Crisis communication and media influence during Nokia water contamination event

This study analyzes public narratives, stakeholder communication, and media framing during the Nokia water contamination crisis (2007–2008), Finland’s largest waterborne epidemic. Especially, using data from online forum (Suomi24), news reports, and official audits, we apply a new aspect-based sentiment analysis combined with thematic clustering over a 3-month crisis timeline period to trace the evolution of public perception in response to crisis events and stakeholder actions. The findings reveal that positive sentiment clusters were driven by visible mitigation efforts and hygiene-related practices, while negative sentiments were centered around contaminated water, institutional mistrust, and health fears. Media analysis showed minimal bias, with most coverage remaining factual, though occasional sensationalism could have amplified public anxiety. Compared to previous institutional communication research, our findings provide a data-driven perspective on citizen discourse-based analysis, offering new insights into how digital platforms can serve as real-time indicators of public trust and emotional response. The study underscores the importance of timely, transparent, and coordinated communication and highlights the potential of aspect-based sentiment analysis as a tool for adaptive crisis management and comprehending stakeholder actions. • The study investigates the Finland largest water contamination case. • Aspect-sentiment-based analysis and LLM were used to map public opinion with stakeholder actions. • Positive sentiments were found to be linked to hygiene, trust in visible recovery efforts. • Negative sentiments were driven by water fears, health risks, and blame. • Media bias, although limited, is found to heighten public fear.