Asian tsunami: managing the NZ media
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Transcript of Asian tsunami: managing the NZ media
Asian tsunami: managing the NZ media
Brad TattersfieldCommunications ManagerMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
MFAT role
• Provision of consular services (assistance to NZers overseas)
• Main task in crises to coordinate NZ response, especially helping victims and locating missing NZers
• Rising public expectation of NZ govt assistance to NZers overseas
Crises – MFAT media objective
• To achieve and maintain public confidence in the government’s handling of the situation, through full, timely and appropriate release of information and explanation of strategy
• Media can play a constructive role, but also reflect/drive public perceptions - they can directly shape the operation and outcomes
Tsunami – key features
• Biggest consular emergency we’ve faced• Slowish response initially due to holiday absences, but
worked well once up and running• Lessons of Bali applied – inter-agency coordination, ERT
deployed, Red X call centre used
Tsunami – media management
• Minister fronted most media – eased pressure on officials
• We issued regular updates which served as talking points for Minister, ourselves and posts
• Media management rated highly• Problems: multiple “missing lists,” privacy considerations,
coordination with Phuket, no media person with ERT