Page 1 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1240
Disaster Management: Media as a Catalyst for Awareness
MANISHA LAL
Assistant Professor (English)
Govt. College, Sidhrawali, Gurugram (Haryana)
E-mail: gcsidhrawali@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Disaster Management is a process involving planning, organization, coordination and
implementation of steps in order to mitigate the effects of calamities or disasters in the country.
‘Willing suspension of disbelief’ is a literary term coined in 1817 by the eminent Romantic poet
and aesthetic philosopher S.T.Coleridge in his book ‘Biographia Literaria’. The term is related to
works in the genres of fantasy, horror and action where the reader is expected to overlook the
seemingly improbable occurances in the fictional works and willingly suspend his logical and
analytical thinking in order to enjoy the narrative. This theory by Coleridge comes in handy in
making people understand the concepts related to disasters and their management. In this respect,
a very positive initiative can be taken by the media, keeping in mind the theory of ‘Willing
suspension of disbelief’ by informing the people and the concerned authorities in advance and
help them to take timely action at the time of crisis. This also includes broadcasting the measures
being taken, educating the people about the correct way to handle the situation at hand and
preventing false alarms and panic amongst the victims.
Hypotheses:
1. A depiction of a disaster in the form of a story, novel or movie is capable of generating
awareness in general population.
2. Any such depiction is only for the time being and the effect will not last on the minds.
Page 2 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1241
INTRODUCTION
‘Willing suspension of disbelief’ is a term coined in 1817 by eminent poet S.T. Coleridge in his
book ‘Biographia Literaria’ which implies that it is the reader’s willingness to overlook the
seemingly improbable events in a fictional narrative which enables him to fully enjoy the
writer’s vision and thought. This is more so in the case of literary works belonging in the fantasy,
horror and action genres where the writers take a leeway in the depiction of the scenes in order to
induce an element of surprise or enthrallment to the readers. This involves the suspension of the
logical and analytical faculties by the readers in order to totally enjoy the writer’s vision and
ideas as depicted in the tale.
This theory by Coleridge is particularly relevant in explaining the concepts of disasters and their
managementto people. The Encyclopedia of Disaster Management (2007) quotes the Oxford
English Dictionary which describes the word ‘disaster’ as a derivative of the 16th century word
‘desastre’ which come from Middle French or Italian. In Greek, the word ‘disastro’ is the
combination of two words- ‘dis’ meaning bad and ‘astro’ meaning star. Hence ‘disastro’ means
something catastrophic brought about by planetary changes. The Encyclopedia of Disaster
Management defines disaster as “anything that befalls of ruinous or distressing nature; a sudden
or great misfortune, mishap or misadventure; a calamity” the fear of the unknown has been there
in the minds of living beings since the beginning of their existence. This was the thought behind
all the religious practices to appease and avert the wrath of the unknown force which could
annihilate them completely in the blink of an eye. With the developments in the field of science,
man has now understood the phenomena and the causes behind their occurance but still finds
himself powerless to stop or overcome them. The only way to survive is to think in advance
about the ways to lessen the devastation and rescue the people in danger as quickly as possible.
Page 3 of 8
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1242
Disasters can be categorized into two types- natural and man-made. Thus the Encyclopedia of
Disaster Management (2007) broadly considers three types of disasters- 1. Natural which includes earthquakes, volcanic eruption, hurricane, avalanche or flood.
2. Anthropogenic origin which include terrible accidents.
3. Hybrid disasters which are a combination of astrological or supernatural forces.
According to Kautilya,“there is no control over daivam or natural vyasana.” But for
‘manusavyasana’ he finds humans guilty although misfortune has the prominent role in it. He
says that the calamities are the result of either misfortune or wrong policies and holds the king
responsible for the safety of his subjects. After the occurance of the calamity, the next step is the
mitigation of its effects and he mentions ‘resilience’ as the foremost quality needed by the people
in his book ‘Kautilya Shastra’.
Disasters can be preventable or non-preventable. Even some natural phenomena are directly
related to human activities which continuously deteriorate the environment and bring forth some
calamity of devastating proportions. In such a time, a positive initiative can be launched by the
media keeping in view the ‘suspension of disbelief’ theory of Coleridge. Timely communication
to the people and the authorities on the impending disaster can be an invaluable contribution by
the media. It can also take the responsibility to inform people about the measures being taken
and educating them about the ways to deal with the aftermath like problems of drinking water,
epidemics and first-aid facilities. Preventions of rumours panic and chaos by relaying
information to the concerned officials and the victims and their relatives is definitely one of the
prime roles of media in a crisis situation. By being a connecting link between the victims and the
NGOs, government and the officials, the media can be the one to accelerate the rescue operations
and save precious lives. It can also help in instilling self -belief and resilience in the people
affected and uplifts their morale and give them hope in a grim situation.
Since most of natural and all the man-made disasters are preventable by careful thought and
prudent action, the media can play an indispensable role in educating the people about the
reckless activities which take place in the name of progress and development. Unhindered
plundering of our natural resources and their devastating consequences need to be brought out in
