
times of emergency instil a sense of responsibility among
partners.
Sharing information on infectious diseases that threaten the real
lives of men, women and children is no favour to anyone; it is a
responsibility that we all have to each other as human beings.
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And what emerges as the most important partner in creating
linkages, setting off the flow of information, and ensuring the
widest possible reach, is the media.
The media informs the public through traditional as well as newly-
conventional research methods, if at all research is done.
Speaking strictly in the context of health emergencies, sources of
information become the bulletins through websites such as those
of PAHO and the WHO.
Sources of public opinion and education include conventional
feedback, direct interview contact and social media posts and
comments.
This means that at any given time, the entire Caribbean can be
firmly networked together by linking all the partners and
instigators in information and public education.
THE TOOLS AND THE CHANNELS [slide 7]
The tools and channels are therefore clear – digital media and
social media do not rely solely on direct users to influence entire
communities.
When channels are established through partnerships with the
media, through real time press-briefings, email updates, RSS
feeds and social media updates, and we are doing so with a clear
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intention to expand our channels, pool a wealth of knowledge and
focus our messaging on audiences, we are in effect doing better.
THE MESSAGES [slide 8]
I say ‘focus our messaging’ because by the time we have
established partnerships, opened up information channels and
mapped the way we will distribute, re-distribute, share and push
on vital information, we must also be clear on what we are
saying, to whom!
Just as the media represents our biggest partner, the right
message represents the biggest feature of successful information
campaigns.
A simple example – the warnings issued to an audience of
journalists and professionals based in private and public sector
organisations will be different to those aimed at satisfying an
audience of children at school, or an audience of taxi-drivers who
are depending heavily on radio broadcasts of news and public
announcements.
What is therefore essential is that the structuring of distribution
channels and the nature of messaging be taken as equally
important at the conceptual stage.
The mission becomes the right message and that mission must be
thorough. Not complex…but thorough.
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Messaging development requires that:
We are clear on who the main audience is;
What do we need them to know;
What do they already know;
What are the biggest influencers in whether they listen or
ignore;
How do we measure the impact of message delivery
And because of the nature of the choices made by people in using
social media, we must also take careful note of the number of
younger persons who we will be trying to reach.
Age groups are generally clustered by saying 18 to 35, or some
variation close to that. But I do not think that’s enough.
The interests of an 18 year old, who is in University, will vary
starkly to the interests of a 30-year old, who is arriving at the
middle of his or her career, and probably thinking of starting a
family and buying a house.
These factors are important to what our message is, and how it is
delivered.
Of equal importance, in designing messaging strategies, is the
fact that a message must not be deemed delivered until it has
gained sufficient repetition.
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An expert colleague who has worked in countries across the world
in providing strategic communication support and advice, Mark
Spiro of Crestview Strategies, once told me in a discussion –
“just because you’re tired of saying it, don’t think the majority of
people have heard it.”
In fact, Mr Spiro went further to point me to the Coca Cola
standard in messaging, which was developed after intense market
research – a message must be repeated at least 21 times before
it can be deemed to have been fully delivered.
Further, some of you may be familiar with the FTI Journal on
critical thinking. (http://ftijournal.com/article/social-vs-traditional-
media).
In a 2013 article, the FTI Managing Director, Strategic
Communications, Brent McGoldrick, suggested an approach which
has not only worked well in the course of my work, but has also
gained great acceptance among some of the top communication
practitioners in the world.
In what he called the ‘Four Stage Message Cycle’ he says
maximum public opinion shifts occur when structured in this
manner:
ORIGINATION - Using a “shock the system” message to
stimulate dialogue on an issue that could be ignored, using
advertising, speeches and press conferences;
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DISPERSAL - Dissemination of the message through social
media forums;
AMPLIFICATION – The time will come when a message has
sufficiently established itself on social media, and attracts the
attention of mainstream media, who amplify it by bringing it into
print and broadcast;
REINFORCEMENT – When the message begins the mainstream
media cycle, further campaigns through advertising and speeches
serve to reinforce it.
EVALUATION OF IMPACT/LESSONS LEARNT [slide 9]
In wrapping up these comments, and focusing our minds to
impact and lessons learnt, we arrive at a point of clarity for us in
the Caribbean, on how we manage the emergencies brought on
by infectious diseases, through the media and social media.
The mainstream media and Journalists become the most
important partners between source and destination.
Social and digital media must not be underestimated by virtue of
penetration and usage statistics.
Audiences must be clearly established and the right messaging
must be delivered by taking development through a number of
critical stages.
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Dissemination requires not just one launch into the media cycle,
but also strategies to ensure that information is established,
carried, discussed, multiplied and repeated.
And the impact must be measured if we are to be sure that we
have succeeded in informing our publics.
So in discussing how we ‘deal with the media and social media in
emergencies’, this is how we do it.
Before I close, however, there is one point I want to emphasise
and as a professional in communications, I have a personal
interest in ensuring that this point is questioned and considered
by colleagues.
I make my point with these questions:
Do we engage in information strategies with a pre-conceived
notion that merely engaging a strategy means success?
How do we establish clear measures for the progress and
success of our campaign?
And most of all – how do we decide, and are we willing to
accept, that we might have failed in our mission?
To me, this is the biggest question – how do we know if we fail? I
want to put forward to this conference that we must be bold
enough to establish the benchmarks that will answer that
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question, and be ready to adapt our strategies if failure becomes
likely.
The reason why is very simple. This is not the first time we’re
being challenged by infectious diseases.
The world has in fact faced similar emergencies in the past and
on each occasion, success was mounted on a platform of quelling
that particular disease, not necessarily quelling infectious
diseases overall, through clear protocols and conventions.
You will all remember the severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS) which was an unknown in 2002, but by 2006 had struck
such fear in parts of the world that the fear itself became our
biggest challenge.
Dr Dessmon YH Tai’s commentary in 2006 “SARS: How to
Manage Future Outbreaks?” may have given us a glimpse at
something that we overlooked. Based on the experience and the
impact of SARS, Dr Tai spoke of managing future outbreaks, not
stopping them altogether.
The SARS pandemic affected 8096 patients in 29 countries over a
short period, from 16 November 2002 to 5 July 2003. Globally,
HCWs accounted for about 21% of patients.
Dr Tai concluded: “In any infectious disease outbreak, the chain
of transmission must be broken to bring the epidemic under
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control. Otherwise, the expansion of medical facilities can never
keep up with the escalating demands. It is important for
everyone to practise public health consciousness such as hand
and respiratory hygiene, including cough etiquette.”
What I am therefore saying is that as we commit to being bold
enough to ask ourselves “have we failed” we must also look back
to the strategies we engaged before, find the shortcomings and
ensure that every mistake becomes a lesson learnt.
In order to achieve that, and to ensure that we move from
managing outbreaks when they occur, to quelling outbreaks
before they surface, conferences such as these must become a
regular feature of our interaction.
We may have challenges existing right now that we have not yet
recognised. The only way to fight those challenges is to break
them before they confront us.
And this conference could become the trigger for that very
important shift…[slide 10]
Food for thought, I thank you all.