This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Venette, S. J. Articles by Lang, P. A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Metanarration's Role in Restructuring Perceptions of Crisis: NHTSA's Failure in the Ford-Firestone Crisis

North Dakota State University

Timothy L. Sellnow

North Dakota State University

Patricia A. Lang

North Dakota State University

This study explores the process by which organizations involved in crisis seek to manage and influence the public narratives surrounding the event. Specifically, organizational messages are divided into the stages of primary narrative and secondary narrative as the organiza tions seek to reconstruct the crisis event for their stakeholders. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) multiple responses to accusations that it failed to properly respond to the Ford/Firestone case are analyzed as an illustration of the metanarra tion model. We demonstrate the function of metanarration by show ing that NHTSA effectively reconstructed the narrative associated with its failure by creating an exigency for enhancing, rather than punish ing, the organization.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. A. Rosa and J. Spanjol Micro-Level Product-Market Dynamics: Shared Knowledge and Its Relationship to Market Development Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, April 1, 2005; 33(2): 197 - 216. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. E. Hale, R. E. Dulek, and D. P. Hale Crisis Response Communication Challenges: Building Theory From Qualitative Data Journal of Business Communication, April 1, 2005; 42(2): 112 - 134. [Abstract] [PDF]