Transparency, effective communication in information age

"Transparency catches people unaware and surprises everyone about what it reveals," charged Gowing (@bbcnikgowing), who presents the daily evening news 'The Hub with Nik Gowing' on BBC World News.

Whole communication package redefines

As the information age gets into full swing and redefines the whole communication package, incidents of government and business communication confusion and faux-pas have sprung up around the world, with most officials sending mixed signals about issues affecting their countries and communities.

Some observers believe the outcome is total chaos and uncertainty, as nobody knows for sure what is really happening - a situation that usually sows panic among the population.

Gowing focused his presentation on case studies which included the current Japan earthquake catastrophe, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, as well as the cancellation last year of several flights in Europe due to an erupting volcano in Iceland that left thousands of travellers stranded at airports.

New and acute vulnerability

As the rise of social media affects global communities, Gowing confirmed how, in moments of major and unexpected crisis, the institutions of power - whether corporate, political, governmental - face a new and acute vulnerability of both their influence and effectiveness, with their legitimacy challenged.

"Government and business officials have been seen to be showing some vulnerability, fragility and brittleness of power and deficit of legitimacy when communicating to the public in time of crisis," he said.

"Look at what is happening in Japan. Communication is spinning out of control. On 27 March [2011] it was said that radiation levels were 10 million times, and on 28 March the Japanese people and the world were told that number was not credible, and officials said, 'We are sorry.'"

"About how the public is treated"

"It is about how the public is treated. Tell the truth so that the public can make up their mind. In this information age, nothing is hidden. When accountability system fails in time of crisis, many officials are seen to be unable to handle the capacity to speak to the public."

Gowing said that this kind of situation leads to the impression that the systems are overloaded and unprepared, adding that if good information does not come from corporate governance, the battle for credibility of real time information will begin as the public no longer trusts the official information.

"Many governments still do not realise what the public needs. We are in trouble because government officials are living on a different planet, thinking that they can handle all levels of policy.

"Be humble and say sorry much earlier"

"If you are in corporate leadership, please enter the information age, be humble and say sorry much earlier," Gowing advised. "There is a way to do it: measure the impact of the crisis and enter the space as quickly and effectively as possible."

Stephen Wagner, co-author of the book titled Surviving and Thriving in Uncertainty, somehow echoed Gowing's sentiments, saying: "The world we live in is changing so fast. Therefore, we need to be careful and adjust our minds so that when a crisis occurs, we could be able to bring out information in a transparent manner that will satisfy the public."