Moving Toward a Framework for the Study of Risk Communication: Theoretical and Ethical Considerations

The National Research Council (1989) defines risk communication as “an interactive process of exchange of information and opinion among individuals, groups, and institutions” (p. 2). Inherent in this definition are two elements risk communicators have generally overlooked. One is the idea that risk communication involves a two-way flow of information. The second is the necessity of including cross-level linkages in studying risk.