Utilization of the corporate media ecosystem to build trust under high-uncertainty conditions: a review of the energy sector in Chile, Colombia and Ecuador

Article Sidebar

PDF (Spanish) PDF EPUB (Spanish) HTML (Spanish)
Published: Mar 20, 2025
Updated: 2025-03-20
Versions:
2025-03-20 (5)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17163/uni.n42.2025.10
Keywords:
risk communication; , Corporate communication, strategic communication; , COVID-19, media ecosystem

Main Article Content

Jaime Alberto Orozco-Toro
Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8152-7474
Lorena Retamal-Ferrada
Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5714-1507
Melita Vega
Universidad del Azuay, Ecuador
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6501-4011
=
Universidad del Azuay, Ecuador
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4514-4860

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the corporate sector demonstrated a vested interest not only in ensuring business continuity but also in effectively communicating risks to shape behaviors and foster trust, despite the prevalence of “infoxication” among key stakeholders. This study examines the role of corporations as formal sources of information alongside traditional media outlets during a health crisis that, from a communication perspective, has been categorized as an infodemic within a rapidly evolving media ecosystem. Through semi-structured interviews and an in-depth analysis of sustainability reports from three energy companies in Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador, this research identifies the strategies, narratives, and communication tools employed to navigate the crisis. Findings indicate that, in their efforts to protect workers' health and enhance institutional reputation, these companies exhibited remarkable adaptability in leveraging various communication tools and channels to craft narratives that engendered trust among stakeholders. Despite high levels of uncertainty, the companies successfully structured an efficient media ecosystem to complement stakeholders' information consumption patterns. This perspective constitutes the study’s primary contribution, as it highlights how, within the context of COVID-19, corporate discourse was strategically designed to build trust and encourage behavioral changes among employees and their families regarding preventive measures. In this regard, the corporate media ecosystem, through the deliberate construction of trust narratives, emerges as a fundamental component of stakeholders’ communication frameworks and a crucial mechanism for counteracting misinformation, including “infoxication”.

Article Details

Issue
No. 42 (2025): (March 2025-August 2025): Urban sensibilities and experiences: Social production of senses and emotions in contemporary cities.
Section
Miscellaneous
Licencia

Universitas-XXI Journal aligns with the principles of open access and academic collaboration by adopting the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This license ensures that published content can be used and shared widely under the following conditions:

Attribution: Authors and the journal must be appropriately credited as the original creators of the content, with full reference and a link to the publication provided.

Non-commercial use: Content may not be used for commercial purposes, preserving its academic and educational intent.

ShareAlike: Derivative works must be distributed under the same terms as this license, promoting the creation of accessible and equitable knowledge.

By implementing this license, the Universitas-XXI Journal strengthens its commitment to disseminating high-quality research, providing free access to knowledge, and fostering a collaborative environment among researchers, educators, and students worldwide.

This decision reflects core values of responsibility, ethics, and transparency in academia, ensuring that intellectual contributions serve as a foundation for new research and projects while respecting the rights of authors and the scientific community.

For more information about this license, please visit the following link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/"

Author Biographies

Jaime Alberto Orozco-Toro, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Colombia

Director of research group at Pontificia Bolivariana University in Colombia. Doctorate in Media, Communication and Culture and Master’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations, Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain). Master’s degree in Management for Development from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Advertising executive from the UPB. Speaker on topics related to advertising, CSR, brand and corporate reputation. Author of scientific articles and books research results. Outstanding doctoral thesis Cum Laude UAB.

Lorena Retamal-Ferrada, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile

Doctorate in Communication and Strategic Knowledge Management from the Pontifical University of Salamanca (Spain), Graduate in Social Communications and Journalism from the Catholic University of the Santísima Concepción (Chile). Academic Department of Communication Sciences, Faculty of Communication, History and Social Sciences, University of the Santísima Concepción (Chile). Research interests: Personal and Corporate Image Management, Crisis Management Workshop, Research Seminar. Strategy and theory of organizations. Communication and Information Sciences. Communication and Sustainability.

Melita Vega, Universidad del Azuay, Ecuador

Melita Vega holds a postgraduate certificate in Public Relations from Ryerson University (Canada), a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Cuenca (Ecuador) and a bachelor degree in Computer Science from the University of Azuay (Ecuador). Her research interests include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as well as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), topics on which she has published various articles and book chapters. She currently serves as an adjunct professor in the School of International Studies at the University of Azuay (Ecuador) and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Education Sciences at Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR). Prior to her work in academia, Melita also held positions in corporate communications in Canada.

=, Universidad del Azuay, Ecuador

Doctorate in Communications, professor and researcher at the University of Azuay. Caroline is part of research group that focuses on the study of government communications and political public relations with an emphasis on Latin American populism. Her work on political communication, government myth, memes, and digital conversations has been published in academic articles and books, and addressed at conferences in academic forums internationally. She also participates as a political communications analyst for different national and international media outlets.

References

Álvarez-Nobell, A., Molleda, J., Moreno, A., y Suárez-Monsalve, A. (2022). Latin America and the strategic communication dilemma in times of COVID-19. En Tench, R., Meng, J., Moreno, A., Strategic Communication in a Global Crisis. National and International Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic Eds National and International Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003184669

Balog-Way, D., McComas, K., & Besley, J. (2020). The Evolving Field of Risk Communication. Risk analysis: an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis, 40(S1), 2240–2262. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13615

Barrutia, I., Silva, H., y Sánchez, R. (2021). Consecuencias económicas y sociales de la inamovilidad humana bajo COVID-19: caso de estudio Perú. Lecturas de Economía, (94), 285-303. https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.le.n94a344397

Berg, S. H., O'Hara, J. K., Shortt, M. T., Thune, H., Brønnick, K. K., Lungu, D. A., Røislien, J., & Wiig, S. (2021). Health authorities' health risk communication with the public during pandemics: a rapid scoping review. BMC public health, 21(1), 1401. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11468-3

Betsch C. (2020). How behavioural science data helps mitigate the COVID-19 crisis. Nature human behaviour, 4(5), 438. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0866-1

Briceño-Romero, Y. C., Delgado Amaya, I., & León Díaz, S. J. (2023). Percepción de riesgo e información en tiempos de pandemia: el recuerdo de un encierro conectado en jóvenes bumangueses . Comunicación, (50), 29–51. https://doi.org/10.18566/comunica.n50.a03

Calleja-Reina M. A., Paniagua Rojano F. J. y Victoria Mas J. S. (2018). Herramientas digitales y Comunicación de Crisis: El papel de las redes sociales según la voz de los expertos (2015). Estudios sobre el Mensaje Periodístico, 24(2), 1147-1167. https://doi.org/10.5209/ESMP.62206

Cárdenas Ruiz, J, & Pineda Rodríguez, N. (2021). La gestión de la comunicación de riesgo a través de Facebook: Análisis exploratorio de las estrategias iniciales de 12 gobiernos de América Latina frente a la pandemia de la COVID 19. Revista de Comunicación, 20(2), 73-91. https://dx.doi.org/10.26441/rc20.2-2021-a4

Celec EP. (2021). Memoria de sostenibilidad, https://celecloud.celec.gob.ec/s/yC9ebz8gHpT5JXd

Chen, Y., Chen, Y., Yu, S., & Yu, S. (2024). Utilizing social media for community risk communication in megacities: analysing the impact of WeChat group information interaction and perception on communication satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai. BMC public health, 24(1), 1889. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19276-1

Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (2022). Una década de acción para un cambio de época (LC/FDS.5/3), Santiago, https://repositorio.cepal.org/bitstream/handle/11362/47745/S2100985_es.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y

Colbún. (2021). Memoria Integrada, https://www.colbun.cl/memoria-2021/

Cota, I. (2023, 8 de febrero). Las empresas latinoamericanas sienten la presión de la sustentabilidad. El Pais. https://elpais.com/america-futura/2023-02-08/las-empresas-latinoamericanas-sienten-la-presion-de-la-sustentabilidad.html

Covello, V & Sandman, P. M. (2001). “Risk communication: evolution and revolution”. En Anthony Wolbarst (Ed.): Solutions to an Environment in Peril, John Hopkins University Press, pp.164-178.

Durán, A. M. & Mosquera, P. (2016). Contextos de sustentabilidad y relaciones públicas: Instrumento para validación. Décimo Congreso de la Asociación Brasileña de Investigadores en Comunicación (ABRACORP), Porto Alegre, Brasil.

García Farjat, M. J. y Goycolea, W. G. (2021): “Riesgo, comunicación y globalización del riesgo en tiempos de pandemia”,Revista Iberoamericana de Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad —CTS , número especial: “Periodismo y divulgación científica en la era de la desinformación”, pp. 55-65.

Durán, A.M., Vega, M., Orozco-Toro, J.A., Retamal-Ferrada, L. & Ávila, C. (2021). Vínculo entre responsabilidad social y comunicación en países de América Latina: Estudio aplicado en empresas de Ecuador, Colombia y Chile. Prisma Social: Revista de investigación social, (35), 141-164.

Farré Coma, J. (2005). Comunicación de riesgo y espirales del miedo. Comunicación y sociedad, (3), 95-119. http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0188-252X2005000100095&lng=es&tlng=es.

Fischhoff, B. (2020). Making decisions in a COVID-19 world. Jama, 324(2), 139-140.

Fink, S. (1986). Crisis Management. Amacom, New York.

Gallardo-Paúls, B. (2021). Riesgos de la comunicación de riesgo: un modelo discursivo para la comunicación de riesgo en emergencias. Círculo de Lingüística Aplicada a la Comunicación, (88), 135+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A688214263/IFME?u=anon~dc6e754b&sid=googleScholar&xid=60c82083

García-Madurga, M.A., Grilló-Méndez, A.J., y Morte-Nadal, T. (2021). La adaptación de las empresas a la realidad COVID: una revisión sistemática. Revista de Ciencias de la Administración y Economía, 11(21), 55-70. https://doi.org/10.17163/ret.n21.2

Généreux, M., David, M. D., O'Sullivan, T., Carignan, M. È., Blouin-Genest, G., Champagne-Poirier, O., Champagne, É., Burlone, N., Qadar, Z., Herbosa, T., Hung, K., Ribeiro-Alves, G., Arruda, H., Michel, P., Law, R., Poirier, A., Murray, V., Chan, E., & Roy, M. (2021). Communication strategies and media discourses in the age of COVID-19: an urgent need for action. Health promotion international, 36(4), 1178–1185. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa136

Gesser-Edelsburg, A., Cohen, R., Shahbari, N.A.E. et al (2020). A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design comparison between COVID-19 infection control guidelines’ applicability and their protective value as perceived by Israeli healthcare workers, and healthcare executives’ response. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 9, 148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-020-00812-8

Glik, D. C. (2007). Risk communication for public health emergencies. Annual review of public health. 28, 33-54 doi: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.28.021406.144123

Goerlandt F, Li J, Reniers G. The Landscape of Risk Communication Research: A Scientometric Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(9), 3255. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093255

Gómez Castro, L. (2017). La comunicación de riesgo en salud: aspectos teóricos y metodológicos para el control de emergencias públicas sanitarias. MEDISAN, 21(12), 3386-3399. http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1029-30192017001200013&lng=es&tlng=es.

Gonçalves, G., Piñeiro-Naval, V. & Sá, S. (2022). Risk communication and disinformation in Portugal: how media consumption affects understanding of Covid health-protective messages. In R. Tench, J. Meng & A. Moreno (Eds), Strategic Communication in a Global Crisis (pp. 112-131). Routledge

Gutiérrez Blanco, V. (2016). El papel de la comunicación de riesgo ante emergencias de salud pública = The role of risk communication in public health events. REVISTA ESPAÑOLA DE COMUNICACIÓN EN SALUD, 97-104. https://e-revistas.uc3m.es/index.php/RECS/article/view/3397

Gutiérrez Blanco, V. (2011). El papel de la comunicación de riesgo ante emergencias de salud pública. Revista Española de Comunicación en Salud, 2 (2), 97-104. https://e-revistas.uc3m.es/index.php/RECS/article/view/3397

Hall, K., & Wolf, M. (2021). Whose crisis? Pandemic flu, 'communication disasters' and the struggle for hegemony. Health (London, England : 1997), 25(3), 322–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459319886112

Heydari, S. T., Zarei, L., Sadati, A. K., Moradi, N., Akbari, M., Mehralian, G., & Lankarani, K. B. (2021). The effect of risk communication on preventive and protective Behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak: mediating role of risk perception. BMC public health, 21(1), 1-11.

Isagen. (2021). Informe de Gestión, https://www.isagen.com.co/documents/20123/34932/Informe-Gestion-2021.pdf

Karbaum-Padilla, G. (2022). Innovación tecnológica e hibridaciones en el lenguaje audiovisual de los noticieros peruanos durante la pandemia de la Covid-19. Universitas-XXI, 37, pp. 75-99. https://doi.org/10.17163/uni.n37.2022.03

Lázaro-Rodríguez, P., & Herrera-Viedma, E. (2020). Noticias sobre Covid-19 y 2019-nCoV en medios de comunicación de España: el papel de los medios digitales en tiempos de confinamiento. Profesional De La información, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.may.02

Liberona Durán, F., Castro-Correa, C.P., Sarmiento, J.P. & Arrieta, A. (2022). Comunicación del Riesgo en Latinoamérica: Una Evaluación de su Impacto frente a la Pandemia del COVID-19. Revista de Estudios Latinoamericanos sobre Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres REDER, 6(2), 88-102. https://doi.org/10.55467/reder.v6i2.102

Lovón Cueva, M. A., Montenegro García, M. I., & Chegne Cortez, A. D. (2021). La COVID-19 y la metáfora bélica: un análisis cognitivo en los diarios digitales y las redes sociales. Boletín de la Academia Peruana de la Lengua, 70(70), 155 - 196. https://doi.org/10.46744/bapl.202102.00

Márquez Domínguez, C., Calva Cabrera, K.D., & Duque Rengel, V.K. (2021). El discurso gubernamental de Ecuador y Perú durante la pandemia por COVID-19 en Facebook Government speech in Ecuador and Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic on Facebook. Communication Papers. 10(21) 10.33115/udg_bib/cp.v10i21.22697

Mauri-Ríos, M., Ramon-Vegas, X., & Rodríguez-Martínez, R. (2020). Media coverage of the Covid-19 crisis: recommendations and proposals for self-regulation. Profesional de la información, 29(6). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.nov.22

Miles, D., Stedman, M., & Heald, A. (2020). Living with Covid-19: Balancing costs against benefits in the face of the virus. National Institute Economic Review, 253, R60-R76. doi:10.1017/nie.2020.30

Moreno, A y Peres, F. (2011). El estado del arte de la comunicación de riesgos en la región de América Latina. Revista de Comunicación y Salud, 1 (1), 52-68.

Moreno, A y Peres, F. (2020) Comunicación de riesgos ante el coronavirus. Boletín sobre COVID-19 salud pública y epidemiología. 1 (4), 7-9. http://dsp.facmed.unam.mx/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/COVID-19-No.4-04-Comunicaci%C3%B3n-de-riesgos.pdf

Nespereira García, J. (2014). Los discursos de la pandemia. Nuevas estrategias de comunicación del riesgo en un nuevo contexto sociocultural. Cultura, Lenguaje Y Representación, 13, 185-199. https://www.e-revistes.uji.es/index.php/clr/article/view/1553

Nespereira García, J. (2022). El discurso de las pandemias. Un (nuevo marco para la comunicación del riesgo sanitario: lecciones de la COVID-19. En Pujante Sánchez, J y Alonso Prieto (editores), Una retórica constructivista: creación y análisis del discurso social. 63-72.Castelló de la Plana: Universitat Jaume I.

Ortiz Núñez, R., & Stable Rodríguez, Y. (2021). Evolución y tendencias de la investigación en comunicación sobre epidemias y pandemias en el ámbito internacional. Revista De Comunicación, 20(1), 175–196. https://doi.org/10.26441/RC20.1-2021-A10

Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2005). Reglamento Sanitario Internacional. https://www.who.int/ihr/publications/9789241580496/es/

Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2018). Comunicación de riesgos en emergencias de salud pública. Directrices de la OMS sobre políticas y prácticas para la comunicación de riesgos en emergencias. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272852/9789243550206-spa.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2022). Reseña normativa de la OMS: Gestión de la infodemia sobre la Covid-19. https://www.who.int/es/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Policy_Brief-Infodemic-2022.1

Organización Panamericana de la Salud. (2011). Guía para la elaboración de la Estrategia de Comunicación de Riesgo de la teoría a la acción. http://www.msal.gob.ar/images/stories/ryc/graficos/0000000750cnt-2014-04_estrategia-comunicacion-riesgo.pdf

Porat, T., Nyrup, R., Calvo, R. A., Paudyal, P., & Ford, E. (2020). Public health and risk communication during COVID-19—enhancing psychological needs to promote sustainable behavior change. Frontiers in public health, 637.

Prior, H. (2020). Comunicación pública de riesgo en tiempos de pandemia: las respuestas de Portugal a la Covid-19. Más Poder Local. 41, 6-11

Rodríguez López, M., Piñeiro-Sánchez, C., Llano-Monelos, P. (2013). Mapa de Riesgos: Identificación y Gestión de Riesgos. Atlantic Review of Economics: Revista Atlántica de Economía. 2(1).

Rojas, D., Micolich, C., Dittborn, M., y Salas, S. (2020). Sobre héroes, enemigos, víctimas y batallas en los tiempos del COVID19. Revista médica de Chile, 148(5), 709-711. https://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872020000500709

Sabucedo, J. M., Alzate, M., y Hur, M. (2020). COVID-19 and the metaphor of war (COVID-19 y la metáfora de la guerra). International Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 618-624. https://doi.org/10.1080/02134748.2020.1783840

Sánchez-Calero, M. L. (2012). Comité de crisis: actores, roles y trabajos. Zer. z, 9 (17), 85-99. https://ojs.ehu.eus/index.php/Zer/article/view/5267

Sánchez Úbeda, E., Portela González, J., Muñoz San Roque, A., Chueca, E. y Hallack, M. (2021). Impacto del COVID-19 en la demanda de energía eléctrica en Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. https://publications.iadb.org/es/impacto-del-covid-19-en-la-demanda-de-energia-electrica-en-latinoamerica-y-el-caribe

Sandman P. (2003) Cuatro clases de comunicación de riesgos. The Synergist, 26- 27. Recuperado de: https://www.psandman.com/col/4kind-1S.pdf

Saura, P. (2005). La gestión y la comunicación de crisis en el sector de alimentación y bebidas. Madrid: Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.

Slovic, P. (1987). Perception of risk. Science, 236(4799), 280-285.

Slovic, P., y Peters, E. (2006). Risk perception and affect. Current directions in psychological science, 15(6), 322-325

Stanojlovic, M (2015). Percepción social de riesgo: una mirada general y aplicación a la comunicación de salud. Revista de Comunicación y Salud, 5 (1),96-107.

Suau-Gomila, Percastre, S, Palá, G & Pont, C. (2017). Análisis de comunicación de emergencias en Twitter. El caso del ébola en España. En: Sierra, J. & Liberal, S. Uso y Aplicación de las Redes Sociales en el Mundo Audiovisual y Publicitario. (119-130). http://eprints.rclis.org/31269/1/Comunicacion-emergencias-Twitter-ebola-Espana.pdf

Sutton, J., & Veil, S. R. (2017). Risk communication and social media. In R. E. Kasperson (Ed.), Risk conundrums: Solving unsolvable problems (1st Ed). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315665894

Valenti, A., Mirabile, M., Cannone, E., Boccuni, F., Dionisi, P., Fortuna, G., Gagliardi, D., Vizzaccaro, R., & Iavicoli, S. (2022). The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemics on the Development of Health Risk Communication: Challenges and Opportunities. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(1), 645. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010645

Verazzi, L., Padros Vergés, L., & Vallmajó Ferrer, C., (2021). Comunicación interna de la pandemia: Casos y aprendizajes de una crisis sin precedentes. Editorial UOC.

Xifra, J. (2020). Comunicación corporativa, relaciones públicas y gestión del riesgo reputacional en tiempos del Covid-19. El profesional de la información 29(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.mar.20

Zarocostas, J. (2020). How to fight an infodemic. The Lancet, 395(10225), 676.

Zhang L, Li H, Chen K. (2020). Effective Risk Communication for Public Health Emergency Reflection on the COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) Outbreak in Wuhan, China. Healthcare. 8(1), 1-13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151105/

Zunino, Esteban. (2021). Medios digitales y COVID-19: sobreinformación, polarización y desinformación. Universitas-XXI, Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, (34), 133-154. https://doi.org/10.17163/uni.n34.2021.06