Allies or Antagonists?

The relationship between journalists and public communicators in risks and natural disasters

Authors

Keywords:

public communicators, journalists, natural disasters, risk communication, insularity

Abstract

The article investigates the complex relationships between public communicators and journalists in the coverage of risks and natural disasters in Sardinia and Sicily, two Italian islands. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of public relations and public sector communication, the manuscript presents findings from a qualitative study based on in-depth semi-structured interviews. Findings highlight a hybrid relational model in which institutional procedures intertwine with informal practices during these emergency situations. Although collaboration is perceived necessary by both professionals, it is hindered by bureaucratic constraints, journalistic routines, algorithmic and public pressures. Spectacularization and news sensationalism influence the relationship, raising ethical risks in a contemporary digital ecosystem marked by visibility and disinformation. In this context, journalists and public communicators emerge not as antagonists nor as fully aligned partners, but as imperfect allies jointly responsible for producing reliable and timely information to face risks and natural disasters, essential to supporting vulnerable territories, such as insular contexts.

Author Biographies

Alessandro Lovari, University of Cagliari

Alessandro Lovari is Associate Professor of Sociology of Communication at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Cagliari (Italy) where he teaches Public Communication, and Institutional Communication, Digital Technologies and Media Relations (graduate program). He is the coordinator of the Phd program in Research and Social Innovation and PI of several national research project on risk and emergency communication in environmental disasters (INSULANDER) as well as on AI impact on communication and citizens (IATI). Lovari’s research focuses on public sector communication, public relations, and health communication, investigating digital technologies impact on organizations’ practices and citizens’ behaviors in ordinary and crisis situations. He was visiting scholar at Purdue University, University of Cincinnati, University of South Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth University (USA), and Jyväskylä University (Finland). He is author of more than hundred publications in monographies, book chapters and journal articles.

Daniela Pisu, University of Cagliari

Daniela Pisu, PhD in Social Sciences, is a research fellow in the Sociology of Cultural and Communication Processes at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Cagliari (Italy). A specialist social worker and family mediator, she has worked for over ten years in public and private services in the field of planning and coordination of personal social services. Her main research areas include Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work, and Risk Communication in emergency conditions.

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Published

2025-12-31

How to Cite

Lovari, A., & Pisu, D. (2025). Allies or Antagonists? : The relationship between journalists and public communicators in risks and natural disasters. Mediascapes Journal, 26(2), 65–91. Retrieved from https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa03/mediascapes/article/view/19269

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 2 (2025): Risk (of) Communication: Ethics, Futures, and Strategic Complexity

Section

Articles

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