The three communication phases of crisis news

All aid packages, measures and emergency ordinances notwithstanding, the damage now seems done. In its most recent estimate, Rabobank forecasts an economic contraction of 0.2 per cent for the coming year. This does assume that we will get the coronavirus under our thumb in the second quarter of 2020. For now, that seems to be mostly future music, judging by the recent extension of corona measures.

In my field, too, there were hits. For instance, according to a report by Radio 1, several television channels are 'at a loss' now that Dutch businesses have withdrawn their advertising campaigns en masse for the coming period. Even the traditional media do not appear to be immune to the coronavirus: for instance, they saw their advertising revenues fall sharply last month.

Three communication phases of crisis news

As a professional newsmaker, this is dramatic news. After all, less media means less room for great stories. On top of that - because the various media are only reporting on corona - the space for other stories is already very limited. However, the iron grip the virus currently has on the news does not have to last forever. When we look at other crises from the past, crisis news often follows a similar trajectory. In it, we distinguish the following three stages of communication: fear, resignation and saturation.

Communication phase 1: Fear

The nice thing about a crisis is that it always comes unexpectedly. Unexpected circumstances are always first accompanied by fear. How many deaths are there to mourn, what does this mean for my family and my job, can I still pay my fixed expenses? As a result, in the initial phase of announcement, status updates and daily press conferences, media are mainly looking for experts to interpret the plethora of news to bring clarity in times of darkness.

Communication phase 2: Resignation

As a species, we humans have the ability to adapt to any situation. When a crisis lasts long enough, it automatically becomes the 'new normal'. When the first period of fear and adaptation is behind the calm, resignation follows - including in the media. In this second phase, there is a lot of room for Human Interest stories, initiatives and other positive hooks. Often from a thought of giving the reader a heart to heart.

Communication phase 3: Saturation

Back in the fifth century BC, Sophocles said that "no one likes a messenger who brings only bad news". If something goes on long enough, fatigue naturally sets in. In this latter period, journalists and media actually start looking for other news. Of course, press conferences and updates will still be widely covered, but there will also be plenty of room for the period after - or topics that are completely unrelated.

Which communication phase are we in now?

Would you ask me where we are at the moment, I would place us at the interface between the fear and resignation phases. For instance, this morning's newspaper was full of coverage and updates on the coronavirus, but there was also room for some great initiatives and several human interest stories. Unfortunately, the above model is not linear. Unexpected circumstances such as ICUs becoming full or a corona fire in the northern provinces can cause us to fall back into the fear phase. In addition, a sudden drop in infection rates can also cause it to accelerate along the other side.

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