Collaboration ERMeCHS research cluster ROCCS results in journal publication

Not long after the establishment of research cluster ROCCS in 2021, the researchers met to discuss the crisis communication surrounding the COVID-19 GGD data leak scandal in the Netherlands. In January 2021, a major data leak occurred at the Municipal Health Services (GGD) in the Netherlands. Large amounts of data collected for tracking COVID-19 contacts - such as names, contact details, patient numbers, COVID-19 test results and citizens’ service numbers - were accessed and stolen by GGD employees. Public debates about governmental digitalization, data practices, and mismanagement emerged across news media and social media, especially X (Twitter). Discussions on this resulted in the publication 'Utilising Computational Methods for Analyzing Media Framing of Organisational Crises: The "Data leak" scandal during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands'.

Prior to publication, lead authors Dr Dennis Nguyen and Dr Sergül Nguyen presented this study at the ROCCS Launch Event, a symposium with guests from different faculties and universities. Later, co-author Dr Yijing Wang presented this study at the 7th International Crisis Communication Conference (ECREA Crisis 7) in Gothenburg, Sweden.Co-founders of ROCCS, Tessa Oomen, MSc and Phuong Hoan Le, MA MSc, expressed pride and enthusiasm for the achievements of this team: "This publication was the result of many months of incredible teamwork, and is a great example of what research clusters and collaboration between scientists at ESHCC and beyond can lead to."

For more information on this research, see the brief summary below.

Media framing is an important factor to consider in crisis communication. This is because it can influence stakeholders' perceptions of organisations and discussions in the public sphere. Such influence takes place widely and in complex forms both in the news and on social media. Computational methods offer new opportunities to analyse the constantly changing media framing during the crisis life cycle. In particular, methods for automated content analysis can quickly reveal which media frames emerge during a crisis and how they change over time. 

This research shows the benefits of applying computational methods by critically examining the example of the data breach at the GGD in the Netherlands. Using a media frame analysis for news texts and social media posts, the article reconstructs how this crisis was perceived in four crisis stages: build-up, outbreak, chronic stage and end. The article identifies the relevance of empirical research on media framing, highlighting the benefits but also limitations of computational approaches. The article concludes with some tips for crisis researchers interested in these methods and their practical use.