ROLE OF PAKISTANI MEDIA IN MITIGATING DISASTER
Keywords:
Media’s Role, Disaster Mitigation, Pakistan, Natural Disasters, Awareness, TrainingAbstract
Abstract
When natural disaster strikes, mass media have the ability to gather information and disseminate verified information quickly. In the case of Pakistan, destruction from predictable and semipredictable disasters can be mitigated if awareness is timely spread to improve preventive, precautionary and rehabilitative measures. The present qualitative study explores the role of Pakistani media in disaster mitigation. The data was collected through in-depth interviews of experienced government officialsand journalists. The results suggest that the role of media in disaster mitigation has not been significant during preparedness phase of natural disasters, whereas media coverage was quite appreciable during response and recovery phases. However, improvement is still needed w.r.t. media’s role in resource management, providing early warning and panic management. Media coverage can also increase political involvement by making leaders more responsive. There is a need to train media personnel to improve their capacity for understanding key disaster terms and the scope of the hazard.
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