Insights from
the Field.

Navigating Risk, Crisis, and Emergency Communication: A Unified Framework for Communication Professionals

This systematic review of 200 academic and organisational sources reveals a critical lack of theoretical consensus in defining risk, crisis, and emergency communication, highlighting a strategic gap between academic models that prioritise long-term dialogue and organisational frameworks, like the CDC’s CERC model, that prioritise rapid information dissemination. By analysing key "boundary markers"—including timing (pre-event vs. during-event), threat severity, and audience characteristics—the report identifies how these three modes of communication function as distinct yet fluid categories that often overlap during complex "polycrises".