Applying Care to Political Public Relations: Crisis Communications Following the Terrorist Attack in New Zealand

Care is not a word generally associated with political crises. However, following the mosques massacre in New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was found to have used care and a feminist approach to political communication that served to unite rather than divide her country following this raci...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pamala Pamandus Proverbs, Dr., Xiaomeng Lan, Dr., Osama Albishri, Spiro Kiousis, Dr.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Florida, College of Journalism and Communications 2021-07-01
Series:Journal of Public Interest Communications
Online Access:https://journals.flvc.org/jpic/article/view/128406
Description
Summary:Care is not a word generally associated with political crises. However, following the mosques massacre in New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was found to have used care and a feminist approach to political communication that served to unite rather than divide her country following this racially motivated terrorist attack. There is much literature on corporate crises, but this paper adds to the dearth of literature on political crises in a public interest context. Grounded in a consideration of care and agenda building theories, it reveals that a caring approach to political communication (both verbal and nonverbal) following an act of terrorism can influence the media agenda and by extension public opinion.
ISSN:2573-4342