By Dr François Nel
Director, Media Innovation Studio, University of Lancashire

Every major emergency now has two fronts.

One is the emergency itself.

The other is the race to establish what is actually happening.

Whether it's severe weather, a major incident or a public health emergency, people need reliable information quickly so they can make good decisions. Yet uncertainty also creates fertile ground for rumours, speculation and deliberate attempts to mislead. Managing these information risks has become an essential part of
protecting communities.

That is why this year's #30Days30WaysUK campaign focuses on Trusted Information.

It's an important message. But perhaps the bigger challenge is this:

How do we ensure that trustworthy information reaches the people who need it most—before misinformation fills the gap?

The distinction matters.

Information can be trusted without being true. We often believe something because we trust the friend, neighbour or online contact who shared it. In times of uncertainty, rumours can spread quickly through precisely those trusted relationships.

Trustworthy information is different. It deserves our confidence because we know who produced it, how it was produced, what evidence supports it, and who is accountable for correcting it if it proves to be wrong.

Ultimately, resilient communities need both: trustworthy information and trusted relationships through which that information can travel.

Information travels through people

One of the clearest lessons from our work at the University of Lancashire’s Media Innovation Studio is that information rarely moves directly from official organisations to the public.

Instead, it travels through people.

Families.

Friends. Neighbours. Local journalists. Schools. Employers. Faith
organisations. Community groups. Social media.

These trusted relationships form the information networks through which communities make sense of events.

Information resilience therefore depends on two things working together.

First, we need trustworthy information—information that deserves confidence because it is transparent, evidence-based and accountable.

Second, we need trusted networks that help that information reach people quickly, clearly and credibly.

Without trustworthy information, trust can be misplaced.

Without trusted relationships, even the best information may arrive too late.

Trust is built before emergencies happen

Trust cannot be manufactured when a crisis begins.

It develops over months and years through openness, consistency and accountability. It is strengthened when public services communicate honestly, when journalists report fairly, when community leaders are engaged, and when
organisations work together rather than in isolation.

Preparing for emergencies therefore means more than having the right equipment, plans or procedures.

It also means investing in the relationships that allow trustworthy information to move rapidly through communities when it matters most.

Information resilience is now part of civil resilience

The nature of emergency preparedness is changing.

Alongside floods, fires and severe weather, we now have to prepare for rapidly evolving information environments. During fast-moving incidents, misinformation, disinformation and harmful speculation can spread alongside genuine
uncertainty, making it harder for communities to make informed decisions and for responders to maintain public confidence.

The question is no longer whether information risks matter. It
is how we prepare to respond to them.

Just as we have developed systems for coordinating responses to physical emergencies, we now need equivalent arrangements for coordinating responses to information emergencies.

A new approach

Our research following the Southport disorder led to a simple conclusion: while the UK has well-established mechanisms for coordinating responses to physical emergencies, there is no equivalent mechanism for coordinating responses to
information crises.

Yet today's emergencies almost always have an information dimension.

That is why colleagues and I at the Media Innovation Studio have proposed MOBRA — a Monitoring, Observation and Behavioural Risk Assessment capability centred on a multi-stakeholder Information Crisis Committee.

The idea is both practical and familiar.

Most people have heard of COBR (often referred to as "COBRA"), the UK's emergency committee that brings together government and public agencies during major national crises.

MOBRA applies the same principle to the information environment.

Rather than replacing existing emergency response arrangements, it would work with and alongside them, ensuring that those responding to an incident also have a
shared understanding of what is happening in the information environment.

Depending on the nature and scale of an incident, a MOBRA committee could operate at local, regional or national level, complementing existing resilience structures
rather than creating a new layer of bureaucracy.

Its membership would reflect the modern information ecosystem, bringing together emergency responders, local authorities, public health, trusted news organisations, researchers, technology specialists, community organisations and others with relevant expertise.

Together they would monitor emerging narratives, observe how information is moving through communities, assess potential behavioural risks, and support timely, coordinated and evidence-informed communication before confusion escalates into harm.

MOBRA is not about surveillance.

Nor is it about censorship or deciding what people should think.

It is about helping trusted organisations develop a shared understanding of rapidly changing information environments so they can communicate earlier, more consistently and more effectively when uncertainty is greatest.

Just as every major incident has arrangements for coordinating the physical response, tomorrow's major incidents need arrangements for coordinating the information response.

Information crises deserve the same level of preparation and coordination as other risks to public safety.

Lancashire has an opportunity to lead

One of Lancashire's greatest strengths is its tradition of partnership.

Through the Lancashire Resilience Forum, emergency services, local authorities, NHS organisations, voluntary organisations and many others already work together to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Building information resilience is the natural next step.

Communication is not simply something that happens after operational decisions have been made. It is itself an essential part of protecting communities.

The partnerships already exist. The expertise is here. The willingness to innovate is evident.

Our Lessons from Southport report therefore called for the establishment of a multi-stakeholder Information
Crisis Committee because we believe information crises deserve the same level of preparedness as physical emergencies.

Encouragingly, there is growing interest in this approach among policymakers, emergency planners, journalists and researchers. While no dedicated funding has yet been announced, there is clear appetite for practical solutions that build on existing partnerships rather than requiring entirely new institutions.

What can we all do?

Information resilience is not only the responsibility of emergency planners, journalists or public authorities.

It belongs to all of us.

Before sharing information during a fast-moving event, pause for a moment.

Can you identify where it came from?

Is the source accountable?

Can the information be verified?

And perhaps the most important question of all:

Is this information merely trusted—or is it truly trustworthy?

At the same time, think about where you would turn if reliable information really mattered.

Do you know where your local council shares emergency updates?

Do you follow your local emergency services?

Do you support trustworthy local journalism that knows your community and is accountable to it?

Every conversation that strengthens trust.

Every partnership that improves coordination.

Every newsroom committed to trustworthy reporting.

Every public body that communicates openly and honestly.

Every resident who pauses before sharing uncertain information.

Together, these actions create something much bigger: communities that are better able to withstand not only physical emergencies, but the information emergencies that increasingly accompany them.

Because every emergency has two fronts.

Preparing for both is one of the defining resilience challenges of our time.

--- 

Find out more

Building information resilience is a shared responsibility. If you'd like to learn more about the University of Lancashire's research on information resilience, the MOBRA initiative, or opportunities to collaborate, I'd be delighted to hear from you.

📧 fpnel@lancashire.ac.uk
🌐http://www.mediainnovationstudio.org 

"Resilient communities aren't built simply on trusted
information. They are built on trustworthy information, trusted relationships, and strong partnerships."