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Informatio
Public Information
in Emerg
in Emergency
A Strategic and
By Hiddai Wagschal
Head of the Information and Knowledge Services Unit,
and Head of the Emergency Crisis Communication Team
in the Ministry of Public Security
On Friday morning, June 13th, 2014, Israeli social
media networks were inundated with rumors about the
kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers. By noon that day,
a rumor that the Israel Polices counter-terrorism unit
(YAMAM) had successfully located and rescued the
three boys, was spreading across social media, mainly
via WhatsApp:
A YAMAM team infiltrated a home in the
Arab village of Avarta, where, according to
intelligence information, the two youths were
being held. The youths were successfully rescued
and five terrorists were killed and two injured.
The mission was a success, with no casualties
on our side.
The report, while false and inaccurate, spread quickly
and even managed to reach the families of the missing
teenagers. No official statement was issued by the
government or operational bodies until late afternoon
that day when the IDF Spokespersons Office finally
released a statement saying the military was searching
for three missing teenagers, and that a kidnapping
was suspected. After three weeks of intensive military
operations in search of the teens, their bodies were
found and the Israeli government revealed that they
had been abducted and murdered by Hamas operatives.
'Danger! Stay away from rocket debris. If you
encounter an exploded shell or debris from a rocket, do
not touch it or approach it. Call the Police and keep a
safe distance.'
A post published on the Ministry's English Facebook
page during operation Protective Edge.
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Rumor Control
on
gency Crisis Situati
Crisis Situations
Operational Approach
The Operational Impact of Social Filling the Void
During a crisis, the public will search for any and all
Media
relevant information that may shed light on what is
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Emergency App
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