In the wake of the 9.0 earthquake that hit Japan on March 11 of this year, the Japanese news industry showed resilience and dedication to keeping their readership informed.

Initially, newspapers in northeastern Japan had difficulties publishing, but thanks to mutual anti-disaster agreements with newspapers in neighboring prefectures, newspapers in the heavily affected Tohoku region were able to continue publishing.

Some newspapers used back-up generators to maintain power and reduced the number of pages in print, according to the Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association.

One resourceful newspaper in Ishinomaki, Japan, resorted to handwriting papers for residents and passing them out at local relief centers.

For those who did not have access to power, Twitter became the best way to relay reports of damage and daily life in the quake region, as email was unsure and drained mobile phone batteries. Internet access remained unstable for a few days, and newspapers used the micro-blogging service to keep readers informed of disaster-related information.

For some papers, this was the first time ever using Twitter. The Kahoku Shimpo, a newspaper in the Miyagi Prefecture, started a "TwiLog" service to archive past Twitter messages in a searchable blog.

In another attempt to keep the public informed, both local and Tokyo newspapers with paywalls allowed readers to access all digital content for free.

In response to the subsequent nuclear crisis, the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) consolidated media contact. Rather than separate meetings between the media, METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry), and Tepco, all exchanges were held at centrally managed conferences.

Japanese newspapers expressed concern about the move to centralize, citing their fear of reduced access to information. The safety commission rejected the call and introduced a single weekly press conference. The government stressed that the conferences would improve consistency and accuracy of information.

Overall, in spite of lack of Internet access and printing facilities, the Japanese media demonstrated an ability to continue reporting in the face of extreme hardship. This can be partly attributed to anti-disaster agreements, and partly to a willingness to adopt social media to disseminate information.

In comparison, ewspapers in Chile lacked mutual anti-disaster agreements after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake devastated the central regions in February last year. Two local publications were unable to publish for two days after the earthquake. The region also faced a paper shortage. This was remedied with cooperation between large and small newspapers.

Unlike the Japanese disaster, the Internet did not play a large role. Many local papers were unable to update their websites, so printed press was vital to inform the public.

In both disaster situations, cooperation amongst publishers was key. Newspapers affected in future natural disasters could do well to learn from the Japanese example: dedication, mutual agreements, and social media as an alternative to conventional press.

Photo: The Guardian, WajWaj

Sources: PressNet, Editors Weblog