Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.47960/2712-0457.2019.2.1.7
OBJECTIVE REPORTING AND CRISIS COMMUNICATIONAS SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR. CASE STUDY:GLAS KONCILA ON “THE HERZEGOVINA CASE” FROM 1968 TILL 1971
Anto Mikić
orcid.org/0000-0002-2143-8728
; Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In the period after the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965) the life of the Catholic Church in the
world, and in the area of former Yugoslavia, was marked by numerous tensions and confilcts between
representatives of the Church hierarchy and individual priests’ and believers’ circles.
At the end of 1967 and beginning of 1968 the catholic weekly newspaper Glas Koncila started reporting
on such cases more frequently and very openly: firstly, about such tensions in Western European
countries and the end of 1968 and the so called “Herzegovina case” marked the beginning of such
reporting about cases in its own Church, “the Church of the Croats” (Djakovo, Rijeka, Zadar). It provoked
different positive and negative reactions, even very strong reactions on behalf of the readers and
representatives of the Church.
The author presents in his paper, on the basis of a qualitative analysis of articles in Glas Koncila on
the “Herzegovina case” (from 1968 till 1971) how the editors decided to report about all, even “scandalous”
events in the Church in an open way. They defended such decision with journalistic arguments
that are still current and valid. They also used crisis communication: the right of the public (general
and Church public) to be informed, taking over control and communication in a crisis, clear presentation
of information etc.
As the author concludes in his paper, the newspaper has most probably gained on credibility and public
influence due to taking such an approach to events in their own organisation (the Church). It was
exactly in these years – end of 1960-ies and beginning of 1970-ies that the newspaper had reached its
historic peak regarding the circulation.
Keywords
the Catholic Church; Glas Koncila; „the Herzegovina case“; the right to be informed; crisiscommunication
Hrčak ID:
233219
URI
Publication date:
10.12.2019.
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