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Authorities must learn the art of good press briefing
AAIB was upset enough over a report published on Thursday to issue a statement against alleged 'misreporting' of its preliminary probe report into last month's crash of a Dreamliner in Ahmedabad. AAIB said its preliminary report had addressed only the WHAT of the crash, and incorrect conclusions were being reported. Soon after AAIB's briefing, Indian pilots' association criticised AIIB report's 'tone'. More questions were raised than answered. The nub of communication is that audiences interpret the facts presented in the manner intended by the communicator. And it is that standard and quality of communication that Indian authorities often fail to deliver. What investigators believed they put out was not what the world heard.
This isn't the first time this has happened. In the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, the single powerful communication delivered on point was 'no escalation'. There were no mistaken takes on New Delhi's restraint. But authorities failed to address questions on fighter jets, allowing a flood of speculation. In a connected world, when high value news hits headlines, you can't control the narrative. Authorities couldn't avoid the question when some of India's military seniors spoke of the issue weeks later.
But when the issue at stake is civil aviation security, every word, every phrase, will be weighed and measured even more. Had communication on AAIB's prelim report been weighty and substantial, instead of providing 'trailers' and having media turn to 'sources', it would've killed the opportunity for possibly tendentious briefings. There's no point crying misreporting when the fault lies with the initial inadequate press briefing.
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This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
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