ABSTRACT

In times of crisis, there often exists a disconnect between law enforcement and media, such that law enforcement focuses on conducting their jobs while maintaining calm and media focus on reporting information as soon as possible. Indeed, the timing of breaking news is the breaking point in this relationship. The present study introduces a novel, fictitious crisis scenario to explore participants’ opinions on the handling of information and on attributions of blame. Participants read and responded to questions about the crisis online. Participants (N = 252) include law enforcement officials, public information officers, reporters, assignment desk editors, news directors, and “none of the above,” referring to anyone not employed in those occupations. An additional supplementary study provides written qualitative responses from 215 participants on their opinions of media honesty and law enforcement’s withholding of information. Results indicate that law enforcement, media, and the public largely agree on how the fictitious scenario was handled. Where there are dissenting opinions, media are the distinct group. This work has important implications for communication between police and media agencies, the relationship between police, media, and the public, and for policies on information release in a time of crisis.

摘要

危机时刻，执法与媒体之间往往存在脱节，执法重心在工作，沉着冷静，媒体重在尽快报道信息。事实上，突发新闻的时机是这种关系的突破点。本研究引入了一种新颖的、虚构的危机情景，以探讨参与者对信息处理和责备的看法。参与者在线阅读并回答有关危机的问题。参与者 (N = 252) 包括执法官员、公共信息官员、记者、任务编辑、新闻总监，以及“以上都不是”，指的是未受雇于这些职业的任何人。另一项补充研究提供了 215 名参与者对媒体诚实和执法部门隐瞒信息的意见的书面定性答复。结果表明，执法部门、媒体和公众在很大程度上同意如何处理虚构场景。在有不同意见的地方，媒体是不同的群体。这项工作对警察与媒体机构之间的沟通、警察、媒体与公众之间的关系以及危机时期的信息发布政策具有重要意义。