Bài giảng Căn bản trong truyền thông nguy cơ - Lê Hoàng Ninh

Căn bản trong truyền thông nguy cơ 
GS TS BS LÊ HOÀNG NINH 
Truyền thông nguy cơ tốt 
Chuyển những kiến thức khoa học và kết quả đánh giá nguy cơ thành các từ, cụm từ dễ hiểu 
Giải thích rõ ràng biên dđộ không chắc chắn, các thiếu hụt về kiến thức và việc triển khai các chương trình nghiên cứu 
Nêu rõ vấn đề nào là tin cậy và sự tin tưởng 
Hiểu đúng các vấn đề nguy cơ công cộng đặc biệt là xu thế , chiều hướng định tính 
Truyền thông nguy cơ tốt ( t t) 
Biết các vấn đề chuyên biệt có thể nổi lên trong lãnh vực công cộng, cảm nhận của cộng đồng  
Phân tích các điều kiện cần để thông tin cho công đồng và cơ hội tham gia cộng đồng 
Những bước trong truyền thông nguy cơ tốt 
Chấp nhận những tranh luận khác/ trái chiều 
Ask permission 
Apologize 
Clean up 
Share (benefits or control) 
Give credit where it is due 
Truyền thông nguy cơ 
Nhu cầu cần có 
the message (information) 
the source (origination point of message) 
The communicator 
the channel (path) 
receiver (termination point) 
Tin / the Message 
Who is the target audience? 
How can they be reached? 
What level of education do they have? 
What do you need to tell them? 
Nguồn / the Source 
All sources are not equal (by decreasing trustworthiness): 
Family Doctor 
University researcher 
media 
Local government 
Federal government 
Industry 
Needs to have: 
Empathy 
Trustworthiness (must be earned) 
Showing emotion 
Good speaker 
Eye contact 
Identify with audience 
Người truyền thông Communicator 
Channel or Medium 
Very important to choose the correct one for your target 
Entire messages can be missed if wrong medium is chosen 
Farmers and pesticide warnings on late night TV 
Complex written materials for Grade 6 education 
Written materials for evacuation notice due to fire 
Radio messages in English for French audience, etc 
Ba luật trong truyền thông nguy cơ 
tell people that you have determined they need to know 
tell them what they must know so that they can understand and feel that they understand the info 
add qualifiers to prepare them for what you are not telling them (until more info becomes available) 
EPA Risk Communication Guidelines 
Accept and involve public as a legitimate partner 
Plan carefully and evaluate performance 
listen to your audience 
be honest, frank and open 
coordinate and collaborate with other credible sources 
meet the needs of the media 
speak clearly and with compassion 
Powell’s Lessons in Risk Communication 
A risk information vacuum is a primary factor in the social amplification of risk 
ensure the vacuum either does not exist, or fill it with useful risk messages 
Regulators are responsible for effective risk communication 
Health Canada has an established practice of not announcing the issuance of a regulatory decision 
US FDA regularly makes brief statements in conjunction with regulatory actions 
Lessons (cont’d) 
Industry is responsible for effective risk communication 
primarily workplace hazards 
population health hazards (foodborne, etc) 
general environmental hazards (pesticides, etc) 
workplace and general env. hazards (metals, etc) 
incremental risks produced as a byproduct of beneficial industrial products (pharmaceuticals, modern transportation, etc) 
Lessons (cont’d) 
If you are responsible, act early and often 
some upcoming risks in the next decade are 
food safety 
endocrine disruptors 
greenhouse gases and global climate change 
biotechnology, especially agricultural applications 
health impacts of atmospheric pollutants 
There is always more to a risk issue than what science says 
what about emotion, moral issues, etc. 
Lessons (cont’d) 
Always put the science in a policy context 
whatever the risk controversy, the pubic will demand action by the politicians 
ban the substance, control the exposure, etc 
Educating the public about science is no substitute for good risk communication practice 
provide lots of information, how and why things are going to be done 
Banish “no risk” messages 
Lessons (cont’d) 
Risk messages should address directly the “contest of opinion” in society 
acknowledge the divergent opinions 
explain the range of risk estimates 
legitimate the people who disagree with your risk estimates 
Communicating well has benefits for good risk management 
How to Communicate Risk to Public? 
all we have to do is: 
get the numbers right 
tell them the numbers 
explain what we mean by the numbers 
show them that they have accepted similar risks in the past 
show them that it is a good idea for them 
treat them nicely 
make them partners 
All of the above 
by Baruch Fischoff 
Avoid areas of confusion 
Zero risk 
Probability 
Significant 
Too careful estimates 
Negative vs. positive findings 
Population vs. individual risk 
Relative vs. absolute 
Association vs. causation 
Communication Problems 
occur when the message; 
is not what the audience wants to hear 
is poorly presented 
is improper 
comes from the wrong source 
is sent via the wrong channel 
10 Deadly Sins of Presenting 
Appearing unprepared. 
Handling questions improperly. 
Apologizing for yourself or the organization. 
Not knowing knowable information. 
Unprofessional use of audiovisual aids. 
Seeming to be off schedule. 
Not involving participants. 
Not establishing rapport. 
Appearing disorganized. 
Providing the wrong content. 
Identifying Strategies 
look for use of confusing terms in your message 
either remove them or explain them 
step back and review wording 
listen to other non-scientific discussions to see use of words and their meaning 
adopt the popular usage of the word and its meaning 
ID Strategies (cont’d) 
Pre-test your message 
use friend or family member (non-scientific) 
ask them to identify words of concern or confusion 
Discuss your message with your “mock” audience 
may find out that your explanation is not good enough 
may determine where your communication went wrong 
Dealing with the Mixed Message 
substitute less confusing words 
if the word is still needed, clearly define it in the text 
give examples of intended meaning and some misuses of the term 
right in the text of the message 
use analogies, definitions, comparisons to help explain the term 
be consistent in the use of the term 
Designing your Risk Communication 
Choose your forum 
Choose your message 
Choose your source 
Know your audience! 
Focus group 
How People Learn 
How do people learn? 
Figure 1-1. Easiest Format to Learn From - Preferences by Age Group, From EPA, 2004, Evaluation of Mercury Risk Communication Messages. 
Exercise: choose your medium 
Break into groups 
Choose your medium based on who the intended audience is (reading from EPA Graph on how people best integrate knowledge) 
How would you choose to tell: 
50+ women the risks of hormone replacement therapy? 
Teenagers the risks of texting and driving? 
A small community of the acceptability of a new incinerator? 
Know your audience 
The likelihood of achieving a successful risk communication program increases with your knowledge of those with whom you are communicating. 
Early in the process, know who your publics are, what their concerns are, how they perceive risk, and whom they trust. 
Characteristics of your Publics 
Concerns 
Attitudes 
Levels of interest 
Levels of involvement 
Histories 
Levels of knowledge 
Opinions 
Reasons for interest 
Types of involvement 
Are they potential supporters 
 or potential adversaries? 
Interacting with the Community(Chess et al . 1988) 
Citizen involvement is important because 
people are entitled to make decisions about issues that directly affect their lives; 
input from the community can help the agency make better decisions; 
involvement in the process leads to greater understanding of - and more appropriate reaction to - a particular risk; 
those who are affected by a problem bring different variables to the problem-solving equation; and 
cooperation increases credibility. 
Creating the Message 
What are the three most important things you would like your audience to know? 
What are the three most important things your audience would like to know? 
What are the three most important things your audience is most likely to get wrong unless they are emphasized? (Vincent Covello) 
Sound bite research: 
Assumption: national news, controversial topic 7 to 9 seconds (21-27 words, 30 words max.) 
3 messages 9 second knowledge/trust window (Vincent Covello) 
Risk Information Vacuum 
work of risk communication is to fill the gap between public knowledge and scientific assessment of risk 
gap will always exist 
how to fill it is the question 
risk information vacuum arises when 
over a long period of time, scientists make no special effort to communicate the results being obtained regularly and effectively to the public 
instead, partial scientific info dribbles out here and there, being interpreted in apparently conflicting ways and increases the public’s fear 
Vacuum (cont’d) 
failure to implement good risk communication practices gives rise to a risk information vacuum 
this failure can have grave and expensive consequences for those regarded as being responsible for protecting the public’s interest 
society abhors a vacuum, so it is filled from other sources 
Vacuum (cont’d) 
the vacuum gets filled: 
events reported in the media will become the basis for the public framing of these risks 
an interest group takes up the challenge and fills the vacuum with its own information and perspectives 
the intuitively based fears and concerns of individuals grow & spread until they become a substantial consensus in the arena of pubic opinion 
vacuum is filled by soothing sentiments of politicians 
“there is no risk of danger from ......” 
Examples of Vacuums 
dioxins 
outrageous media headlines 
scientific research 
no communications on the issue until too late 
Greenpeace filled the vacuum 
mad cow disease 
panic ensued when government did not provide details on the suspicions around the spread of BSE 
vacuum was filled by media and individual suspicions that become consensus 
Examples of Vacuums 
silicone breast implants 
manufacturers did not disclose their information in a timely manner 
failed to encourage a frank and open discussion of potential risks 
vacuum was created by the lack of this discussion 
panic and fear of autoimmune diseases filled the vacuum 
lawsuits began and are still costing billions of dollars 
no scientific information to support the claims 
Examples (cont’d) 
genetically altered/engineered crops 
people upset because the technology is unfamiliar 
government doesn’t want to talk about the issues with the public 
vacuum will be filled, and it may be damaging to the industry 
Why Aren’t the Experts Trusted? 
expert group may have financial interest in proving the risk is small 
remediation technology spokesperson wanting to use the technology 
local mayor wanting to get re-elected 
company spokesperson not wanting plant shut down 
historical examples exist of where experts were wrong 
and handful of dissenters and activists were right 
Why aren’t the experts trusted? (cont’d) 
scientists tell us that risk assessment is a rough science and subject to error 
need to better explain how risk assessment is done 
need to better explain the use of safety factors 
some environmental risks are gradual, delayed, geometrical (made worse by other risks) 
better act now 
even though no evidence yet exists 
What will good risk communication do? 
over time good risk communication practices will: 
nurture a facility for interpreting risk numbers 
including the meaning of risk estimates and the uncertainty associated with them 
help people to put the whole assortment of risks affecting them into a broad framework 
relative risk, comparative risk 
build institutional structures for arriving at a consensus on risk management options, and for allocating risk reduction resources effectively 
What is Risk? 
risk= hazard + outrage 
public cares too little about hazard 
expert cares too little about outrage 
experts need to realize 
outrage is as real as hazard 
outrage is as measurable as hazard 
outrage is as manageable as hazard 
outrage is as much a part of risk as hazard 
outrage is as much a part of your job as hazard 
Peter Sandman 
Other Facts on Risk 
people overestimate hazard and are outraged 
which comes first? 
misunderstand hazard and get outraged? 
get outraged and misunderstand hazard? 
who is right? 
usually experts are right about hazard 
usually public is right about outrage 
How to Solve Risk Dilemma? 
solution 
experts must 
take public outrage seriously 
keep outrage separate from hazard 
respect people’s outrage 
Risk Communication: Myths and Actions (Chess et al . 1988) 
Belief in some common myths often interferes with development of an effective risk communication program. Consider the myths and actions you can take. 
Myth: We don't have enough time and resources to have a risk communication program. 
Action: Train all your staff to communicate more effectively. Plan projects to include time to involve the public. 
Myths 2 
Myth: Telling the public about a risk is more likely to unduly alarm people than keeping quiet. 
Action: Decrease potential for alarm by giving people a chance to express their concerns. 
Myth: Communication is less important than education. If people knew the true risks, they would accept them. 
Action: Pay as much attention to your process for dealing with people as you do to explaining the data. 
Myths 3 
Myth: We shouldn't go to the public until we have solutions to environmental health problems. 
Action: Release and discuss information about risk management options and involve communities in strategies in which they have a stake. 
Myths 4 
Myth: These issues are too difficult for the public to understand. 
Action: Separate public disagreement with your policies from misunderstanding of the highly technical issues. 
Myth: Technical decisions should be left in the hands of technical people. 
Action: Provide the public with information. Listen to community concerns. Involve staff with diverse backgrounds in developing policy. 
Myths 5 
Myth: Risk communication is not my job. 
Action: As a public servant, you have a responsibility to the public. Learn to integrate communication into your job and help others do the same. 
Myth: If we give them an inch, they'll take a mile. 
Action: If you listen to people when they are asking for inches, they are less likely to demand miles. Avoid the battleground. Involve people early and often. 
Myths 6 
Myth: If we listen to the public, we will devote scarce resources to issues that are not a great threat to public health. 
Action: Listen early to avoid controversy and the potential for disproportionate attention to lesser issues. 
Myths 7 
Myth: Activist groups are responsible for stirring up unwarranted concerns. 
Action: Activists help to focus public anger. Many environmental groups are reasonable and responsible. Work with groups rather than against them. 
High Hazard, low outrage 
Keep the risk message short. 
Make the risk message interesting. 
Stay on message. 
Test the risk messages. 
Plan and prepare for a long-term endeavour. 
Appeal to needs. 
Appeal to emotions, especially fear. 
 ) 
Cont’d 
See fear arousal as a competition 
Don’t neglect other emotions. Identify and give people task that they can do. 
Give people a selection of tasks to choose from. 
Sequence recommended precautions. 
Think in stages. 
Focus resources on teachable moments. 
Cont’d 
Be alert for a short-term over-reaction. 
Be alert for signs of denial. 
Identify and address persuasion facilitators. 
Identify persuasion barriers and consider addressing them. 
Express empathy for apathy. 
Consider an alternative: pre-crisis communication. 
What is a Focus Group? 
special kind of interview for the purpose of collective information about a specific subject or area of concern 
useful for gathering information on risk perceptions 
used to assess needs, preferences and attitudes 
information can then be used to 
formulate risk messages 
determine appropriate channel 
choose a communicator 
frame the risk information in an acceptable way 
Focus Group Design 
facilitator spends 2-8 hours with eight to twelve people 
job is to ensure all areas are explored 
usually has a helper to make group work better 
free flowing discussion 
group usually made up of individuals who have something in common 
age, activity, employed by same company, etc. 
record activities on flow chart or tape 
Why use a focus group? 
allows participants to discuss a subject openly and in great detail 
research can be conducted quickly 
organize, conduct and analyse research from several focus groups in as little as 2 weeks 
decisions can then be implemented almost immediately 
far less intimidating or frustrating than other forms of research 
anxiety of the individuals is lessened in the group context 
Goals for Collecting Information 
determine the interests, needs, attitudes of a sample of community members about a particular risk issue 
objectives 
determine attitudes and opinions already in existence 
determine knowledge level about this particular risk 
determine the resources necessary to better communicate risk 
obtain ideas on how to best communicate with this community 
Identifying Participants 
look carefully at the community 
demographics 
determine who may have most need for the risk information 
who is more interested? 
usually no more than 8 groups are necessary 
more important than numbers is how the groups are chosen 
How to Contact Participants? 
telephone 
letters 
meeting with people 
meeting with leaders of already established organizations 
how to introduce yourself 
why is issue important 
who you are 
what is the objective of the focus group 
why is the individual valuable 
Planning and Preparation 
place 
find a comfortable location, accessible to the majority 
make sure there are enough chairs and room for everyone 
time and date 
convenient to majority 
be there an hour before hand 
let everyone know how long it will be, and stick to it 
don’t go longer than 2 hours 
Leading the Focus Group 
guidelines 
no right or wrong answers 
opinions are wanted 
we do not have to agree 
it is important for everyone to participate 
we will finish in two hours 
your names will be confidential 
all the information will be used in your community 
Focus Group Skills 
facilitator 
avoid a question and answer session 
let it be open 
set a cooperative tone 
be open and pleasant 
be prepared and organized 
establish and maintain an easy rapport 
be non-judgmental 
use probing techniques (to get further information) 
Closing the Focus Group 
summarize the session briefly 
thank them for their ideas 
ask if they want to know the results 
ask them if they want to keep in touch 
give them your name and number for future contact 
let them know when the information will be released to the community 
and when they will be able to give feedback 
Nelson Fok 
Case Studies 
Choose one of the 4 cases: 
Who is your audience? 
What is your message? 
What three things do you want to communicate? 
What words will you use? 
Who is your communicator? 
What/who is your source? 
What will be your method/forum? 
Case 1 
E coli has been found in water supply for a small area of cottage country, rural Canada. 
Case 2 
Breast feeding rates are very low in your health region. You have been tasked with trying to improve the rate to national levels. 
Case 3 
A local industry wants to build an incinerator in your area. They have been a good corporate citizen in the past, and have good environmental history. Your department has approved the incinerator. The local people are upset and demanding answers. They are worried about cancer and emissions. 
Case 4 
A poor result from a food inspection has resulted in closing down a famous restaurant in the middle of tourist season. The owners, some public and the mayor are upset with your department. 
Present results of Case Study