63 research outputs found
The game of goodwill: an exploratory study of discursive goodwill strategies of interest organizations in a consensus democracy
publishedVersio
Manufacturing Humanitarian Imagery: Explaining Norwegian Refugee Councilâs Public Communication Strategies Toward the Syrian and Central African Crises
Manufacturing Humanitarian Imagery: Explaining Norwegian Refugee Councilâs Public Communication Strategies Toward the Syrian and Central African Crises
As refugee organizationsâ communication can influence public perceptions, this study analyzes the underlying motivations and practices. To explain Norwegian Refugee Councilâs (NRC) public communication strategies toward the recent Syrian and Central African crises, we conducted a 3-week office ethnography at its main communication department, interviewed 10 communication officers, and analyzed key communication policy documents. First, NRCâs discursive strategies are molded by medium-based and/or context-sensitive routines, organizational goals and trends, and challenging institutional and societal contexts. Second, NRCâs crisis foci are institutionally shaped through the âVicious Neglected Crisis Circle effect,â which is reinforced and/or limited by organizational and individual (counter) incentives, sensitive contexts, and context-sensitive routines. Third, NRCâs choice of represented forcibly displaced people is influenced by various selection criteria and sociodemographic-specific reasons. Thus, complex organizational, institutional, and societal contexts largely shape public communication strategies, suggesting that reflexivity and structural institutional changes are essential to achieve more balanced, representative humanitarian imageries
Using Rhetorical Situations to Examine and Improve Vaccination Communication
Opinion polls have documented a considerable public skepticism towards a COVID-19 vaccine. Seeking to address the vaccine skepticism challenge this essay surveys the research on vaccine hesitancy and trust building through the lens of the rhetorical situation and points towards five broad principles for a content strategy for public health communicators in regards to vaccination: 1) vaccine hesitancy is not irrational per se; 2) messages should be tailored to the various hesitancy drivers; 3) what is perceived as trustworthy is situational and constantly negotiated; 4) in areas of uncertainty where no exact knowledge exists, the character of the speaker becomes more important; and 5) the trustworthiness of the speaker can be strengthened through finding some common groundâsuch as shared feelings or accepted premisesâwith the audience. Such common insights are on offer in the literature on rhetoric and persuasion and linked here with the research on vaccine communication and trust focusing specifically on the latter and character
Public Ethos in the Pandemic Rhetorical Situation:Strategies for Building Trust in Authoritiesâ Risk Communication
As illustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic, risk and crisis communication are crucial responsibilities of modern governments. Existing research on risk and crisis communication points to the importance of trust, both as a resource in and an end goal of communicative activities. In this paper, we argue that revisiting the classical rhetorical concept of ethos in combination with the modern concept of the rhetorical situation can contribute to fitting responses in risk and crisis communication. The paper examines how appeals to ethos may build trust in health authoritiesâ public communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through interviews and participant observation in public health institutions that handle the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, the paper finds that understanding the rhetorical situation of the pandemic allows for a better understanding of the available means of persuasion. For instance, through the active communication of transparency and independence when faced by uncertainty and rapidly changing information
Epler og pÊrer: Om analogien mellom kommunikasjonsrÄdgivere og advoktater
Noen kommunikasjonsrÄdgivere sammenlikner sitt yrke med
advokaters. Strategisk kommunikasjon ses da pÄ som pÄvirkningsforsÞk
som foregÄr i offentlighetens «rettssal». En kjernetanke er at de
synspunktene som utelukkende er basert pÄ egeninteresse, ikke vil kunne
vinne fram, ettersom konkurrerende synspunkter og argumenter umiddelbart
vil dukke opp. Demokratiet hviler nettopp pÄ at alle skal kunne
fremme sine synspunkter. I dette essayet diskuterer vi sammenlikningen
mellom kommunikasjonsrÄdgivere og advokater i lys av teori om profesjonell
etikk og pÄvirkning.
En stadig tilbakevendende diskusjon innen kommunikasjonsfaget
bÄde nasjonalt og internasjonalt dreier seg om profesjonalitet og profesjonalisering
av bransjen (Fitzgerald 1946, Ihlen & Rakkenes 2009,
Pieczka & LâEtang 2001). Det vi her kaller kommunikasjonsbransjen,
omfatter sÄ vel fast ansatte rÄdgivere i enkeltvirksomheter og rÄdgivere
som jobber i kommunikasjonsbyrÄ. ByrÄene har en tendens til
Ä stjele medieoppmerksomhet pÄ tross av at det store flertallet av kommunikasjonsrÄdgivere
er fast ansatt i organisasjoner eller bedrifter for
Ăžvrig. Uansett sysler de med strategisk kommunikasjon definert som en
organisasjons hensiktsmessige bruk av kommunikasjon for Ä oppnÄ sitt
formÄl («purposeful use of communication by an organization to fulfill
its mission») (Hallahan, Holtzhausen, van Ruler, VerÄiÄ, & Sriramesh
2007:3). Vi tar sÊrlig utgangspunkt i byrÄenes virksomhet ettersom
etikktemaet settes pÄ spissen nÄr byrÄene kontaktes av tvilsomme klienter. BÄde praktikere og mange akademikere har vÊrt opptatt av Ä fÄ anerkjennelse
for at strategisk kommunikasjon er et fag (f.eks. «Her er...» 2009).
Kommunikasjonsbransjen er imidlertid Ă„pen, det vil si, alle og enhver
kan bruke tittelen kommunikasjonsrÄdgiver og selge sine rÄd. Dette
skaper et problem for dem som Þnsker at bransjen skal oppnÄ hÞyere
anseelse. I diskusjonen om fag og profesjon skjeler en gjerne til lege- og
advokatstanden og peker pÄ hvordan slike klassiske profesjoner har oppnÄdd
sin status blant annet gjennom sertifisering og fastlagte utdanningslĂžp.
Enkelte land som for eksempel Brasil har da ogsÄ innfÞrt krav til
sertifisering for dem som vil drive med kommunikasjonsrÄdgivning
(Molleda, Athaydes, & Hirsch 2003). I USA har de to store praktikerforeningene
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) og International
Association of Business Communicators (IABC) begge utviklet akkrediteringsordninger
som gir medlemmene et bevis pÄ at de behersker visse
kunnskaper. Institute of Public Relations (IPR) i England har et tilsvarende
diplom som de utsteder. Og i Norge tilbyr Norske InformasjonsrÄdgivere
(NIR) en sertifiseringsordning for kommunikasjonsbyrÄer. Siden 2004
har Det Norske Veritas stÄtt for gjennomfÞringen av sertifiseringen,
basert pÄ en standard utviklet av engelske Public Relations Consultants
Association.1 I skrivende stund (oktober 2011) har imidlertid bare ni av
26 NIR-medlemmer blitt sertifisert. Denne siden av bransjens profesjonalisering
gÄr altsÄ heller treigt. For Ä kunne drive advokatvirksomhet
derimot, mÄ den som driver virksomheten, ha bevilling, og denne bevillingen
gis av TilsynsrÄdet for advokatvirksomhet.Lisens eller sertifisering er en ting, et annet viktig trekk ved profesjoner
er at de har en spesifikk yrkesetikk. Se for eksempel den norske
advokatforeningens hjemmeside, www.advokatforeningen.no med
«Regler for god advokatskikk» (besÞkt 15. juni 2011), og Code of Conduct
for den europeiske advokatorganisasjonen CCBE, som finnes
samme sted. En slik yrkesetikk er i utgangspunktet noe som har til
hensikt Ä skulle hjelpe til med bÄde Ä analysere, hÄndtere og forebygge
etiske konflikter ved at en innfĂžrer en moralsk dimensjon (Brinkmann
2003). Norsk kommunikasjonsforening som organiserer over 3000
kommunikatĂžrer, har laget et sett etiske prinsipper som blant annet
involverer integritet, skikkethet og konfidensialitet. ByrÄenes organisasjon, NIR, opererer pÄ liknende mÄte med 12 punkter i det de kaller
RÄdgiverplakaten. Det fÞrste punktet lyder at «En rÄdgiver kan arbeide for alle lovlige virksomheter og privatpersoner som Þnsker Ä bedre
sin kommunikasjon med andre». Dette er en innsnevring av den tidligere
formuleringen om at «Alle har rett til Ä fremme sine synspunkter, og til Ä
hente bistand til dette». Legendariske tidlige utÞvere av yrket som Ivy
Lee og Edward L. Bernays mente pÄ samme mÄte at de skulle vÊre sine
klienters advokater overfor «offentlighetens domstol» (Barney & Black
1994). I dette essayet diskuterer vi denne analogien mellom kommunikasjonsrÄdgivere
og advokater. FĂžrst diskuterer vi imidlertid den
generelle etiske utfordringen til feltet strategisk kommunikasjon, dernest
det engelske begrepet advocacy og forestillingen om advokatrollen. Vi
presenterer sÄ fem sentrale dimensjoner der vi mener det er for store
ulikheter mellom kommunikasjonsrÄdgivere og advokater til at analogien
fungerer. I konklusjonsavsnittet trekker vi fram det vi mener er en
mulig konsekvens dersom kommunikasjonsrÄdgivere fastholder analogien
og antyder dessuten en alternativ retning for Ă„ utmeisle en etisk
plattform for bransjen
Transatlantic Perspectives on the U.S. 2004 Election. The Case of Norway
The U.S. Presidential election of 2004 was an exciting reprise of the 2000 election and
was closely watched by numerous observers across the world. The election held significant
ramifications for world issues such as the war in Iraq and the war on terror. Norwegian
media in particular followed the election with great interest. The strong social and familial
bond between Norwegians and Americans was a foundation for an interest in the role that
social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and religion played in the campaign. This ar
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ticle was an exploratory case study based on data from three major Norwegian newspapers.
The article used framing theory as a tool to examine the way in which these newspapers
covered the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. A key focus was the importance and influence
of culture in this framing process. Results are presented and implications for the role of
framing theory in international contexts are discusse
Science communication and strategic communication: The case of health authorities, trust building and vaccine hesitancy
Purpose
There is a great potential in pulling together science communication and strategic communication, especially given how the former has gained importance in organizational contexts. Strategic communication, including rhetorical theory, can offer insights that are invaluable to understand the contests over what âtruthâ is and how different political perspectives influence such debates. The case of vaccine hesitancy is used as an illustration of the challenges posed to organizations and organizational communication around science-related issues today. There is a need to understand the audience in order to build credibility, or ethos, while at the same time recognizing the contingent and situational character of this endeavor.
Findings
Rhetoric and strategic communication can offer science communication the essential knowledge to strengthen credibility. While much attention has been geared toward understanding the audience, strategic communication and rhetoric in particular go further and also spell out the strategic implications for communication that is intended to strengthen credibility. Additionally, rhetoric alerts us to how credibility, or ethos, is not a fixed quality in a sender or a text but is situational and constantly negotiated. While the case of vaccine hesitancy and health authorities is used as an illustration, all organizations share the need to somehow have others believe in what they are saying. The toolboxes of strategic communication and rhetoric hold a number of insights and approaches that could benefit science communication.
Originality/value
The study pulls together insights from rhetoric and strategic communication that can inform science communication
Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility in Norway, 2009
Enron, Shell, and in Norway, Statoil and the state-owned Vinmonopolet, are all companies that have recently been involved in scandals and criticized for unethical conduct. By implication, these companies are also accused of neglecting their corporate social responsibility (CSR). Concurrently, it is not unlikely that such scandals have fed what appears to be widespread public skepticism regarding CSR programs. The companies' motivation for CSR is questioned, and it is doubted whether they follow up on grand promises made in public statements such as CSR reports. This skepticism poses rhetorical challenges for companies and also demands reflective and ethical strategies that address public perceptions of CSR. It is important to grasp the existing discourses about CSR in company publications, but also how the CSR concept is expressed in the mass media. In the research literature, however, studies of such aspects are scarce.This project addresses the above shortcomings in a Norwegian context by conducting a historical and context sensitive rhetorical and ethical analysis of communication strategies, as well as the mass media's coverage of CSR-related topics. Textual analysis is conducted drawing on both classical and modern works from rhetoric, public relations and the management discipline of business ethics. Qualitative interviews with organizational representatives will be used as a supplement. The focus is on five large,five medium-sized and five small Norwegian companies. This dataset contains the media coverage of a white paper on social responsibility
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