De digitale schandpaal: de invloed van internet op het verloop van affaires en schandalen

This article explores the consequences of the changing public arena for the way scandals develop. Scandals, defined as a process of public outrage over a (presumed) transgression of the dominant morality, used to be the domain of the professional mass media. The Internet seems to offer a more level playing field for actors who want to trigger a scandal by disclosing compromising information. But what exactly is the role of the Internet in the different stages of a scandal; which type of actors are dominant and how do media and these websites interact? A qualitative and quantitative analysis of four recent Dutch scandals shows that the Internet, more specifically semiprofessional weblogs can indeed play an important role in exposing, accusing and denouncing the culprit. But the professional media are still very important; when they refuse to adopt a disclosure by bloggers the scandal fails. The role of the Internet users is mainly reactive, but the scale of outrage on the Internet fuels the scandal process

Media en rampen

Media and disasters. Disasters have always been breaking news, but in the current competitive media landscape the media have an interest in expanding the disaster into a news spectacle, spanning several weeks afterwards. After the immediate on the spot reporting, the media will concentrate on two major stories: human interest and the question of guilt and political responsibilities. The focus on the personal and emotional stories is the result of a major shift of perspective in journalism in which the experiences of the citizens have become equally important as the view of the official sources. The ‘blaming’ news flow can be linked to changes in the perception on risk and disaster, for which the government is held responsible at any time. The interaction between media, public and government in the aftermath of the disaster may create a process in which a specific risk, connected to the disaster, is amplified over and over again. This forces the government to take drastic action that may not be in proportion with the actual risk. Exposure to all these post-impact news waves sometimes contributes to stress-related health problems among survivors and rescue workers

Mexicaanse griep in Nederland: berichtgeving, verontrusting en publieksreacties

De berichtgeving rondom de uitbraak van de Mexicaanse griep in het voorjaar van 2009 was intensief en verontrustend: de Mexicaanse griep zou zich kunnen ontwikkelen tot een gevaarlijke pandemie met veel (dodelijke) slachtoffers, ook in Nederland. Vergelijkingen met de Spaanse Griep en dagenlang nieuws over de wereldwijde verspreiding van het virus versterkten dat beeld. Hoewel de epidemie in Nederland een mild verloop had, was de berichtgeving ook in het najaar van 2009 toen enkele kinderen overleden aan de griep sterk verontrustend