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Political public relations and crisis communication of the government: The case study of the earthquake of 6 February 2023 in Türkiye

Year 2023, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 70 - 76, 15.12.2023

A. Fulya Şen

https://doi.org/10.58251/ekonomi.1352342

Abstract

On February 6, 2023, a massive 7.8 earthquake struck southeast Türkiye and caused killing thousands of people and leaving devastation across a wide swath of the country. In this context, this paper examines the government communications and crisis communication in the context of the disaster responses of the emergency management agencies during the earthquake of February 2023 in Türkiye in terms of image repair strategy and aims to reveal how the government responds to the opposing political circles' claims. It was concluded that the ruling party used communication channels intensively to refute the opposition's arguments and presented its own efforts and actions through visual and numerical proof and the main character of the government's crisis communication was based on highlighting what they made well.



Keywords

Political public relations crisis communication image repair strategy crisis management

References

  • Benoit, W. L. (2015). Accounts, Excuses, and Apologies: Image Repair Theory and Research. Second Edition. State University of New York Press.
  • Cagaptay, S. (March 1, 2023). Turkey’s Disaster—and Erdogan’s How the Earthquake Could Spell the End of His Rule. Retrieved from: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ Turkey / Turkeys-disaster-and-erdogans. 
  • Cheng, Y., Spruill, T. & Dalton, C. (2022).  Social Media and Crisis Communication (SMCC) Research in a Global Context: An Updated Review and Critique. Jin, Y., & Austin, L.L. (Eds.). Social Media and Crisis Communication (pp. 7-19).  2nd edition. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003043409 
  • Coombs, W. T. (2020). Political Public Relations and Crisis Communication A Public Relations Perspective.  Stromback, J., & Kiousis, S. (Eds.). Political Public Relations: Concepts, Principles, and Applications (pp. 208-226). Second Edition. New York: Routledge.
  • Coşkun, A. (February 15, 2023). Türkiye’s Earthquakes Revealed the Paralysis of Its State. Retrieved from: https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/02/15/t-rkiye-s-earthquakes-revealed-paralysis-of-its-state-pub-89053?utm_source=ctw&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=titlelink&mkt_tok=ODEzLVhZVS00MjIAAAGJ-4ptHqHgKkyOi3G7X3dbzTMJ8uVDn3nhFvNwCW8JFLB40OOCsa2DqZkA7fGXx0T3m1odelSjvl2VRi9nPCm7nB1MEdsVvTavrVJ8wNI0
  • Eissenstat, H. (February 13, 2023). Turkey’s government is prioritizing politics over policy in its earthquake response. Retrieved from: https://www.mei.edu/publications/ Turkeys-government-prioritizing-politics-over-policy-its-earthquake-response 
  • Jin, Y. & Austin, L. (2020). 23. Crisis communication and social media: Short history of the evolution of social media in crisis communication. In F. Frandsen & W. Johansen (Ed.), Crisis Communication (pp. 477-492). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110554236-023.
  • Jin, Y., & Austin, L.L. (Eds.). (2022). Social Media and Crisis Communication (2nd ed.). NewYork: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003043409 
  • Johnston, K. A., Taylor, M., & Ryan, B. (2020). Emergency management communication: The paradox of the positive in public communication for preparedness. Public Relations Review, 46(2), 101903. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101903 
  • José Canel, M. & Sanders, K. (2013). Introduction: Mapping the field of government communication. Karen Sanders and María José Canel (Eds.). Government Communication: Cases and Challenges (pp. 1-26). New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Kiousis, S. & Strömbäck, J. (2014). Political Public Relations. Carsten Reinemann (Ed.). In book: Political Communication (pp. 249-266). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.  
  • Koerber, D. (2020). 24. Mass media and their symbiotic relationship with crisis. In F. Frandsen & W. Johansen (Ed.). Crisis Communication (pp. 493-508). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110554236-024.
  • Kubilay, M. M. (March 3, 2023). Turkey’s crisis management playbook: Donations, reconstruction, and inflation with an eye on elections. Retrieved from: https://www.mei.edu/publications/ Turkeys-crisis-management-playbook-donations-reconstruction-and-inflation-eye 
  • McLean, H. & Ewart, J. (2020). Political Leadership in Disaster and Crisis Communication and Management. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-42901-0. 
  • Richards, L. & Morse, J. M. (2013). README FIRST for a User's Guide to Qualitative Methods. Third Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  • Roberts-Bowman, S. & Walker, G. (2021). Public relations, politics and the media. Alison Theaker (Ed.). The Public Relations Handbook (pp. 45-66). Oxon: Routledge. 
  • Stromback, J., & Kiousis, S. (Eds.). (2020). Political Public Relations: Concepts, Principles, and Applications (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
  • Ülgen, S. (February 14, 2023). The Politics of Türkiye’s Earthquake. Retrieved from: https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/89026.

Political public relations and crisis communication of the government: The case study of the earthquake of 6 February 2023 in Türkiye

Year 2023, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 70 - 76, 15.12.2023

A. Fulya Şen

https://doi.org/10.58251/ekonomi.1352342

Abstract

On February 6, 2023, a massive 7.8 earthquake struck southeast Türkiye and caused killing thousands of people and leaving devastation across a wide swath of the country. In this context, this paper examines the government communications and crisis communication in the context of the disaster responses of the emergency management agencies during the earthquake of February 2023 in Türkiye in terms of image repair strategy and aims to reveal how the government responds to the opposing political circles' claims. It was concluded that the ruling party used communication channels intensively to refute the opposition's arguments and presented its own efforts and actions through visual and numerical proof and the main character of the government's crisis communication was based on highlighting what they made well.

References

  • Benoit, W. L. (2015). Accounts, Excuses, and Apologies: Image Repair Theory and Research. Second Edition. State University of New York Press.
  • Cagaptay, S. (March 1, 2023). Turkey’s Disaster—and Erdogan’s How the Earthquake Could Spell the End of His Rule. Retrieved from: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ Turkey / Turkeys-disaster-and-erdogans. 
  • Cheng, Y., Spruill, T. & Dalton, C. (2022).  Social Media and Crisis Communication (SMCC) Research in a Global Context: An Updated Review and Critique. Jin, Y., & Austin, L.L. (Eds.). Social Media and Crisis Communication (pp. 7-19).  2nd edition. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003043409 
  • Coombs, W. T. (2020). Political Public Relations and Crisis Communication A Public Relations Perspective.  Stromback, J., & Kiousis, S. (Eds.). Political Public Relations: Concepts, Principles, and Applications (pp. 208-226). Second Edition. New York: Routledge.
  • Coşkun, A. (February 15, 2023). Türkiye’s Earthquakes Revealed the Paralysis of Its State. Retrieved from: https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/02/15/t-rkiye-s-earthquakes-revealed-paralysis-of-its-state-pub-89053?utm_source=ctw&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=titlelink&mkt_tok=ODEzLVhZVS00MjIAAAGJ-4ptHqHgKkyOi3G7X3dbzTMJ8uVDn3nhFvNwCW8JFLB40OOCsa2DqZkA7fGXx0T3m1odelSjvl2VRi9nPCm7nB1MEdsVvTavrVJ8wNI0
  • Eissenstat, H. (February 13, 2023). Turkey’s government is prioritizing politics over policy in its earthquake response. Retrieved from: https://www.mei.edu/publications/ Turkeys-government-prioritizing-politics-over-policy-its-earthquake-response 
  • Jin, Y. & Austin, L. (2020). 23. Crisis communication and social media: Short history of the evolution of social media in crisis communication. In F. Frandsen & W. Johansen (Ed.), Crisis Communication (pp. 477-492). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110554236-023.
  • Jin, Y., & Austin, L.L. (Eds.). (2022). Social Media and Crisis Communication (2nd ed.). NewYork: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003043409 
  • Johnston, K. A., Taylor, M., & Ryan, B. (2020). Emergency management communication: The paradox of the positive in public communication for preparedness. Public Relations Review, 46(2), 101903. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101903 
  • José Canel, M. & Sanders, K. (2013). Introduction: Mapping the field of government communication. Karen Sanders and María José Canel (Eds.). Government Communication: Cases and Challenges (pp. 1-26). New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Kiousis, S. & Strömbäck, J. (2014). Political Public Relations. Carsten Reinemann (Ed.). In book: Political Communication (pp. 249-266). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.  
  • Koerber, D. (2020). 24. Mass media and their symbiotic relationship with crisis. In F. Frandsen & W. Johansen (Ed.). Crisis Communication (pp. 493-508). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110554236-024.
  • Kubilay, M. M. (March 3, 2023). Turkey’s crisis management playbook: Donations, reconstruction, and inflation with an eye on elections. Retrieved from: https://www.mei.edu/publications/ Turkeys-crisis-management-playbook-donations-reconstruction-and-inflation-eye 
  • McLean, H. & Ewart, J. (2020). Political Leadership in Disaster and Crisis Communication and Management. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-42901-0. 
  • Richards, L. & Morse, J. M. (2013). README FIRST for a User's Guide to Qualitative Methods. Third Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  • Roberts-Bowman, S. & Walker, G. (2021). Public relations, politics and the media. Alison Theaker (Ed.). The Public Relations Handbook (pp. 45-66). Oxon: Routledge. 
  • Stromback, J., & Kiousis, S. (Eds.). (2020). Political Public Relations: Concepts, Principles, and Applications (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
  • Ülgen, S. (February 14, 2023). The Politics of Türkiye’s Earthquake. Retrieved from: https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/89026.
There are 18 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Macroeconomics (Other)
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

A. Fulya Şen 0000-0003-3350-8292

Publication Date December 15, 2023
Submission Date August 30, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 5 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Şen, A. F. (2023). Political public relations and crisis communication of the government: The case study of the earthquake of 6 February 2023 in Türkiye. Journal of Ekonomi, 5(2), 70-76. https://doi.org/10.58251/ekonomi.1352342
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