Government as biosecurity communicator: the 2006 spinach advisory.

In 2006, after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traced Escherichia coli O157:H7 cases to spinach, the FDA went beyond communicating with consumers and enlisted the cooperation of the food industry to prevent further spinach consumption. Understanding the factors that increased or frustrated industry participation provides lessons for communicating about accidental contamination and intentional attacks on the American food supply. This qualitative research about FDA's risk communication included interviews with senior representatives of organizations serving a range of roles in the food supply system, including suppliers, distributors, grocery stores, and trade associations.

Facilitation of risk communication during the anthrax attacks of 2001: the organizational backstory.

The anthrax attacks of 2001 created risk communication problems that cannot be fully understood without appreciating the dynamics among organizations. Case studies of communication in New Jersey, consisting of interviews with a range of participants, found that existing organizational and professional networks facilitated trust among decisionmakers. This interpersonal trust improved communication among agencies and thereby risk communication with the public.

From the inside out: environmental agency views about communications with the public.

Relatively few studies have examined risk communication with the public from the viewpoint of the staff of institutions attempting such communications. This paper reports results of interviews with managers and staff of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, on their programs' current and ideal communications with the public. Q analysis revealed two orthogonal perspectives on current program communications, the Enthused and the Constrained views.