Role of Broadcast Journalism in Public Crisis Communication: A Case Study of Kazakhstan During the Covid-19 Pan-demic

Kydyrzhan Mukhatayev

2024

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DOI 10.60087/jaigs.v5i1.468
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic was a new challenge facing everyone in the world, and clear and efficient communication between the state and its population was required. An important role in the development of understanding, behavior, and trust of the population towards the crisis was lived by broadcast journalism. The theory of the role of broadcast journalism in crisis communication is worthy of critical scrutiny, particularly in Kazakhstan, where the influence of the state on media persists to be very strong. This paper examines the experience of the medium of television news during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan in terms of balancing information and whether or not the framing approaches were associated with accepting or not accepting the pandemic. Although cases focused on transparent and science-based messaging attract a lot of attention worldwide, the issue of media performance in Kazakhstan during this period has barely been given scholarly consideration. The paper is conceptual and literature-driven, which incorporates the application of crisis communication models, but also qualitative content-based analysis of filtered representation of the national and regional broadcasts, that occurred between March 2020 and December 2021. Among the most significant findings, one might note that the main themes of crisis messaging, generally, include some suggestion for nationwide unity, the assertion of public responsibility, and the selectivity of the expert voices, which all can be subject to the influence of the governmental discourse. The attitude toward state media was ambiguous, and there were visible regional distinctions and increased dependence of people on unofficial sources. The research highlights the significance of clear information, promptness, and culturally appealing communication in developing an effective outreach to the people. It ends with an insight into the provision of broadcast journalism as more than the means of conveying information, the significant player in enhancing national resilience and legitimacy in case of minor or major crises. The present findings have implications for crisis communication planning in the future, especially in analyzing transition or state-influenced media environments.