Strategies and Means of Presenting a Crisis Event in Modern Media
Keywords:
Malaysia Airlines MH17, media report, crisis event, event image, communication strategy.Abstract
The article deals with an analysis of media reports covering Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash in 2014. Russian and American media (CNN and RT news channels) giving significantly different portrayal of the incident have been chosen for the research for the purpose of comparing strategies of communication used and analyzing language means.
The strategies of responsibility attribution (substrategy of attack), transcendence, concern, and casting the actors are relied on by CNN journalists when presenting the MH17 crash, whereas the strategies of responsibility attribution (substrategies of distance, denial and shifting the blame), transcendence, and concern are used in the RT coverage.
References
Coombs WT. Parameters for crisis communication. In: Coombs WT, Holladay SJ, Eds. The handbook of crisis communication. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell 2010; p. 17-53. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444314885.ch1
Waymer D, Heath RL. Emergent agents: The forgotten publics in crisis communication and issues management research. J Appl Commun Res 2007; 35: 88-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/00909880601065730
Liu BF, Austin L, Jin Y. How publics respond to crisis communication strategies: The interplay of information form and source. Public Relat Rev 2011; 37(4): 345-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.08.004
Zhang J, Benoit WL. Message strategies of Saudi Arabia’s image restoration campaign after 9/11. Public Relat Rev 2004; 30: 161-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2004.02.006
Elmasry MH, Chaudhri V. The press as agent of cultural repair: A textual analysis of news coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings. In: Coombs WT, Holladay SJ, Eds. The handbook of crisis communication. Malden, MA: WileyBlackwell 2010; p. 141-58. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444314885.ch6
Cox R. Nature’s “crisis disciplines”: Does Environmental Communication have an ethical responsibility? Environmental Communication 2007; 1(1): 5-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524030701333948
Benoit WL. Hugh Grant’s image restoration discourse: An actor apologizes. Commun Q 1997; 45(3): 251-67. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463379709370064
Park S, Bier LM, Palenchar MJ. Framing a mystery: Information subsidies and media coverage of Malaysia airlines flight 370. Public Relat Rev 2016; 42(4): 654-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2016.06.004
Valentini C, Romenti S. The press and Alitalia’s 2008 crisis: Issues, tones, and frames. Public Relat Rev 2011; 37: 360-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2011.07.002
Coombs WT. Choosing the right words: The development of guidelines for the selection of the “appropriate” crisisresponse strategies. Manag Comm Q 1995; 8(4): 447-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318995008004003
Dayan D. The pope at Reunion: Hagiography, casting, and imagination. In: Rothenbuhler E, Coman M, Eds. Media anthropology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage 2005; p. 165-75. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452233819.n16
Симонов АК, Горбаневский МВ, ред. Понятия чести, достоинства и деловой репутации: Спорные тексты СМИ и проблемы их анализа и оценки юристами и лингвистами. Изд. 2-е. М.: Медея 2004. Russian.
Coombs WT, Holladay SJ, Eds. The handbook of crisis communication. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell 2010.
Çeşmeci N, Özkaynak S, Ünsalan D. The effect of crises on leadership. In: Information Resources Management Association, editor. Crisis management: Concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications. Hershey, PA: IGI Global 2014; p. 804-12. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-4707-7.ch039
Latif RA. Errors of judgement in reporting the MH17 tragedy. Pertanika J Soc Sci Hum 2015; 23(July): 155-68.
Sienkiewicz M. Open BUK: Digital labor, media investigation and the downing of MH17. Crit Stud Media Commun 2015; 32(3): 208-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295036.2015.1050427
Jong W, Dückers MLA, van der Velden PG. Crisis leadership by mayors: A qualitative content analysis of newspapers and social media on the MH17 disaster. J Conting Crisis Manage 2016; 24(4): 286-95. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12124
Якоба ИА. Модусная ориентированность при интерпретации событий-аттракторов медийного дискурса (на примере ситуации крушения самолета MH17 Malaysia Airlines). Вестник Томского государственного университета. Филология 2016; 3(41): 88-95. Russian.
Diamond J. Obama, GOP lawmakers place blame on Putin [cited 2017 Apr 25]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/ 2014/07/18/politics/top-officials-slam-russia-andputin/index.html
Shoichet CE. Malaysia Airlines crash site: ‘Everything rained down in bits and pieces’ [cited 2017 Apr 25]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/17/world/europe/ukrainemalaysia-airlines-crash-scene/index.html
Patterson T. Malaysia Air faces new, serious threat as company [cited 2017 Apr 25]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/17/world/europe/malaysiaairlines-sidebar/index.html
Moscow: No Buk missile systems or other weapons crossed Russia-Ukraine border [cited 2017 Apr 25]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173932-no-weapons-cross-russiaborder/
Reports that Putin flew similar route as MH17, presidential airport says ‘hasn’t overflown Ukraine for long time’ [cited 2017 Apr 25]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/ 173672-malaysia-plane-crash-putin/
Cohen T. Plane tragedy escalates the Ukraine conflict [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/ 07/17/politics/malaysia-plane-ukraine-repercussions/ ndex.html
Ellis R, Black P, Krever M. Stench of tragedy, uncertainty hangs over Malaysia Airlines crash site [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/18/world/asia/ ukraine-malaysia-airlines-scene-story/index.html
Labott E. Jet downing a ‘game-changer’ in world relations with Russia [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/18/politics/russia-ukraineworld-relations/index.html
Almasy S. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17: Where does the investigation go from here? [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/18/world/europe/mh17- investigation/index.html
Patterson T, Sanchez R, Stapleton AC. MH17 crash victims: Athlete, young brothers, family among those killed [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/ 07/18/world/mourning-mh17/index.html
Jones B. MH17: Grief and mourning at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/18/world/europe/mh17-griefmourning-schiphol-amsterdam-airport/index.html
Walmsley K. Grief over Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, support for those left behind [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/18/world/iyw-help-for-victimsof-mh17/index.html
Shoichet CE, Fantz A. U.S. official: Missile shot down Malaysia Airlines plane [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/17/world/europe/ukrainemalaysia-airlines-crash/index.html
Pearson M. Did surface-to-air missile take down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17? [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/17/world/europe/malaysiaairlines-crash-missile/index.html
Starr B. Separatists most likely fired missile, analysis says [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn.com/ 2014/07/18/world/europe/ukraine-malaysia-usanalysis/index.html Strategies and Means of Presenting a Crisis Event in Modern Media International Journal of Crisis Communication, 2017, Vol. 1, No. 1 15
Castillo M. Alleged phone call: ‘We have just shot down a plane’ [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: http://edition.cnn. com/2014/07/18/world/europe/ukraine-mh17-interceptedaudio/index.html
Flights rerouted: Planes avoiding Ukraine airspace after Malaysia Airlines crash plane’ [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173652-fights-avoid-ukrainmalaysian/
Malaysian airliner crashes in E. Ukraine near Russian border, 298 people on board [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173616-malaysian-crash-ukraineborder/
Questions over why Malaysian plane flew over Ukrainian warzone [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt. com/news/173792-malaysian-plane-diverted-warzone/
Lavrov: Russia won’t take control of Malaysian plane’s black boxes [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt. com/news/173820-ukraine-plane-black-boxes/
Moscow calls for intl probe into Malaysia MH17 flight crash – Russia’s UN envoy [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173972-churkin-malaysia-plane-un/
Putin: Thorough investigation of Malaysian airliner tragedy in Ukraine required [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173744-putin-ukraine-plane-russia/
‘Somebody watching over us’: British family cheats death on flight MH17 [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/uk/173864-british-mh17-flight-saved/
Double grief: Australian family loses loved ones in both Malaysian plane tragedies [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173892-australia-familymalaysia-ukraine/
Ukrainian Buk battery radar was operational when Malaysian plane downed – Moscow [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173784-ukraine-plane-malaysianrussia/
US confident surface-to-air missile brought down MH17 – Obama [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt. com/usa/173920-obama-ukraine-situation-statement/
Unverified tape released by Kiev presented as ‘proof’ E. Ukraine militia downed MH17 [cited 2017 Apr 29]: Available from: https://www.rt.com/news/173964-ukraine-malaysiaintercepted-calls/
