OBJECTIVE REPORTING AND CRISIS COMMUNICATION AS SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR. CASE STUDY: GLAS KONCILA ON “THE HERZEGOVINA CASE” FROM 1968 TILL 1971

Abstract

U godinama nakon održavanja Drugoga vatikanskog koncila (1962. – 1965.) život Katoličke Crkve u svijetu, pa tako i na području tadašnje Jugoslavije, bio je obilježen brojnim napetostima i sukobima među predstavnicima crkvene hijerarhije te pojedinih svećeničkih i vjerničkih krugova. Od kraja 1967. i početka 1968. g. katolički list Glas Koncila o tim tzv. „slučajevima“ sve je češće i otvorenije izvještavao: najprije o onima u zemljama zapadne Europe, a od kraja 1968. g., upravo s tzv. „Hercegovačkim slučajem“, počeo je otvoreno pisati i o slučajevima u domaćoj Crkvi, odnosno u Crkvi u hrvatskome narodu („Đakovački slučaj“, „Riječki slučaj“, „Zadarski slučaj“). To je nailazilo na različite reakcije, kako pozitivne tako i negativne, dijela čitatelja i predstavnika crkvenih vlasti. U svome radu/izlaganju, na temelju provedene kvalitativne analize sadržaja članaka Glasa Koncila o „Hercegovačkom slučaju“ od 1968. do 1971. g., autor prikazuje kako je tadašnje uredništvo lista svoju odluku da otvoreno izvještava o svim, pa i „skandaloznim“ događajima u Crkvi, argumentiralo i danas vrlo aktualnim načelima novinarske struke, ali i kriznoga komuniciranja: prava (opće, ali i crkvene) javnosti na informaciju, preuzimanja kontrole i komuniciranja u krizi, jasnoga prezentiranja informacija itd. Kako se u radu zaključuje, vjerojatno je (i) takvim pristupom prema događajima u vlastitoj organizaciji (Crkvi) list stekao vjerodostojnost i velik utjecaj u tadašnjoj javnosti, jer je upravo u tim godinama, krajem 1960- ih i početkom 1970-ih, dosegao i najveće naklade u svojoj povijesti.In the period after the Second Vatican Council (1962 – 1965) the life of the Catholic Church in the world, and in the area of former Yugoslavia, was marked by numerous tensions and confilcts between representatives of the Church hierarchy and individual priests’ and believers’ circles. At the end of 1967 and beginning of 1968 the catholic weekly newspaper Glas Koncila started reporting on such cases more frequently and very openly: firstly, about such tensions in Western European countries and the end of 1968 and the so called “Herzegovina case” marked the beginning of such reporting about cases in its own Church, “the Church of the Croats” (Djakovo, Rijeka, Zadar). It provoked different positive and negative reactions, even very strong reactions on behalf of the readers and representatives of the Church. The author presents in his paper, on the basis of a qualitative analysis of articles in Glas Koncila on the “Herzegovina case” (from 1968 till 1971) how the editors decided to report about all, even “scandalous” events in the Church in an open way. They defended such decision with journalistic arguments that are still current and valid. They also used crisis communication: the right of the public (general and Church public) to be informed, taking over control and communication in a crisis, clear presentation of information etc. As the author concludes in his paper, the newspaper has most probably gained on credibility and public influence due to taking such an approach to events in their own organisation (the Church). It was exactly in these years – end of 1960-ies and beginning of 1970-ies that the newspaper had reached its historic peak regarding the circulation