How the media is more important than ever in times of crisis

Asif Upadhye, Director, SPRD, a new-age Public Relations think tank, emphasises on the journalists’ responsibility in ensuring that there is not just a flow of consistent communication, but also correct information and awareness being disseminated.

The media has always enjoyed the status of being the fourth pillar of democracy. A pillar that has been fundamental in bridging the gap between decision-makers and people and while the last decade has seen the emergence of the darker side in media and PR, today, amidst a crisis, it plays an even greater role.

While every industry, globally, has been bearing the brunt of the outbreak, the media sector has its own share of challenges as well as opportunities. According to the World Economic Forum, 80 to 90 per cent of people consume about 24 hours of media in a week, be it entertainment or news, across the mediums of print, television, or digital. That’s a staggering volume of information and the onus of making sure that this information is accurate and credible, falls on the media.

What role does media play?

There is no doubt that being confined has led people to seek out more information, albeit more extensively than usual. In a situation which is uncertain and has filled everyone with a sense of helplessness, journalists, influencers and the PR fraternity are all held as the ultimate sources. From softening the blow of overwhelming numbers with messages of hope, to ensuring the delivery of unadulterated facts, the entire undertaking is a massive responsibility.

Research indicates that the number of ‘paid’ subscriptions rank higher amongst the youth as compared to those in their late fifties. If numbers are any indication, over 60 per cent of the ‘millennial’ generation now pays exclusively for entertainment – Be it through various television channels, or OTT apps. It’s this very age group that also leans towards paying for news. The very fact that people are willing to pay for news when so much content is freely available online, only strongly indicates that news has an increased value today. And media going mobile has only proven to enhance the digital boom leading to more consumption of content.

The driving force

Especially in times of uncertainty, the responsibility of ensuring that there is not just a flow of consistent communication, but also correct information and awareness being disseminated falls on a journalist, yes, and in this, PR professionals have become greater allies than ever before. Right from managing the consumer’s expectations to a brand or business’s online reputation, they are collectively releasing insights at unprecedented frequency today!

With lockdown and quarantine/ WFH being the new normal, there’s a lot on our minds and everyone wants answers. For the first time in recent history the world is going through something together, and is feeling intense empathy for and solidarity with humankind. PR professionals have become conduits for not just brand-based information, but also for the most basic bites like which company is continuing to manufacture, who is being retained in their jobs, and of course, information on how individuals can reach out for help and support from government bodies and private entities alike.

ESPE – Economical, Social, Political, Environmental

Translating complex market analysis to the layman, tweeting and Instagramming initiatives by universal as well as local brands, monitoring political debates and policy reforms, conveying the possible climatic changes, every action is channelised through the media at large.

The role of on-field reporters, studio journalists, print reporters and PR professionals is more important today than we could know. The information that we take for granted – That informative tweet, that Instagram post simplifying national announcements for our benefit, that pop-up tab updating us on important global numbers, that news story about migrant workers who we can donate for coming straight from the field – All of this and more is the result of a commitment to disseminate the right information, the right way.