National Center for Food Protection and Defense Project: Advancing the Robust Case Study

The Robust Case Study project provides the real time feedback necessary for enterprises such as government agencies and organizations in the food industry to take into account public sentiment regarding their risk and crisis communication. By doing so, these organizations are better able to meet their responsibility as providers of critical information during high-risk situations. In the 2013—2014 academic year, we will maintain our current media tracking procedure, but also extend our analysis further into the role social media plays in generating and influencing stories focusing on risks to the food supply. Specifically, we will assess the consistency or convergence of the media coverage with an increased emphasis on social media. Specifically, we will explore the alignment of data from sources such as Twitter, and YouTube, with television coverage. We have analyzed Twitter in the past, but we will intensify this process. YouTube is a new focus that we have selected based on the use of this resource by such agencies as the American Meat Institute to reactively and proactively counterbalance misinformation shared by others. Again, the Message Convergence Model was developed through collaborative research by members of the NCFPD risk communication theme. Ultimately, will continue tracking information chronicling it in a format that is: a) meaningful to risk communicators in the midst of a high-risk foodborne event; b) appropriate for theoretical analysis and publication in refereed academic journals; and c) translatable into training modules, utilizing the NCFPD learning module template being developed Abbey Nutsch as part of her 2012/13 Education Program activities, that can be used in proactive training of risk communicators.