GETTING THE MESSAGE RIGHT: A MEASURE OF HOW WELL THE MEDIA EDUCATED THE PUBLIC ON GEOSCIENCE DURING THE 2010 -2011 EARTHQUAKE SEQUENCE IN CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND

In the wake of natural disasters, the media is a vital component of effective emergency management, acting as a vital source and conduit of essential information for the affected public. This can include communicating warnings, evacuation notices, provision of critical services and location of welfare provisions as well as communication of scientific information. Informing the public how science interprets the events can reduce uncertainty, fatalism and promote a greater sense of control. This understanding ultimately allows individuals and communities to make sense of their traumatic experiences. However, this lofty responsibility relies on media sources to communicate abstract principles, technical jargon, and complex scientific information about the event in an accurate, appropriate and accessible manner.

This research used the M7.1 September 4 2010, M6.3 February 22 2011 and M6.3 June 13 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand as a case study to test whether public knowledge of earthquakes and their associated hazards improved, and whether the media was effective in educating the public on the earthquake science. The research has three parts: a comprehensive analysis of the different media sources/types covering the earthquakes, the public’s internet search trends after the earthquakes (i.e. Google trends), and an anonymous ‘snow-ball’ survey designed to understand individuals’ experience of the 3 earthquake events, their personal knowledge of earthquake science, how effective different media sources were at providing scientific information, and their personal opinions on the media’s role in public education of the science.

The results of this research could be used to advise the media on how best to accurately portray scientific information, and conversely, how scientists should present information to the media. Both approaches aim to develop a well-informed (and hopefully prepared) public that makes effective and informed decisions to reduce disaster risk. The survey will be repeated in the future to measure the public’s memory of the Christchurch earthquake, thus inherently measuring their ongoing education and preparedness.