ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the similarities and differences in how political and corporate public relations approach crises and crisis communication. The chapter centers on the similarities between political and corporate crisis communication for two reasons. First, the similarities are the reasons people often assume the advice for crisis communication is interchangeable between the two domains. Second, the similarities provide an opportunity to identify the key differences which preclude crisis communication advice from being completely interchangeable between the two domains. The five areas of similarity are the rhetorical roots, use of framing, preaching to the choir, negative affect from crises, and scandals. Each similarity is explored, then differences are identified. The differences are then translated into propositions that could guide future research intended to compare political and corporate crisis communication. Suggestions also are given for how the crisis communication research in the two domains might inform one another.
