The tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia during Christmas 2004 caused many deaths among vacationers from Finland and Sweden. It could be described as one of the worst catastrophes experienced during the post-war period in these countries. This book examines how this dramatic and unexpected event affected public communication patterns and practices in countries like Finland and Sweden. The communicative relations between government actors, the media and citizens always significantly affect the development of crucial democratic values such as trust, accountability and legitimacy. The book covers different topics related to this issue, such as strategic political communication, media coverage, newsroom practices, public opinion and the use of new media in Finland and Sweden after the tsunami disaster.