Edit 28 December, 2020 Issue .
Media Role in Disaster Management
We live in times of Disasters when natural and man made disasters are wrecking havoc throughout the world.Media as a fourth pillar of democracy has a key role in disaster management .media assists in the management of disasters by educating the public about disasters; warning of hazards; gathering and transmitting information about affected areas; alerting government officials, relief organizations and the public to specific needs; and facilitating discussions about disaster preparedness.Recently in a welcome development in this regard Webinar on “Media for Disaster Risk Reduction” was jointly organised by National Institute of Disaster Management and Institution of Engineers (India) J&K State Centre, Srinagar, today, in collaboration with J&K Information and Public Relations Department, Kashmir Editors Guild, Kashmir Press Club and J&K State Emergency Operation Centre, Srinagar. The webinar was inaugurated by Dr. Syed Sehrish Asgar, Director Information and Public Relations Department.
Speaking on the occasion Dr Sehrish said media is the most effective link between the Public and the Administration, and Information Department is the link between Government and Media. She said that coordination mechanism with media needs to be further strengthened, in order to ensure that media has timely access to disaster related data, otherwise it can lead to publishing of unverified and speculative reports. She implored the concerned officers that should share relevant information about each incident promptly, otherwise reporters have to rely on information which may not be accurate.
One hopes in our part of the world media role in disaster management would be critical in coming times .
