Communicating a pandemic : crisis management and Covid-19 in the Nordic countries / edited by Bengt Johansson [and three others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Johansson, Bengt, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Crisis management.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (362 pages)

Other Title:

Communicating a Pandemic

Place of Publication:

Göteborg, Sweden : Nordicom, University of Gothenburg, [2023]

Summary:

This edited volume compares experiences of how the Covid-19 pandemic was communicated in the Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The Nordic countries are often discussed in terms of similarities concerning an extensive welfare system, economic policies, media systems, and high levels of trust in societal actors. However, in the wake of a global pandemic, the countries' coping strategies varied, creating certain question marks on the existence of a "Nordic model". The chapters give a broad overview of crisis communication in the Nordic countries during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic by combining organisational and societal theoretical perspectives and encompassing crisis response from governments, public health authorities, lobbyists, corporations, news media, and citizens. The results show several similarities, such as political and governmental responses highlighting solidarity and the need for exceptional measures, as expressed in press conferences, social media posts, information campaigns, and speeches. The media coverage relied on experts and was mainly informative, with few critical investigations during the initial phases. Moreover, surveys and interviews show the importance of news media for citizens' coping strategies, but also that citizens mostly trusted both politicians and health authorities during the crisis. This book is of interest to all who are looking to understand societal crisis management on a comprehensive level. The volume contains chapters from leading experts from all the Nordic countries and is edited by a team with complementary expertise on crisis communication, political communication, and journalism, consisting of Bengt Johansson, Øyvind Ihlen, Jenny Lindholm, and Mark Blach-Ørsten. .

Contents:

Preface 7

Section I 1. Bengt Johansson, Øyvind Ihlen, Jenny Lindholm, & Mark Blach-Ørsten Introduction: Communicating a pandemic in the Nordic countries 11 2. Siv Sandberg The role of administrative tradition in government responses to crises: A comparative overview of five Nordic countries 31

Section II 3. Lars Nord & Eva-Karin Olsson Gardell Communicating the Covid-19 pandemic: A comparison of government communication in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden 53 4. Joel Rasmussen, Øyvind Ihlen, & Jens E. Kjeldsen Strategic Covid-19 management in communicational practice: At the crossroads to remain open or not in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden 73 5. Jens E. Kjeldsen Crafting a crisis: How the genre of the justifying press conference constituted the Covid-19 pandemic as an emergency and legitimised the power of authorities in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden 97 6. Pernille Almlund, Jens E. Kjeldsen, & Ragnhild Mølster Expressions of governance, risk, and responsibility: Public campaigns in the crisis and risk management of Covid-19 in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden 121 7. Jenny Lindholm, Tom Carlson, Frederike Albrecht, & Helena Hermansson Communicating Covid-19 on social media: Analysing the use of Twitter and Instagram by Nordic health authorities and prime ministers 149 8. Finn Frandsen & Winni Johansen Corporate crisis management: Managing Covid-19 in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden 173 9. Wiebke Marie Lobbying access during the Covid-19 pandemic: An analysis of communication frequency between interest organisations and political gatekeepers in Denmark and Sweden

Section III 10. Marina Ghersetti, Jón Gunnar Ólafsson, & Sigrún Ólafsdóttir Watchdogs and government megaphones: The dual democratic roles of the news media during the Covid-19 pandemic in Iceland and Sweden 217 11. Jannicke Fiskvik, Andrea Vik Bjarkø, & Tor Olav Grøtan Vaccine rhetoric, social media, and dissensus: An analysis of civic discourse between Norwegian health authorities and citizens on Facebook and Twitter during crisis 241 12. Mark Blach-Ørsten, Anna Maria Jönsson, Valgerður Jóhannsdóttir, & Birgir Guðmundsson The role of journalism in a time of national crisis: Examining criticism and consensus in Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden during the Covid-19 pandemic 261

Section IV 13. Bengt Johansson, Jacob Sohlberg, & Peter Esaiasson Institutional trust and crisis management in high-trust societies: Rallies around the Nordic flags during the Covid-19 pandemic 285 14. Brita Ytre-Arne & Hallvard Moe Citizens' news use during Covid-19: Concerns about misinformation and reliance on local news in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden 303 15. Klas Backholm & Camilla Nordberg Efficient authority communication in times of crisis: Examining how vulnerable language minorities experienced Covid-19 communication strategies in Finland, Norway, and Sweden 325

Section V 16. Mark Blach-Ørsten, Øyvind Ihlen, Bengt Johansson, & Jenny Lindholm Conclusions: In search of a Nordic model of crisis communication 349.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.