University of Canterbury’s Media Training Wins International Innovation Award

A joint media training exercise between The University of Canterbury’s Hazard and Disaster Management and Journalism programmes has won an international award for innovation.

The International Association of Emergency Managers has awarded Dr Tom Wilson (Geological Sciences), Tara Ross (Journalism) and Dr Erik Brogt (Academic Services Group) the 2015 Oceania Technology & Innovation Award for their collaborative exercise, which puts students through a role-play simulation based on a real-time natural disaster.

The exercise aims to test students’ ability to communicate complex science and precise safety information to an anxious public during an uncertain and unfolding disaster scenario. Masters students in the Hazard and Disaster Management programme are tested on their ability to communicate scientific and emergency management information, and students in the Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism programme are tested on their ability to report complex breaking news accurately at speed.

UC Senior Lecturer in Academic Development Dr Erik Brogt said the exercise was notable for including cross-departmental feedback and providing two completely different but authentic assessments in the same exercise.

UC Hazard and Disaster Management students receive media training from UC Senior Lecturer in Journalism Tara Ross, while UC Senior Lecturer in Hazards and Disaster Management Dr Tom Wilsongives Journalism students feedback on the scientific accuracy and appropriateness of their reporting.

Wilson said the exercise was challenging - the HAZM students were given only a week to prepare for a role that normally took 10 to 20 years of experience - but was designed to address the communication skills required for modern natural hazard scientists.

“We’ve seen in recent disasters, both in New Zealand and internationally, that scientists need to communicate complex information to concerned and sometimes highly anxious communities via the media. In a disaster situation, that’s challenging,” he said.

“But our HAZM students love these simulations and put in a huge amount of preparation so they’re not caught off guard by the journalists.“

Ross said the news media were a key source of information during a disaster and the exercise stood journalism trainees in good stead.

“They get practice not only in reporting an unfamiliar topic quickly and at speed but also in translating complex science and risks so that they’re better prepared for giving communities clear and timely public safety information when it counts,” she said.

The exercise has already paid real-world dividends with journalism graduates reporting being more confident and able when covering subsequent real-world natural disasters.