October 19 2006

This brief article explores trends in the use of short message service (SMS) technology by journalists seeking to share crucial information with the general public in the aftermath of a natural disaster. In response to the May 27 2006 earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java, which killed over 5,000 and left 1.6 million homeless, mobile phones "quickly became mobile news services for journalists covering the recovery efforts." As part of the Java Earthquake Emergency Media Project, Internews worked with more than 180 Indonesian journalists to establish a quick, low-cost emergency communication network that enabled local radio stations to report on humanitarian relief.

Specifically, telecom providers worked together to enable Internews to use its text messaging service to send news and information to a network of journalists and media workers throughout the earthquake zone. (Java has very high mobile phone penetration; also, telecom providers ensured that services were backed up quickly.) The SMS messages originated from the newsroom of the AM radio station "Punokawan", which also drew on the Yogyakarta community radio network to create a kind of information "hub". Internews also trained local teams to produce urgent messages from humanitarian organisations.

Outgoing messages ranged from warnings of aftershocks and reports on emergency services such as vaccinations, to stories of protests by communities that had not received any government aid after the disaster. Journalists participating in the information service also sent back SMS updates on reconstruction in their areas. One Internews official comments that the SMS was in the form of "short, simple information that local journalists could either read directly on the air in their radio stations or investigate further," which was found to be useful in enabling Javanese to play a rapid-response role.