ABSTRACT
This chapter sketches several major approaches to mediated communication, underscores their relevance to risk and crisis communication and accentuates possible unifying factors. It explores the potential impact of new media, and emphasizes areas of potential research. However, for those regarding mediated communication from a transactional or critical perspective, the potential for premature closure or outright truncation of robust debate based on the Enlightenment ideal unbridled discourse likely will be viewed with some trepidation. Crisis can be found at the extreme range of consequence, conflict or both. And it is during a crisis that media’s influence is most important (dependency theory). Under such severe conditions, both society and individuals find themselves at the apex of their dependency on mediated communication. Individuals rely on the media for essential information and guidance. And the media are essential for authorities in their coordination efforts as they mobilize society’s resources to respond to an emergency.
