Crisis Communication, Public Relations

Abstract

Crisis communication in public relations has focused primarily on the reputation threats of crisis. Early advances in the field included image repair, apologia, and situational crisis communication theory, which all sought to identify communication strategies that would lessen the negative reputation effects of crisis. Renewal discourse was introduced to advance ethical communication and learning in crises where blame and responsibility were difficult to attribute, such as in natural disasters, pandemics, and other catastrophic events. Healthcare organizations are often front‐line responders for crises like infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and mass casualty events. The best practices in crisis communication were born out of health crisis research and offered a more holistic approach to crisis communication by incorporating elements of risk communication into crisis communication planning and response to assist organizations in planning ahead pre‐crisis, communicating responsibly in the acute phase of crisis, and minimizing harm in facilitating post‐crisis response.