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The institutional communication on covid-19 was one of the last “victims” of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, exposing the Government and the General Directorate of Health (DGS) to criticism and the accusation of responsibility for the worsening of the pandemic in Portugal.
In recent weeks, with the increase in cases and deaths and an intensification of pressure on the National Health Service (SNS), communication about the covid-19 has been criticized, among accusations of disorientation, restrictions and exceptions, recriminations or simple ineffectiveness. On a continuous basis, the President of the Government, António Costa, assumed responsibility on Thursday: “Everything is my fault. The messenger transmitted the message wrong.”
The recognition of the failures by the government leader can mark the beginning of a new “therapy” in terms of communication about covid-19 and also symbolizes the perception of some mistakes that were made, especially in the last month. According to the communication specialists listened to by Lusa, the expectation is the realization of a fundamental idea: to involve the Portuguese again in the fulfillment of preventive measures.
“Having made a ‘mea culpa’, the Prime Minister opened a window of opportunity and understanding, because people more easily handle the truth than the lack of trust,” said manager Margarida Pinto da Fonseca, manager of communication consultancy S Consulting, specialized in the health area, for whom it is necessary to “seek cohesion through dialogue”.
The last message from António Costa was also important to mitigate the idea of ”negative communication” that, according to Rui Gaspar, professor at the Catholic University and psychologist specializing in crisis communication, was being created with “blaming people”, which “leads them not to follow the recommendations” of the authorities.
“People have every right to feel tired and we must recognize tiredness and the right to be tired. Rather than blaming people for relaxation, it is important to listen to people about the barriers they face in their daily life to implement the behaviors that are requested ”, he explained, adding:“ When we involve people in the communication itself, the guarantee of success and adherence will be greater ”.
Opinion shared by Andreia García, director of the health communication consultancy Miligrama, who has stressed that “communication requires the recipient to be involved in the communicative act” and that there is currently a “confusion” between information and communication.
“In contexts of public emergency, such as the one we are experiencing, linear communication models, based solely on the transmission of information, cannot be expected to promote behavior change. The problem does not lie in the absence of information, but in the inability to involve and listen to the population ”, summarizes the consultant and teacher of the Escola Superior de Comunicação Social.
Among the main criticisms of the adopted communication model is the articulation of the technical aspect, by the DGS – generally with Graça Freitas -, and politics, through the government, that is, by the Minister of Health, Marta Temido. A situation that “is not desirable”, in the opinion of Rui Gaspar, who defended that “technical communication and political communication must be separated” due to the risk of “perception that they are not two entities” to communicate.
“When the technical aspect is not distinguished from the political aspect, this will always be a problem,” said the academic, who has also been advising the DGS throughout the pandemic, reiterating that “communication must be done by technicians”, but that this “It is not only about communicating epidemiological information and numbers, it is also having an empathic side and showing people that what they are doing is doing well.”
“More than listing statistics, it is necessary to identify the priority audiences, the messages most appropriate to these audiences and the channels that are important to achieve the proposed objectives,” reinforced Andreia García, who also argued that these channels “may not be the conferences of press “which went from daily to three weeks.
And if the numbers say a lot about the spread of covid-19 in Portugal, after eight months of the pandemic, they can also explain another less quantifiable risk, but equally dangerous: desensitization and the detachment of people from the statistics.
“This has been going on for many months, there is a ‘numbing’ effect [entorpecimento]. And when we start to communicate a lot in numbers, we stop seeing them as people. 30, 40 or 50 dead are no longer people with a family, who had their lives and were affected by this situation, “said Rui Gaspar, who indicated as an alternative the reference to” concrete examples “and the attribution of” emotional meaning. ” numbers.
For Margarida Pinto da Fonseca, another factor that compromised the effectiveness of communication was the change in the political context. If the climate of consensus around the measures adopted was emphasized in the first wave, the second wave occurred with clear fractures between the different political and social agents, with consequences for the receptivity of the message.
“The union that characterized the attitude of the different authorities is over, and the sectors are increasingly distancing themselves from each other fighting for themselves and for their interests,” he stressed, highlighting: “It was important to have a kind of consensus between the different parties , including a consultation with the media, to understand how together we will continue to spread a message that is becoming hollow ”.
The specialists listened to by Lusa also point out the urgency of adapting the message to different audiences, drawing a difference with what happened in the first wave, in which ignorance and perception of risk were global; Now, more is known about the new coronavirus and different population groups view SARS-CoV-2 differently.
“Communication cannot be a generalized act that works in all contexts, for all audiences, simultaneously,” said Andreia García, seconded by Margarida Pinto da Fonseca: “The complexity of the virus and the irregular way in which it behaves lead to a special need to segment messages “.
Defender of a more “proactive” communication focused on future scenarios, Rui Gaspar also considered that “the media should not be the main mediators at this time, but local structures”, with “micro-influencers” and a strategic communication plan for at a more regional level or even for higher risk counties.
Another way of reaching people can be in primary health care, since, for Andreia García, it is the family doctor who is “the main source of information for a patient,” especially in risk groups. In this sense, he called for the “integration of communication professionals in decision-making bodies” of the health center groups.
“Channels and strategic alliances must be found, even at the technological level, to reach different audiences. It is important to understand where people are going to get information from now and who they trust. This is a fundamental step, but it implies the humility that is working on the message “, declared Margarida Pinto da Fonseca.
Portugal represents at least 3305 deaths associated with covid-19 in 211,266 confirmed cases of infection, according to the bulletin released on Saturday by the General Directorate of Health (DGS).
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