What contributes to the collaborative network of emergency information release? A case study of COVID-19 response in China

Transparent and proactive emergency communication plays a crucial role in effectively responding to public crises. The effectiveness of emergency management throughout a crisis event depends on the organizations the local government collaborates with in information release. This study reviewed the institutional basis of Chinese emergency information release and explored the mechanism of collaborative networks in press conferences through the Exponential Random Graph Model (ERGM). The findings suggest that (1) local governments in China are gradually forming the whole-of-society pattern of emergency information release by establishing network structures with multiple triangulations across different types of organizations, irrespective of their jurisdictional level; (2) while an emergency response plan defines the responsibilities of certain organizations, in practice, network actors extend beyond these designations; (3) past collaborations have a lasting impact on subsequent ones, and the key participants in emergency response tend to create path dependence through long-term collaboration.