Crisis Communication: A Case Study of the San Bernardino Shooting

Introduction

The manner in which various agencies and organizations responded to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the US homeland has necessitated the need for effective communication during such tragic events. As Jordan-Meier (2012) observes, accurate and appropriate communication is critical in a crisis, particularly in the digital age where information flows so fast and must be controlled to avoid misinformation. This paper discusses crisis communication with reference to how and whether it was effectively done during the San Bernardino mass shooting in California. According to Watts, Cullinane, and Mezzofiore (2018), what happened during this crisis was that a gunman stormed an apartment complex in San Bernardino and started shooting indiscriminately injuring 8 people. A crisis refers to any unexpected political or social event which threatens the security expectations of people and organizations and disrupts their normal operations or activities (Baerug, 2017). Crisis communication has been defined as the process through which shared meaning is created among agencies, individuals, communities, and groups during a crisis situation so as to prepare for, limit, reduce, and respond to any potential damage, injuries, or threats to security (Baerug, 2017). During a crisis such as the one in San Bernardino, the conveyance of critical information in a timely and coordinated manner to the public is important as it helps contain unnecessary propaganda or rumors that in most cases only cause more confusion and fear. The San Bernardino shooting is a classic example of how effective crisis communication can help save lives and property while improving the public image of law enforcement agencies.

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One of the most important aspects of crisis communication is the division of the crisis into various phases so as to make it more manageable. The main stages of a crisis include identification, recovery, management, containment, risk assessment, resolution, and warning. Also, according to Jordan-Meier (2012), crisis communication involves stages such as breaking news, the unfolding drama, the blame game, and the resolution and fallout. During the identification and containment stages, the authorities concerned or the organizations affected by the crisis should respond to the crisis within the shortest period of time possible and confine it to the smallest number of people and geographic area so as to prevent it from escalating or becoming too difficult to manage.

At the risk assessment stage, the potential damages, consequences, and risks of the crisis are evaluated by the crisis management team such as first responders so as to know the best course of action to take in mitigating or avoiding a much bigger disaster. It is important for there to be sustained information and clear communication during the various phases of a crisis so as to enable the risk management team to determine the seriousness and extent of the threat or risks posed by the crisis. During the San Bernardino shooting, the fundamental stages of the crisis were the arrival of the police at the scene after getting a call reporting shots fired, the use of helicopters with loudspeakers to try and warn people on the ground to get to safety, the arrival of ambulances to carry the injured to the hospital, and gathering of evidence from witnesses.

During the crisis, several things happened. First, at around 11 a.m., 911 calls were made to the San Bernardino Police Department reporting shots fired at the Inland Regional Center, California. At around 11.7 a.m., firefighters from the San Bernardino Fire Department arrived at the scene of the shooting and started clearing the scene (Williams, 2015). Emergency responders in ambulances also started treating those injured and taking those in critical condition to various hospitals. At around noon, the looking for the shooters after a comprehensive sweep of the crime scene and President Obama is briefed on the incident. Later in the afternoon, the police held a press conference identifying the shooters, consoling the affected families and briefing the public about what transpired and the efforts being made to apprehend the suspects (Williams, 2015).

Furthermore, during such crises as the one witnessed in San Bernardino in 2015, it is vital for the relevant agencies responding to the crisis to implement effective communication plans so as to fight inaccurate information, avoid misinformation, and ensure that there is no confusion in the manner in which information is relayed to stakeholders. According to Coombs (2014), a crisis communication plan should focus on fighting inaccurate information, the victims, and timing. The crisis communication plan is thus a critical aspect for crises and avoidance of the escalation of a crisis into a disaster. Such a plan contains the message that is to be relayed to those affected by the crisis, such as the media and families of the victims. The plan should contain compassionate messages for the victims and their families, detail future plans to avoid the reoccurrence of the crisis, the mitigation measures in place, a description of what transpired, and the cause of the crisis. During the San Bernardino shooting, the effective communication plans that were implemented included the use of press conferences by the police to communicate with the public and the application of public address systems to warn members of the public to stay alert to avoid another possible crisis or further attack from the shooters.

Conclusion

In summary, while organizations such as law enforcement agencies cannot avert a crisis or control it, effectively communicating information about it and how stakeholders should respond to crises is of paramount importance. The San Bernardino mass shooting is a quintessential example of how effective crisis communication can help save lives by conveying accurate and appropriate information in a coordinated and timely manner to avoid misleading information about the crisis.

References

Baerug, S.O. (2017). Successful crisis communication: A case study of the Norwegianauthorities' response to an imminent terror threat. Retrieved from https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2448999/B%C3%A6rug2017.pdf?sequence=1

Coombs W.T. (2014). State of crisis communication: Evidence and the bleeding edge. ResearchJournal of the Institute for Public Relations, 1(1), 1-12

Jordan-Meier, J. (2012). You cannot control a crisis; you can control your response. Communication World, 20-23

Watts, A., Cullinane, S., & Mezzofiore, G. (2018). 8 shot during a dice game at San Bernardinoapartment complex, police say. CNN. Retrieved fromhttps://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/03/us/san-Bernardino-shooting/index.html

Williams, P. (2015). San Bernardino shooting: Timeline of how the rampage unfolded. NBCNews. Retrieved from https://www.snbcnews.com/storyline/san-bernardino-shooting/san-Bernardino-shooting-timeline-how-rampage-unfolded-n473501