Timothy L. Sellnow & Matthew W. Seeger 
Theorizing Crisis Communication [PDF ebook] 

Notes on Authors viii
1 Introduction to Crisis Communication Theory 1
Defining Crisis 4
Defining Communication 10
Theory 15
Plan for This Book 21
Conclusion 22
2 Theories of Communication and Crisis Development 25
Assumptions of Stage Models 27
Three-Stage Model 30
Fink’s Four-Stage Cycle 33
Turner’s Six-Stage Sequence of Failure in Foresight 37
Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication 40
Conclusion 45
3 Theories of Communication and Warning 49
Detection of Risks 50
Functional Approaches to Communication and Warning 51
Hear-Confirm-Understand-Decide-Respond Model 57
Protective Action Decision Model 60
Integrated Model of Food Recall 67
Emerging Warning Systems 71
Conclusion 72
4 Theories of Communication and Crisis Outcomes 76
Organizational Learning 77
Sensemaking 83
Organizational Legitimacy 87
Situational Crisis Communication Theory 91
Discourse of Renewal 96
Conclusion 100
5 Theories of Communication and Emergency Response
105
Assumptions of Communication and Emergency Response 107
Chaos Theory and Emergent Self-Organization 108
Theories of Communication and Crisis Coordination 114
Communication and Community Resilience 122
Four-Channel Model of Communication 127
Conclusion 132
6 Theories of Communication and Mediated Crises 138
News Framing Theory 140
Focusing Events 143
Uses and Gratifications Theory 147
Crisis News Diffusion 151
Diffusion of Innovations 154
Conclusion 158
7 Theories of Influence and Crisis Communication 163
Apologia 165
Image Repair 168
Kategoria 172
Dramatism 176
Narrative Theory 181
Conclusion 184
8 Theories of Communication and Risk Management 188
Mindfulness 190
High Reliability Organizations 195
Precautionary Principle 200
Cultural Theory 204
Risk Communication as Argument 208
Conclusion 212
9 Theories of Crisis Communication and Ethics 217
Ethics 218
Crisis Communication as an Ethical Domain 221
Responsible Communication 223
Significant Choice 225
The Ethic of Care 227
Virtue Ethics 229
Justice 230
Applications of Moral Theory to Crisis 232
Conclusion 235
10 Using Theories of Crisis Communication 239
Minimization of Communication in an All-Hazards Approach 240
The Practicality of Theory in Understanding Crisis Communication
242
The Pathway for Inspiring Meaningful Change 243
Successful Connections Linking Theory-Based Research and
Practitioners 245
Promising New Lines of Research 250
Persistent Challenges 257
A Final Word 259
Index 263

Timothy L. Sellnow is Professor of Communication and
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in Communication at the
University of Kentucky. Dr. Sellnow’s interdisciplinary
research on risk and crisis communication appears in an array of
refereed journals, handbooks, and edited volumes. He has also
co-authored five books on risk and crisis communication. Dr.
Sellnow frequently serves as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies
in the food industry and government agencies such as the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) on risk and crisis communication planning.
Matthew W. Seeger is Dean of the College of Fine,
Performing and Communication Arts and a Professor of Communication
at Wayne State University in Detroit. His work on crisis, risk and
communication has appeared in over 100 journal articles, book
chapters, and conference proceedings. Seeger is the author or
co-author of six books on organizational communication ethics and
crisis and risk communication. Dr. Seeger also frequently serves as
an advisor to the auto industry, manufacturing organizations and
government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), on topics related to crisis management.