Credibility is one of the most important objectives of Public Diplomacy and strategic communication for any nation or group. The article Credibility in the Global War on Terrorism: Strategic Principles and Research Agendas affirms three key dimensions that make up credibility: trustworthiness, competence, and goodwill. These characteristics impact persuasiveness. Importantly noted, these dimensions are perceptions that “can be created, managed, and cultivated…[requiring] a coordinated approach to message design, delivery, and –-most importantly—adaptation to the given audience and current media situation.”
Ones credibility can be extremely influential and impacted by the media. It must be recognized how people use media outlets to construct their own frames to interpret events and create judgments.
I have always found the flotilla incident as discussed in class extremely interesting. The flotilla incident which occurred on May 31, 2010, was a conflict between the Israeli military and six ships from the Free Gaza Movement which was carrying humanitarian aid/money to Gaza, intending on breaking Israel’s blockade of the Gaza strip. The two sides met and violence then occurred. Both sides were able to provide documentary evidence to retell the incident and present their side of the story through videos you-tube. They each framed the incident and demonstrated their opposing views of who was at fault through the media. Each side tried to lessen the credibility of the other side.
Like the article notes, “different media may cause unique factors in perceptions of credibility.” The youtube videos, allowing multiples views, allowed both sides of the incident to loose credibility. No matter which side a viewer believed, the question always remained what was missing and if the truth was actually told from either end. I remember when this incident occurred, I did side with one of the groups, but certain questions did remain in my mind. I did not question who was right or wrong, but I did question how much I should actually trust the side I chose to believe. We get a lot of our information from the media and it remains a constant dilemma of whether or not we can trust that information.
Liza,
ReplyDeleteAs this incident is part of my capstone, I too thought of the flotilla when dealing with credibility. Pertaining to the Israeli side, using Israeli Defense Forces videos was a revolutionary change following the 2006 Lebanon War. Israel began to realize it would have to fight not just on the ground battles, but, for the first time, PD battles. In the months leading up to Operation Cast Lead, teams were set up to deal with the PD side of a similar incident, and hence why many feel that Operation Cast Lead, in PD terms, was not a complete disaster.
However, what I think is most fascinating about this incident is not the credibility of either side in our eyes, but actually in their own eyes. In the Israeli community, the flotilla incident is widely seen as a PD catastrophe. The IDF refused to release the videos for up to 12-14 hours due to security concerns, and many had made up their mind by the time the videos were released. On the other hand, when reading articles by Palestinians, it is clear they view the incident as another Hasbara victory - Israel had once again been seen as the victim in the US community. While credibility is important, I am interested by the perception a country has of its own PD and how it will cause them to act in the future.