Public Relations Principles for the Digital Communication in a Local Crisis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54820/EUXG7226Keywords:
social networks, crisis communication, public relations, digital communicationAbstract
In dealing with the crisis, all institutions must react and urgently solve the problem, but a special challenge is to communicate with key publics, especially those publics that have suffered damage., What is imperative for public relations is fast and two-way communication. That is why digital platforms are indispensable in crisis communication because they enable almost simultaneous reaction and enable institutions to communicate directly with the affected public, without the mediation of information media. This paper aims to analyse the crisis communication of the City of Slavonski Brod through its official website and Facebook page during water pollution in March and April 2018. The analysis was performed by methods of qualitative content analysis and a case study analysis. During the environmental incident, the City of Slavonski Brod did not communicate following the PR principles of crisis communication nor took advantage of digital communication.
References
Balen, V. (2018a), “Environmental incident in Slavonski Brod: 150 liters of petroleum products leaked (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/ekoloski-incident-u-slavonskom-brodu-iscurilo-do-150-litara-derivata-1235783 (December 12, 2020)
Balen, V. (2018b), “The water in Slavonski Brod is not safe to drink even after heat treatment! (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/oprez-voda-u-slavonskom-brodu-i-okolici-nije-zdravstveno-ispravna-1236315 (December 12, 2020)
Bohutinski, J., Balen, V. (2018), “The water was polluted by one of the workers at the pumping station (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/dorh-konacno-otkrio-razlog-zaga-enja-vode-u-sl-brodu-dogodilo-se-slucajno-1259288 (December 12, 2020)
Broom, G. M. (2009), Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations (in Croatian), MATE, Zagreb.
Čerina, J., Zgrabljić Rotar, N. (2009), “Crisis communication and media: press coverage of mine accidents (in Croatian)”, Medijska istraživanja, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 143-163.
Coombs, W. T. (2012), Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding, SAGE, Los Angeles.
de la Cierva, Y. (2018), Leading Companies through Storms and Crises: Principles and Best Practices in Conflict Prevention, Crisis Management and Communication, Pearson, Madrid.
Halmi, A. (1996), Qualitative methodology in the social sciences (in Croatian), Zagreb A. G. Matoš d. d., Samobor.
Hancock, D. R., Algozzine, B. (2006), Doing Case Study Research, Teachers College Press, Columbia University, New York and London.
Haupt, B. (2021), “The Use of Crisis Communication Strategies in Emergency Management”, Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 125-150.
Hina (2018a), “UNPLEASANT CONFLICT AT THE WATER PUMPING The mayor arrived uninvited and said to the minister: 'Are you hiding something from Brod !? (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/neugodan-sukob-na-vodocrpilistu-gradonacelnik-nepozvan-stigao-i-porucio-ministru-krijete-li-nesto-od-brodana-7197204 (December 12, 2020)
Hina (2018b), “ĆORIĆ ACCUSES THE LOCAL AUTHORITY OF NEGLIGENCE AROUND THE PUMPING STATION “If you had changed the filters eight years ago, this catastrophe would not have happened! (in Croatian)””, available at: https://net.hr/danas/hrvatska/snimka-koja-dokazuje-da-nafta-jos-curi-policija-je-odmah-udaljila-novinare-ali-i-gradonacelnika-ae6da3d4-b1c2-11eb-a981-0242ac13004d (December 12, 2020)
Hina (2018c), “PHOTO: 'WE PAY YOU, AND YOU POISON US' Several hundred citizens of Slavonski Brod protested in the center of Zagreb, received by Plenković (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/foto-mi-vas-placamo-a-vi-nas-trujete-nekoliko-stotina-gradana-slavonskog-broda-prosvjedovalo-u-sredistu-zagreba-primio-ih-plenkovic-7242618 (December 12, 2020)
Hina, Večernji list (2018), “The culprit for the ecological ordeal in Slavonski Brod will be held criminally liable (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/sl-brod-bez-pitke-vode-stigle-cisterne-duspara-umiruje-nema-razloga-za-paniku-1236346 (December 12, 2020)
Jugo, D. (2017), Crisis communication management (in Croatian), Školska knjiga, Zagreb.
Jurčević, M., Vuletić, A. (2020), “Crisis communication - a case from Croatia (in Croatian)”, South Eastern European Journal of Communication, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 127-135.
Jutarnji.hr (2018a), “CRODUX ANNOUNCES POLLUTED WATER IN SLAVONSKI BROD 'Leakage of 150-200 liters of gasoline from the product pipeline cannot be linked to pollution (in Croatian)'”, available at: https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/iz-croduxa-se-oglasili-o-zagadenoj-vodi-u-slavonskom-brodu-istjecanje-150-200-litara-benzina-iz-produktovoda-ne-moze-se-dovesti-u-vezu-sa-zagadenjem-7193016 (December 12, 2020)
Jutarnji.hr (2018b), “ANGRY IN CRODUX AFTER THE VIDEO OF GASOLINE LEAKING APPEARED: We sympathize with the people of Brod, but the claim that gasoline has been leaking for 6 days is incorrect and malicious (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/u-croduxu-bijesni-nakon-sto-se-pojavila-snimka-curenja-benzina-suosjecamo-s-brodanima-ali-tvrdnja-da-benzin-curi-vec-6-dana-je-netocna-i-zlonamjerna-7201461 (December 12, 2020)
Jutarnji.hr (2018c), “DUSPARA ANGRY AT ĆORIĆ AGAIN The findings are not correct, let the minister show the results! He is young and does not know. In a normal country, he would have resigned a long time ago (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/duspara-opet-ljutit-na-corica-nalazi-nisu-ispravni-neka-ministar-pokaze-rezultate-mlad-je-i-ne-zna-u-normalnoj-zemlji-vec-bi-odavno-dao-ostavku-7201329 (December 12, 2020)
Kohlbacher, F. (2006), “The Use of Qualitative Content Analysis in Case Study Research”, Qualitative Social Research, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 1-30.
Kolić Stanić, M. (2018), “Education as the Essential Part of Public Relations Ethics Codes”, in Milković, M. et al. (Eds.), ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion Conference, 6-8 September, 2018, Udruga za promicanje inovacija i istraživanja u ekonomiji “IRENET”, Zagreb, pp. 98-104.
Langford, M. (2006), “Crises public relations management”, in Tench, R., Yeomans, L. (Eds.), Discovering public relations (in Croatian), Biblioteka Print, Zagreb, pp. 396-413.
Lerbinger, O. (1997), The Crisis Manager: Facing Risk and Responsibility, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Mahwah, New Jersey.
Motion, J., Heath, R. J., Leitch, S. (2016), Social Media and Public Relations. Fake friends and powerful publics, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, New York.
net.hr (2018), “NEW VIDEO REVEALS THAT GASOLINE HAS LEAKED FOR 6 DAYS? MINISTER TRANSFERS THE BALL TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES / 'Back in 2010, you should have changed the filter! (in Croatian)'”, available at: https://net.hr/danas/hrvatska/snimka-koja-dokazuje-da-nafta-jos-curi-policija-je-odmah-udaljila-novinare-ali-i-gradonacelnika-ae6da3d4-b1c2-11eb-a981-0242ac13004d (December 12, 2020)
Perinić, J. (2007), “Crisis communication on the case of the tragedy of firefighters on the Kornati (in Croatian)”, MediAnali, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 47-66.
Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Fico, F. (2014), Analyzing Media Messages Using Quantitative Content Analysis in Media Research, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, New York and London.
Romić, T. (2018), “Duspara: You can't attack us from the City and call us careless (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/duspara-ne-mozete-nas-iz-grada-napadati-i-prozivati-za-nebrigu-1238233 (December 12, 2020)
The City of Slavonski Brod, Official Facebook page (2018a), “The City of Slavonski Brod hereby informs the citizens that the necessary water needed from the state stocks has been provided (in Croatian)”, available at: https://web.facebook.com/gradslavonskibrod/posts/1684895641589510 (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod, Official Facebook page (2018b), “The City of Slavonski Brod hereby warns all citizens not to use drinking water in any way … in Croatian)”, available at: https://web.facebook.com/gradslavonskibrod/posts/1684537651625309 (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod, Official Facebook page (2018c), “The city has asked the County State's Attorney's Office to take all legally prescribed actions and initiate criminal proceedings… (in Croatian)”, available at: https://web.facebook.com/gradslavonskibrod/posts/1685263571552717 (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod (2018a), “Drinking water is available in the area of all city local committees in Slavonski Brod (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.slavonski-brod.hr/vijesti/8328-pitka-voda-dostupna-je-na-podrucju-svih-gradskih-mjesnih-odbora-u-slavonskom-brodu (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod (2018b), “We bring you a detailed list of locations and capacities of cisterns and drinking water tanks in the city area (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.slavonski-brod.hr/vijesti/8344-stozer-civilne-zastite-zatrazit-ce-od-nadleznog-ministarstva-dostavu-programa-sanacije-ekoloskog-akcidenta (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod (2018c), “Duty telephones of the City Administration for all inquiries of citizens about water supply and other important information (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.slavonski-brod.hr/vijesti/8326-dezurni-telefoni-gradske-uprave-za-sve-upite-gradana-oko-opskrbe-vodom-i-druge-vazne-informacije (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod (2018d), “Slavonski Brod and its surroundings will be connected to the water pumping station in Sikirevci, and until then the citizens will receive the necessary drinking water from the state commodity stocks (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.slavonski-brod.hr/vijesti/8323-slavonski-brod-i-okolica-bit-ce-spojeni-na-vodocrpiliste-u-sikirevcima-a-gradani-ce-do-tada-dobivati-potrebnu-pitku-vodu-iz-drzavnih-robnih-zaliha (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod (2018e), “The Civil Protection Headquarters will request the ministry in charge to submit a program for the remediation of the environmental accident (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.slavonski-brod.hr/vijesti/8344-stozer-civilne-zastite-zatrazit-ce-od-nadleznog-ministarstva-dostavu-programa-sanacije-ekoloskog-akcidenta (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod (2018f), “Duspara orders; by blaming others and telling untruths, you will not return drinking water to the people of Brod! (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.slavonski-brod.hr/vijesti/8336-duspara-porucuje-svaljivanjem-odgovornosti-na-druge-i-iznosenjem-neistina-necete-vratiti-pitku-vodu-brodanima (February 15, 2021)
The City of Slavonski Brod (2021), “Public Relations - Press Releases (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.slavonski-brod.hr/gradska-uprava/odnosi-s-javnoscu/310-objave-za-medije?start=50 (March 10, 2021).
Tkalac Verčič, A. (2105), Public Relations (in Croatian), Hrvatska udruga za odnose s javnošću, Zagreb.
Tomić, Z. (2016), Public Relations - Theory and Practice, Synopsis, Zagreb, Sarajevo.
Večernji list (2018a), “City officials claim: Gasoline has been leaking for six days, criminal charges have been filed (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/gradske-vlasti-tvrde-benzin-curi-vec-sest-dana-1236829 (December 12 2020)
Večernji list (2018b), “More and more citizens are sick, complaining of diarrhea and vomiting (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/u-sl-brodu-sve-vise-gra-ana-bolesno-zale-se-na-proljev-i-povracanje-1237146 (December 12 2020)
Vecernji.hr, Hina (2021), “Petrol took over Crodux, the company of retired General Ivan Cermak (in Croatian)”, available at: https://www.vecernji.hr/biznis/petrol-preuzeo-crodux-tvrtku-umirovljenog-generala-ivana-cermaka-1461284 (January 26 2021)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 ENTRENOVA - ENTerprise REsearch InNOVAtion
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.