“Issue” is the foundational stage that carries the possibilities for actualizing argument, conflict, and crisis in the marketplace. Scholars and practitioners in rhetoric, corporate communication, public relations, and organizational communication define issue in various ways. Robert L. Heath1 reflects on the importance of issue from a rhetorical perspective, defining the term as “contestable questions of fact, value, or policy that affect how stakeholders grant or withhold support and seek changes through public policy” (Heath 1997, p. 44). His approach is influential in the work of numerous risk and crisis communication scholars, who argue that the persuasive nature of issue is a defining factor in determining the salience ...
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