Himachal workshop on role of media in disaster management

Of the 35 impending natural disasters in India, 25 were likely to happen in Himachal Pradesh, said Prof Jaishri Jethwaney, of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, in her address to media personnel at the state-level Sensitization workshop on ‘Role of Media in Disaster Management’ organised by the Himachal Pradesh government at Shimla on Thursday. 

While framing policies on disaster management, she said, the opinion of affected and local people must also be taken by the authorities concerned as they could offer more practical solutions. 

The social media also plays a great role in such situations, she said. She added that government websites should also be updated.

Often the lack of openness, honesty in information dissemination and non-availability of official spokesperson lead to misinformation reported by media. 

Since media also has its own sources, she said news tend to be doubtful at times.