Government Initial Communication in Times of Crisis: A Comparative Study of the Limbe Shipwreck and the Ngarbuh Incidents in Cameroon

Effective communication is the pillar of crisis management.It mitigates the outcomes of a crisis and counteracts the spread of falsehood.When a crisis occurs, stakeholders are eager to know more about it.They are interested in knowing its cause, consequences and recovery strategies.Their demand for information about the incident rises.When organisations fail to provide prompt and clear communication, mischievous individuals fill this vacuum by circulating unverified and misleading claims.Coombs (2009) also asserts that an organisation that is not quick in getting its message out gives room for others to tell the story of a crisis in a way that might often paint the organisation black.Coombs (2007, p. 20) views crisis communication as the "collection, processing, and dissemination of information required to address a crisis situation".Crisis communication follows the three phases of the crisis management process: pre-crisis, crisis response and post-crisis.Alongside other scholars in the domain, Timothy Coombs proposed the ideals of making a statement (avoiding "no-comment"), quickness, accuracy and consistency when communicating during crisis times.Coombs (2007) insists that organisations communicate promptly to lessen reputational damages during crises.Prompt communication shapes the public's and stakeholders' perception of crisis (Maresh & Williams, 2010)."Research has shown repeatedly that the longer an organization takes to respond to a crisis, the more it suffers in the eyes of the public and stakeholders.This observation has become