Transparent communication in clickbait-headline oriented society
The operating event at Olkiluoto 3 which we communicated about this week bears on my mind and I had trouble sleeping last night. Are we really living in a society so heavily oriented around clickbait headlines that even causing people unnecessary concerns and fear factors does not cause pause to reconsider.
BREAKING NEWS: Radioactive leakage at Olkiluoto 3. Say that again? Are we causing problems rather than benefits with our transparent communication. The headline could easily be misinterpreted to refer to an emergency.
The body of the news did describe the situation as communicated by us; the event, which had occurred already a few days previously in connection with annual outage work, did not pose any danger to people, the environment, or nuclear safety. Very low-level radioactive reactor coolant (water) ran into floor drain systems specifically designed for that purpose inside the containment closed to the environment. The event was caused by a human error. The significance of the event in terms of radiation safety was assessed to be low. But what is the result of provocative headlines about a radioactive leak in Olkiluoto, which remain at the top of news lists for hours?
I used to think how important it is to me to work for a company that allows me to head communication in a way that reflects the value base shared by me and the company, such as transparency and responsibility. To communicate events affecting a socially significant and safety-critical operator openly, provide answers to questions, draw pictures, if necessary, to explain matters, serve the media, and interact with stakeholder groups. Right now I am pondering if there is a limit to these principles, however. Can we even cause new events or unnecessary concern with our news? In other words, do more harm than good. How will we then recognise the actual situations behind the clickbaits?
In the future, I will reflect on the phrases we use, our headlines and our content even more critically, if possible. One must learn a lesson also from this. And say thank you to all who added the words TVO: No danger to their headline.
But I still really wish that from now on, communication which particularly affects safety and the feeling of safety, be placed in the highest position in the value base. There is no shortage of causes for worry and concern in this society – and this world, at present. Could we please not add to any of that, at least not without cause? How about we stick to good journalistic principles and write headlines without any misleading intimidation. I would like to see that as the super power of our Finnish news media. Like a sanctuary for impartiality characterised by reliable realism.
Text: Johanna Aho
Photo: Tapani Karjanlahti
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