Shari R. Veil

A Work-In-Process Literature Review: Incorporating Social Media in Risk and Crisis Communication

This work-in-process literature review gives an overview of recent insight in the incorporation of social media in risk and crisis communication. By marrying literature and examples of social media use with best practices in risk and crisis communication, this study demonstrates how communicators can embrace social media tools to better manage a risk or crisis. Best practices in risk and crisis communication are summarized, examples of social media tools used to manage risks and crises are expounded, and recommendations for practitioners are provided to incorporate social media tools in risk and crisis communication.

CERC as a Theoretical Framework for Research and Practice

Health communicators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed an integrated model titled Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) as a tool to educate and equip public health professionals for the expanding communication responsibilities of public health in emergency situations. This essay focuses on CERC as a general theoretical framework for explaining how health communication functions within the contexts of risk and crisis. Specifically, the authors provide an overview of CERC and examine the relationship of risk communication to crisis communication, the role of communication in emergency response, and the theoretical underpinnings of CERC. The article offers an initial set of propositions based on the CERC framework and concludes with a discussion of future directions.

Hoaxes and the Paradoxical Challenges of Restoring Legitimacy : Dominos’ Response to Its YouTube Crisis

This study addresses the paradoxical demands of a hoax perpetrated through social media that require an organization to make a substantial response to an unsubstantiated claim. Dominos’ response to its 2009 YouTube crisis is used as a case study to demonstrate how this paradoxical challenge can be resolved by publicly casting the crisis as a learning opportunity. Analysis reveals that learning manifests in observable actions that further emphasize a commitment to the values and norms the organization originally met to earn social legitimacy prior to the crisis. Also, responding to a hoax through the same medium by which it was distributed is imperative to counter the hoax message for the same audience that received it.

Establishing Media Partnerships in Crisis Response

Prominent crisis communication researchers have suggested that practitioners should work with the media as partners when managing a crisis (Ulmer, Sellnow, & Seeger, 2007). This study provides an example of a crisis case in which the media was embraced as a partner in the crisis response. Specifically, the partnership established with the media as part of the crisis response following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City is assessed. Conclusions further the literature on interorganizational partnerships while encouraging research and discussion concerning working with the media as a partner instead of an adversary in public relations, generally, and crisis communication, specifically.

Memorializing Crisis: The Oklahoma City National Memorial as Renewal Discourse

Memorials are erected to signify important people, places, and events in history. Often times, the landmarks pay homage to lives lost and locations where devastation occurred. This study analyzes the Oklahoma City National Memorial as an exemplar for how memorials, through the shared experience of grief, communicate renewal. A discussion of memorials as rhetorical artifacts is provided, the evolving literature on renewal is presented, and the mission statement and seven themes embodied in the features of the Oklahoma City National Memorial are analyzed. Ultimately, this analysis establishes that a prospective vision is essential in the memorializing process. Emphasizing shared values, finding optimism, and providing opportunities for learning are identified as practical steps toward achieving a prospective outlook.

Best practices as an assessment for crisis communication

Purpose – This study aims to use the now‐classic case study of American Red Crosss response to Hurricane Katrina to demonstrate the utility of the best practices in risk and crisis communication as an assessment tool.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative case study methodology is used to provide a thick description of the case based on media analysis and internal and external evaluations. The best practices in risk and crisis communication are then used to assess Red Crosss response efforts.Findings – This study provides contextual support for the best practices in risk and crisis communication and demonstrates their usefulness in post‐crisis assessment. Lessons learned specific to the case outline the importance of: maintaining flexibility in the crisis plan; developing a crisis communication protocol with partners; considering the affects of response procedures on the emotional and psychological health of crisis victims; and establishing connections with diverse populations and the communities in ...

Public Libraries as Post-Crisis Information Hubs

Like the crisis responses to hurricanes, after a tornadic event public libraries play emergency roles both in the short and long term. Community members rely on public libraries for Internet access to request aid, to help find missing family and friends, to file Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and insurance claims, and, in general, to begin rebuilding their lives. This article reports the quality of services and activities public libraries performed in response and recovery in twelve different communities impacted by tornadoes. The discussion includes an evaluation of the quality of the responses and some recommendations to improve preparedness and response.

Using Crisis Simulations in Public Relations Education

Objectives: Students will demonstrate research, decision making, team building, and public speaking skills, while applying issues management and crisis communication concepts in a realistic setting Courses: Introduction to Public Relations, Public Relations Cases, Crisis Communication

Opportunities and challenges for public libraries to enhance community resilience.

This study bridges a gap between public library and emergency management policy versus practice by examining the role of public libraries in the community resource network for disaster recovery. Specifically, this study identifies the opportunities and challenges for public libraries to fulfill their role as a FEMA-designated essential community organization and enhance community resilience. The results indicate there are several opportunities for libraries to enhance community resilience by offering technology resources and assistance; providing office, meeting, and community living room space; serving as the last redundant communication channel and a repository for community information and disaster narratives; and adapting or expanding services already offered to meet the changing needs of the community. However, libraries also face challenges in enhancing community resilience, including the temptation to overcommit library capacity and staff capability beyond the library mission and a lack of long-term disaster plans and collaboration with emergency managers and government officials. Implications for library and emergency management practice and crisis research are discussed.

Organizational Learning in a High-Risk Environment: Responding to an Anthrax Outbreak

The National Center for Food Protection and Defense, a Department of Homeland Security-sponsored Center of Excellence, identified and endorses 10 best practices for risk and crisis communication. The best practices model is designed to aid organizations of all types in preparing for and learning from crisis events. This analysis applied the best practices model to a case study of an anthrax outbreak that fostered a full-blown crisis response. This study analyzes the learning experience of the crisis cohort group that responded to the crisis. The researchers contend that by evaluating a crisis situation using best practices as a benchmarking procedure, problems within the system and new strategies can be identified.