sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
[SIZE=+2] Facilitation of Risk Communication During the Anthrax Attacks of 2001: The Organizational Backstory[/SIZE] <nobr>Caron Chess, PhD</nobr> and <nobr>Lee Clarke, PhD</nobr>
[SIZE=-1] Caron Chess is with the Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Lee Clarke is with the Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Caron Chess, PhD, Department of Human Ecology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, 55 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (e-mail: chess_c@aesop.rutgers.edu<script type="text/javascript"><!-- var u = "chess_c", d = "aesop.rutgers.edu"; document.getElementById("em0").innerHTML = '<a href="mailto:' + u + '@' + d + '">' + u + '@' + d + '<\/a>'//--></script>).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]ABSTRACT[/SIZE]
The anthrax attacks of 2001 created risk communication problems<sup> </sup>that cannot be fully understood without appreciating the dynamics<sup> </sup>among organizations. Case studies of communication in New Jersey,<sup> </sup>consisting of interviews with a range of participants, found<sup> </sup>that existing organizational and professional networks facilitated<sup> </sup>trust among decisionmakers. This interpersonal trust improved<sup> </sup>communication among agencies and thereby risk communication<sup> </sup>with the public.<sup> </sup>
For example, "white powder scares" were a problem even in places<sup> </sup>without contamination. Professionals? trust in each other<sup> </sup>was vital for responding productively. Conversely, organizational<sup> </sup>challenges, including conflict among agencies, hindered communication<sup> </sup>with key audiences.<sup> </sup>
Although centralization and increased control are often seen<sup> </sup>as the remedy for communicative confusion, they also can quash<sup> </sup>the improvisational responses needed during crises.
New non-governmental methods of mass communication should be explored and promoted.
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/9/1578?etoc
<sup> </sup>
[SIZE=+2] Facilitation of Risk Communication During the Anthrax Attacks of 2001: The Organizational Backstory[/SIZE] <nobr>Caron Chess, PhD</nobr> and <nobr>Lee Clarke, PhD</nobr>
[SIZE=-1] Caron Chess is with the Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. Lee Clarke is with the Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Caron Chess, PhD, Department of Human Ecology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, 55 Dudley Rd, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (e-mail: chess_c@aesop.rutgers.edu<script type="text/javascript"><!-- var u = "chess_c", d = "aesop.rutgers.edu"; document.getElementById("em0").innerHTML = '<a href="mailto:' + u + '@' + d + '">' + u + '@' + d + '<\/a>'//--></script>).[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]ABSTRACT[/SIZE]
The anthrax attacks of 2001 created risk communication problems<sup> </sup>that cannot be fully understood without appreciating the dynamics<sup> </sup>among organizations. Case studies of communication in New Jersey,<sup> </sup>consisting of interviews with a range of participants, found<sup> </sup>that existing organizational and professional networks facilitated<sup> </sup>trust among decisionmakers. This interpersonal trust improved<sup> </sup>communication among agencies and thereby risk communication<sup> </sup>with the public.<sup> </sup>
For example, "white powder scares" were a problem even in places<sup> </sup>without contamination. Professionals? trust in each other<sup> </sup>was vital for responding productively. Conversely, organizational<sup> </sup>challenges, including conflict among agencies, hindered communication<sup> </sup>with key audiences.<sup> </sup>
Although centralization and increased control are often seen<sup> </sup>as the remedy for communicative confusion, they also can quash<sup> </sup>the improvisational responses needed during crises.
New non-governmental methods of mass communication should be explored and promoted.
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/97/9/1578?etoc
<sup> </sup>