Tornado warning: Understanding the National Weather Service’s communication strategies |
| |
| Institution: | 1. University of Maryland, 4300 Chapel Drive, College Park, MD, 20740, United States;2. National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), University of Maryland, PO Box Number 266, 5245 Greenbelt Rd, College Park, MD, 20740, United States;3. Risk Communication and Resilience Program First-Year Innovation and Research Experience (FIRE), University of Maryland PO Box Number 266, 5245 Greenbelt Rd, College Park, MD, 20740, United States;1. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA;2. Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA;1. Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada;2. Meteorological Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada;3. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada;4. School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada |
| |
| Abstract: | This study explores the National Weather Service’s communication through a multi-sited rapid ethnography that extends the fully functioning society theory. National Weather Service field offices do not employ public information officers. Instead, forecasters predict the weather, craft messages, and build relationships with their publics. Scholars have called for public relations research that examines messages, including how crisis communication can help publics cope. Additionally, scholars have noted that all organizations need public relations, even if they do not employ formal public relations personnel. In our study, forecasters emphasized the need to build their publics’ tornado threat awareness and provided strategies to make weather science accessible. Forecasters discussed a variety of message strategies including avoiding fear appeals, humanizing the organization, and visualizing risks. Forecasters also built relationships with active publics through soliciting weather spotters and empowering them to prepare others for severe weather. Overall, findings expand knowledge about how organizations can employ strategic public relations to benefit society, thereby extending fully functioning society theory. |
| |
| Keywords: | Crisis Fully functioning society theory Public relations Risk Tornado |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
