Terror in Mumbai and the evolution of crisis communications

Daniel Bennett — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:20:20 +0000

Several hours ago, three explosions hit the Indian city of Mumbai. At the current time (18h00 GMT), reports suggest seventeen people have been killed and 81 injured.

Less than three years after the siege of 26/11, the citizens of Mumbai are facing the consequences of another terror attack. It is hardly a surprise that people are using Twitter to communicate, but its use as a tool for crisis communications is evolving.

Back in 2008, I suggested that an eyewitness tag on Twitter, such as #EW, would help people identify relevant material from the vast torrent of tweets that were being posted about Mumbai.

In 2011, Twitter users have taken things beyond my rather simple idea by organising a number of separate hashtags to relay information.

Rather than only using one hashtag (#Mumbai) as many people did three years ago, today the Twitter users of Mumbai have started posting to:

1. #mumbaiblasts, for information relevant to the attacks

2. #here2help, for people who can offer assistance

3. #needhelp, for people who are in need of assistance

4. #mumbaitraffic, for updates on the transport situation

Of course, the system relies on users posting information to the right hashtag and for others not to post irrelevant information, so it’s far from perfect. But it is certainly more sophisticated than a single hashtag.

In addition, as Guardian journalist Laura Oliver has pointed out, Indians are putting together a shared spreadsheet to coordinate useful contact information in real time.

The network is evolving to find solutions to the problems of information overload and accessing relevant material quickly.

New tools are also being explored by journalists.

Digital strategist and freelance journalist Kevin Anderson said he heard of the attacks via Google+. His source, however, was a long-established contact – he had interviewed her after the Mumbai train bombings in 2006.

77 names added to wall of fallen journalists

Graham Holliday — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:41:45 +0000

The names of 62 journalists killed in 2008 and 15 killed in previous years have been added to a memorial wall at the Newseum in Washington D.C. that honours journalists killed doing the job of journalism. Iraq and Mexico were the deadliest places for journalists last year. 13 names from Iraq were added to the wall and 5 from Mexico, including El Diario newspaper reporter Armando Rodriguez who was gunned down as he took is daughter to school,

"These are not long ago and far away events," [said Alberto Ibarguen, the Newseum’s chairman, and president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and a former publisher of The Miami Herald.] "The story they’re covering in Mexico is a story of drugs and corruption and guns… These murders strike at the heart of democracy by silencing speech and by depriving a community of the information it needs to conduct its affairs." link

Photo by AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

2008 – Frontline Club

Terror in Mumbai and the evolution of crisis communications

77 names added to wall of fallen journalists