Abstract:
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Crisis communication is fundamental to managing the preparation and response to an influenza outbreak. The purpose of this strategy is to define key actors, formulate pre-event messages and outline communication tactics to build trust and credibility between the public and the Australian Government in the event of an influenza epidemic. Strategic crisis communications will guide the government, public, media outlets, healthcare providers and other stakeholders to ensure an understanding of procedures and responses at local, state and national levels. This is intended to facilitate an effective response to influenza and mitigate its effects in Australia.
Background:
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It is important they are comfortable dealing with the media and are viewed by the public as trustworthy (Van-Tam & Sellwood, 2010). Appropriate government spokespeople include Health Minister, The Hon Sussan Ley MP, health ministers at state and local government level and Department of Health media officers. Non-government spokespeople may include public health professionals, health researchers and scientists.
Appointed spokespeople need to communicate with the media and the public in ways that engender credibility and public confidence. This requires balancing the scientific integrity of influenza communications with messages that can be easily understood by a range of audiences (Reynolds, 2010).
The Internet also provides powerful communication tools for use during health crises (Van-Tam & Sellwood, 2010). Using a range of online platforms helps influenza communicators reach more of the Australian population and eliminate the “temporal, geographical, retrieval, [and] distribution” restraints of traditional tactics (Rice, 1990: 108). When designed around principles of two-way communication, online tools can target specific audiences and personalise influenza messages (Department of Health, 2014). The speed with which information spreads on the Internet, however, means that the government needs to closely monitor its online platforms and identify any false information that needs to be corrected
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These platforms enhance dialogic crisis communications and assist in the distribution of public health information. Facebook and Twitter can be used to post information updates and answer public questions. These responses can then be communicated across a variety of channels to increase message saturation (Department of Health, 2014). YouTube can be used to deliver key messages in a visually engaging way and publish messages not easily communicated in print. Potential content includes demonstrating effective hand washing techniques or videos about influenza prevention, symptoms and treatment (Walton et al.