In addition to the necessity, the usefulness of the measures must also be better explained, says Duursma: “Research by the behavioral unit of the RIVM shows that these are the two most important things, but those insights are not listened to enough.”
What are we doing it for?
It is not enough to say that measures will reduce the pressure on healthcare: “You have to tell us how the medicine you choose ensures this and to which point we are working towards.” Which R-number is being pursued, at which hospital occupancy can we relax? Dates should be leading, not dates. “That has been tried before with road maps, but they have never actually been used.”
The purpose of the press conference is not clear enough, others also think. “It’s called a press conference, but is it intended for journalists who use it to explain it later, or as a speech directly to citizens?” Corine Matser wonders.
“It is now often an endless list of technical details,” says Daniëlle Timmermans, professor of risk communication. “But it’s about the bigger story. It has to be explained which choices have been made and there has to be accountability for that.”
No technical briefing
“Just start announcing the measures,” says science journalist Diederik Jekel. During the corona crisis, he made videos on his YouTube channel to explain the measures and their necessity in an understandable way, including after the last press conference.
Mark Rutte often starts with a lengthy introduction before he gets around to the measures. Before the questions from journalists start, Rutte and De Jonge can talk for 20 minutes. Jekel: “The build-up is not good, and the press conferences are taking too long.”
Here’s how Jekel summarized the latest press conference on YouTube in a simple way:
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