Crisis communication research has traditionally
focused on private corporations and their efforts
in sustaining and restoring image and trust.As a result,
crisis communication theories have been developed
based on private actors without sufficient attention
given to the distinctive nature between corporate and
public communications (Liu & Horsley, 2007; Tracy,
2007).Yet, public organisations are of particular interest
because of the fact that they have significant responsibilities
for preparing, communicating and managing
large-scale societal crises.As a result, there is a need to
elaborate on new approaches within crisis communication
research beyond its traditional focus on actors’
blame management and to take into account issues
related to community needs: such as, the role of communication
in improving resilience and sense making
(Heath, 2004, 2010; Ulmer, 2012).
In addition, the role of new information technologies
for crisis communication and how these alter established
patterns of interaction require special attention
(Eriksson, 2012).According to Jenkins (2006), new patterns