Assistant Professor Trbušić Guests on Croatian Radio's Show "Susret u dijalogu"

Assistant Professor Davor Trbušić, PhD, from the University Department of Communication Studies, appeared as a guest on the show "Susret u dijalogu" ("Meeting in Dialogue") on the First Program of Croatian Radio.

 

Alongside Ilija Dogan, Deputy General Secretary of the Croatian Bishops' Conference, and Dorotea Bratuša Juraj, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, he discussed the role of the media in uncovering and reporting on abuse, as well as why institutional silence is the worst possible choice.

 

The Church must realize that if it is not the source of information, someone else will fill that information vacuum, Trbušić points out. He considers sexual abuse within the Catholic Church to be anomalous events carrying the potential for immense damage, violating the public's moral expectations, and provoking rage, anger, outrage, and other negative emotions. Every such situation, he adds, generates a demand for information. He emphasizes that in these situations, believers want to hear from their Church, their diocese; they want to hear from their bishop, see how he addresses the issue, and see him take potential responsibility for the outcomes of that crisis. Prof. Trbušić stresses that silence is never a good strategy in crisis communication because it fosters suspicion, implying that you are hiding something and that you are guilty. 

 

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