| Abstract [eng] |
The final master‘s thesis analyses political leaders‘ crisis communication during the war in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine, which began on the 24th of February 2022, is one of the world's most shocking events. During military conflicts, a large amount of information about the crisis reaches the public, thus, the public has been looking for individuals who can provide correct information from reliable sources. Political leaders were identified as individuals whose information could be trusted by the public. Crisis communication by political leaders has an important role in military conflicts. They must adapt quickly to changing conditions, select information, and inform the public in real time about events during the war. By using a range of crisis communication strategies, political leaders can successfully contribute to reassuring the public and providing honest information about the war. Social networks are a useful communication tool that facilitates the transmission of communications and contributes to shaping public opinion on the crisis. It has been noted that social networks can provide a breeding ground for disinformation during war. Political leaders' irresponsible use of social networks, lacking thoughtful communication, can mislead the public or even create a security threat. In addition, some political leaders use social networks to spread disinformation and propaganda. Several foreign authors have analysed the crisis communication of political leaders during the war in Ukraine. There is a lack of research on this topic by Lithuanian authors, which is why it was chosen to analyse the crisis communication of political leaders during the war in Ukraine. The problem of the Master's thesis is what kind of crisis communication was used by political leaders J. Biden, E. Macron, and O. Scholz in the context of the war in Ukraine? Furthermore, the following research object is identified in the final thesis: crisis communication on Facebook by political leaders J. Biden, E. Macron, and O. Scholz. The aim of the final is to analyse and compare the similarities and differences in crisis communication between political leaders J. Biden, E. Macron, O. Scholz in the context of the war in Ukraine. Four objectives are also set: 1) to carry out a critical literature review on the concept of crisis communication and the importance of political leaders' social media communication in times of crisis; 2) to develop a methodology for political leaders' communication on Facebook and to discuss the results of the study; 3) to analyse the features of political leaders' crisis communication on Facebook in the period of the war in Ukraine; 4) to compare features of politicians' crisis communication on Facebook during the war in Ukraine. The master’s thesis project includes a critical literature review and quantitative, qualitative content analysis. The results showed that political leaders' communication on the war in Ukraine was not intense, but all political leaders condemned Russia's actions and supported Ukraine and its people. It is important to note that political leaders communicated most intensively about the war in Ukraine at the beginning of the military conflict. Political leaders identified reunification as one of the biggest consequences of the war. In their communications, political leaders identified military aid as one of the most important tools in crisis management and expressed solidarity with the victims of the war. The master’s thesis project consists of two parts: the first part deals with the concept of crisis communication, the role of political leaders in crisis communication, and the crisis communication of political leaders in social networks during military conflicts. The second part presents the research methodology, the results of the analysis, and their interpretation. In the end, conclusions are drawn. |
