Communicating Science in Times of Crisis

Learn more about how people communicate during crises with this insightful collection of resources  In Communicating Science in Times of Crisis: COVID-19 Pandemic, distinguished academics and editors H. Dan O’Hair and Mary John O’Hair have delivered an insightful collection of resources designed to shed light on the implications of attempting to communicate science to the public in times of crisis. Using the recent and ongoing coronavirus outbreak as a case study, the authors explain how to balance scientific findings with social and cultural issues, the ability of media to facilitate science and mitigate the impact of adverse events, and the ethical repercussions of communication during unpredictable, ongoing events.  The first volume in a set of two, Communicating Science in Times of Crisis: COVID-19 Pandemic isolates a particular issue or concern in each chapter and exposes the difficult choices and processes facing communicators in times of crisis or upheaval. The book connects scientific issues with public policy and creates a coherent fabric across several communication studies and disciplines. The subjects addressed include:  A detailed background discussion of historical medical crises and how they were handled by the scientific and political communities of the time  Cognitive and emotional responses to communications during a crisis  Social media communication during a crisis, and the use of social media by authority figures during crises  Communications about health care-related subjects  Data strategies undertaken by people in authority during the coronavirus crisis  Perfect for communication scholars and researchers who focus on media and communication, Communicating Science in Times of Crisis: COVID-19 Pandemic also has a place on the bookshelves of those who specialize in particular aspects of the contexts raised in each of the chapters: social media communication, public policy, and health care.

Part 1 Conceptualizing Communication Science and COVID-19 1 1. Managing Science Communication in a Pandemic 3 H. Dan O’Hair and Mary John O’Hair 2. Comprehending Covidiocy Communication: Dismisinformation, Conspiracy Theory, and Fake News 15 Brian H. Spitzberg 3. How Existential Anxiety Shapes Communication in Coping with the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Terror Management Theory Perspective 54 Claude H. Miller and Haijing Ma Part 2 Promoting Health and Well-being 81 4. Communication and COVID-19: Challenges in Evidence-based Healthcare Design 83 Kevin Real, Kirk Hamilton, Terri Zborowsky, and Debbie Gregory 5. Identity and Information Overload: Examining the Impact of Health Messaging in Times of Crisis 110 Jessica Wendorf Muhamad and Patrick Merle 6. Social Media, Risk Perceptions Related to COVID-19, and Health Outcomes 128 Kevin B. Wright 7. Overcoming Obstacles to Collective Action by Communicating Compassion in Science 150 Erin B. Hester, Bobi Ivanov, and Kimberly A. Parker 8. Communicating the Science of COVID-19 to Children: Meet the Helpers 172 Jennifer Cook, Timothy L. Sellnow, Deanna D. Sellnow, Adam J. Parrish, and Rodrigo Soares 9. The Use of Telehealth in Behavioral Health and Educational Contexts During COVID-19 and Beyond 189 Alyssa Clements-Hickman, Jade Hollan, Christine Drew, Vanessa Hinton, and Robert J. Reese Part 3 Advancing Models of Information and Media 215 10. Toward a New Model of Public Relations Crisis and Risk Communication Following Pandemics 217 Zifei Fay Chen, Zongchao Cathy Li, Yi Grace Ji, Don W. Stacks, and Bora Yook 11. Perspective Change in a Time of Crisis: The Emotion and Critical Reflection Model 242 Helen Lillie, Manusheela Pokharel, Mark J. Bergstrom, and Jakob D. Jensen 12. Social Media Surveillance and (Dis)Misinformation in the COVID-19 Pandemic 262 Brian H. Spitzberg, Ming-Hsiang Tsou, and Mark Gawron 13. Science Communication and Inoculation: Mitigating the Effects of the Coronavirus Outbreak 302 Bobi Ivanov and Kimberly A. Parker Part 4 Examining Policy and Leadership 321 14. Communicating with Policymakers in a Pandemic 323 Michael T. Childress and Michael W. Clark 15. Equally Unpleasant Choices: Observations on School Leadership in a Time of Crisis 338 Justin M. Bathon and Lu S. Young 16. Controlling the Narrative: Mixed Messages and Presidential Credibility 358 Robert S. Littlefield 17. Communicating Death and Dying in the COVID-19 Pandemic 375 William Nowling and Matthew W. Seeger Index 391