On November 5 was held "Symposium Communication in Emergencies: Ethics, Actors and New Technologies", organized by the Departament de Comunicació and Observatori de la Comunicació Científica (OCC). The inauguration of the event was given by Dr. Sergi Cortiñas (director of the OCC) and Joan Delort (Director General of Civil Protection of the Government), which stressed the importance of information as a civil right.

 
The first table was devoted to new technologies in emergency situations, with Raúl Montilla (journalist for La Vanguardia), Xavier Ribera (Head of Communications of the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona) and Marc Homedes, head of Communication Directorate General of Civil Protection of the Government. • The session and illustrate the impact that tools like Twitter and WhatsApp have had on emergency communication. Social networks have allowed us to gain speed, viral and access to new sources. However, as noted, new technologies have replaced traditional forms of verification of information, both by the media as the government and companies. To conclude this first part, Dr. Felipe Alonso provided a theoretical reflection on the many problems it creates crisis communication.

The second panel focused on ethics and situations of distress, was moderated by Dr. Salvador Alsius (Vice President of the Broadcasting Council of Catalonia), with Marc Garriga (Catalonia Radio), Gemma Liñan (8TV) and Mònica Planas (television critic and professor at the Universidad Ramon Llull). The speakers reflect on the boundaries between information and entertainment on the television coverage of the tragedies, the differences between public and private media or protocols to act in such circumstances. We also reviewed cases of good and bad practices in cases such as railway accident in Castelldefels (2010), the bombing of the Boston marathon (2013) and the tragedy of Germanwings (2014). To improve the situation, the speakers pointed to the need to promote education among viewers and editors.

The last session, chaired by Dr. Carles Pont, is focused on the challenges actors and media professionals, with Marc Homedes Ricard Gili and Anna Punsí  (SER). It dealt ith issues such as cooperation between journalists and government, access to the sites of the events, the presence of politicians in emergency situations or conflicts often occur between different administrations.