A major step forward

Under Pressure newsletter 4 December 2020

The UK will start to vaccinate against Covid-19 next week and this will be that latest challenge for communication. Work is already getting underway to try and tackle all the misinformation that may exist particularly on social media. It will be interesting to watch how this develops and what role the media have to play in correcting the situation.

One way the media are helping is by putting questions from members of the public to medical experts who can give accurate responses. It has been seen in many mainstream media in the UK including the Today programme on Radio 4. And Facebook have announced it is going to be taking down false vaccine claims. Read more here.

In a briefing on Thursday 3 December the World Health Organisation gave views on the roll-out of vaccinations and the use of so-called ‘immunity passports'. In a report by broadcaster RTE it said:

“Speaking at a WHO briefing, Dr Kluge (Hans Kluge WHO Regional Director) said the organisation recommends that health and social workers, people over 60 years of age, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities should be first to receive the vaccine.” Find out more here.

There is an interesting round up in PR Week looking at vaccines, the roll out and the possible obstacles that may be faced. Find it at www.prweek.com

Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash (Covid-19 Vaccine Bottle Mockup (does not depict actual vaccine).

Getting ready for 2021

It is tempting to forget 2020 but there has been so much learning that we need to capture to get ready for whatever 2021 brings. I am working on a report gathering key learning points for communicators which I hope to publish either before Christmas or possibly early in the New Year due to work commitments. If you are looking at the future for crisis communication in your organisation you may be interested in this from Ragan PR Daily looking at five ways to fortify your crisis communication for the future. Check it out here and watch out for my report which will feature in a future edition of Under Pressure.

Planning for all businesses.

All businesses are starting to see the importance of developing a crisis communication plan and having an approach that is ready for whenever it is needed. I was interested to see an article on the Inside Self-Storage website that was looking at the issue for those who provide self-storage facilities. I would expect to see more businesses ensuring they have the right plans, processes and procedures in place as we move into 2021. For anyone in self-storage you might want to read the details here.

In Brief

• I am pleased to be joining a CIPR International webinar on crisis communication planning on 10th December. The event is part of Africa Communications Week and you can find out details of how to attend here.

• A report by the Makerere University School of Public Health in Uganda has shown children are not wearing face masks as the World Health Organisation recommend. It claims more needs to be done to communicate with young people about the risks. Read more here.

• My monthly crisis communication case study has been published. This edition of Testing Times looks at a series of crises this year and what we can learn and take into 2021. Read the case study here.