21 pages, via online journal, How an agricultural organization handles the way the media reports a crisis can have an impact on the public’s perceptions of the organization, and sometimes the industry as a whole. The popularity of social media outlets as a venue for disseminating and gathering information and news makes the use of social media surrounding agricultural crises an important topic to investigate (Glynn, Huge, & Hoffman 2012; Hermida, 2010). A qualitative case study was conducted to investigate the use of social media tools during an agricultural crisis. The participants – communications directors, social media managers, and individuals with a close connection to the crisis under study – reported that social media was a major component of their communication efforts surrounding each crisis. Participants felt social media was very effective in these situations and had a major impact on their communication efforts. Although no participants reported using a structured social media strategy or crisis communication plan, they stated a need for such guidelines in the agricultural industry. From the data analyzed in this study, a model for using social media during a crisis situation, aimed specifically for use by those in the agricultural industry, was developed. This project was funded through the USDA's Beginning Farmers & Ranchers Project.
Evans, Jim (author), Snowdon, Gail (author), and Snowdon: Extension Communications Specialist (Decision Data), University of Illinois; Evans: Head, Office of Agricultural Communications and Education, University of Illinois
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
1991
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 83 Document Number: C05062
James F. Evans Collection; Paper presented at the International Meeting of Agricultural Communicators in Education; 1990 July 16; St. Paul, MN, A lack of theory, models, and methods in the agricultural science news writing process spurred the initial investigation of this specialized writing process. Data were collected via process-tracing methods of a minute-by-minute observation of a farm magazine writer's writing process. The researcher used a protocol chart to record the nature and duration of the social-cognitive behaviors of the five stories. Results showed these cognitive behaviors dominated the writing process: organize, generate, compose, finalize, and edit language. The peak of cognitive behaviors occurred during the middle time period. The social-individual category showed a predominance of talking with associates while the social-organizational category showed a predominance of consulting documents. Cognition is the hub activity, significantly following social-individual and social-organizational behaviors. A potential model of the agricultural science news writing process was developed. (original)
