The Practice of Government Public Relations, 2nd Edition

5Crisis Communication Challenges in the Public Sector

J. Suzanne Horsley and Matthew S. VanDyke

Introduction

Government communicators are familiar with the daily crises that arise at public sector organizations, but managing those crises at the various levels of government can be more challenging for them than their peers in the corporate world. Anyone who has worked or consulted in government public affairs knows that managing a crisis can be complicated by taxpayers’ opinions, elected officials’ agendas, appointed officials’ objectives, and laws particular to the public sector – and these are just the domestic concerns. When crises encompass foreign issues, they add a whole new dimension to this complex environment.

Practitioners’ gut ...