In today’s geopolitical climate, uncertainty and emerging threats shape the global landscape: cyber threats, information influencing and supply chain disruptions challenge not only individual entities but entire societies. During crises, the demand for clear and up-to-date information rises as people seek to understand the unfolding situation. The media’s role in such moments is to deliver accurate and timely information.
To maintain a stable and functional society, it is crucial to identify effective ways to work during normal conditions. Preparedness exercises provide an opportunity to prepare for disruptions and test the practical functionality of existing plans. These exercises benefit both individual organizations and broader networks of actors — this is also why it is important to organise exercises in Mediapooli. This blog post presents insights from Mediapooli’s preparedness exercises organised in the autumn 2024.
Identifying effective practices and development needs in normal conditions
Mediapooli’s tabletop preparedness exercises brought together its expert groups to explore the role of media during emergencies. A total of four exercises were organised, one for each of the Mediapooli’s expert groups. The goal was to develop concrete practices for Mediapooli to address different kinds of disruptions and identify areas for improvement to enhance preparedness in the field.
Additionally, Mediapooli hosted a joint exercise involving media companies from Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. This exercise focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration and deepening cooperation between media companies. It also served as a platform for building cross-border networks.
Kokonat Oy, a company specializing in security of supply and preparedness, took on the responsibility of planning, facilitating, and reporting on the exercises. The focus was on ensuring the exercises were practical and provided useful insights for the participants.
The expert group exercises tackled issues such as the challenges of information dissemination, the resilience of critical infrastructure, and ways for different actors to support one another in producing reliable information during a crisis. The international exercise, on the other hand, highlighted the need to enhance collaboration across national borders, enabling media companies to collectively respond to widespread disruptions and assist neighboring countries when needed.
The power of collaboration
Collaboration, both nationally and internationally, emerged as a key theme during the exercises, since crises don’t stop at borders. Cooperation and seamless information sharing between actors are essential during a crisis. Preparing for these kinds of situations requires not only systematic planning but also the ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.
Different levels of collaboration are crucial. At local and regional levels, it is important to ensure that information flows quickly and effectively reaches the people who need it. Disruptions often have varying regional impacts, emphasizing the importance of local and regional work. While Mediapooli operates on a national level, linking its operations to regional activities would provide added value in managing disruptions.
On the national level, seamless collaboration between authorities, media organizations, and other stakeholders is vital. Internationally, sharing experiences, resources, and best practices across borders strengthens collective capacity to address different kinds of challenges. Working together across all levels ensures society’s resilience during crises and its ability to recover stronger than before.
Collecting learnings for a more resilient future
These practical preparedness exercises reaffirmed the importance of joint training and networking as integral parts of societal preparedness. Lessons learned from these exercises will be utilized in the planning of future activities and the broader development of preparedness among media companies. A strong, operationally effective media is a critical component of a secure society.
Authors
Katri Laakso, Kokonat Oy. Katri is an expert in preparedness and one of the co-founders of Kokonat. Her goal is to develop solutions that strengthen society’s ability to respond to and manage disruptions.
Johanna Dietrich, Kokonat Oy. Johanna is a development-oriented expert in contingency planning with experience in enhancing organizational preparedness. She is also a co-founder of Kokonat.