The nuclear industry : exploring crisis communications and media relations through in-depth interviews and content analysis

This study presents an overview of crisis communications and media relations in the U.S. nuclear industry. Literature suggests that there is a need for evaluating the current practice of crisis communications and media relations for the industry through research. Understanding if practitioners are equipped for effective crisis communications and media relations in the event of a crisis, provides useful benchmarks for future evaluation, as the way in which organizations communicate to stakeholder publics and the media will change given the recent complexities and innovations within technology. Without academic literature in this area, it allows for the continued practice of ineffective strategies regarding crisis communications and media relations within the highly technical nuclear industry. With the use of in-depth interviews of nuclear communication professionals and a content analysis of media coverage and online newsrooms, this study will seek to provide research findings for best practices in media relations during a crisis event and reveal some of the current communication strategies that are used by the nuclear industry communication practitioners.Department of JournalismThesis (M.A.