Integrare la comunicazione del rischio e dell’emergenza: verso un approccio relazionale

This paper is aimed at investigating the integration between risk communication and emergency communication by analyzing the significance of the relationship between institutional and public sources as a key factor in determining the effectiveness of messages and strategies. According to a well-established body of research (Reynolds & Seeger, 2005 ; Veil et al., 2008 ; Lundgren & McMakin, 2011 ; Heath & O'Hair, 2020 ), risk and emergency communication should be intended as synergistic and complementary components of a whole, unified strategy. This strategy is designed to build, strengthen, and maintain the quality of relationships with different types of publics, both during periods of relative stability, when risk is a present yet not impending threat (peacetime) as well as in times of crisis, when risk turns into immediate and present threat being able to disrupt normal functioning of social systems. In a communication environment characterized by the proliferation of sources, channels, and messages (Van Dijk, 2013 ; Sorice, 2020 ), increasingly dominated by digital platforms (Van Dijck, Poell, & De Waal, 2018 ) and phenomena such as information overload and disinformation (Wardle & Derakhshan, 2018 ), the success or failure of institutional communication efforts hinges on the ability to cultivate trust, credibility, and reputation (Coombs & Holladay, 2001 ; Boholm & Corvellec, 2013 ; Cairns et al., 2013 ). Although inherently susceptible to reputational crises, these forms of relational capital can be effectively accumulated and mobilized to enhance not only public confidence but also the preparedness and resilience of at-risk populations (Aldrich & Meyer, 2015).