Participatory Risk Communication Essay

Lang, Fewell, and Burton (2010) defined risk communication as an interactive exchange of risk information, opinions amongstinstitutions or interested parties, with the main objective of analyzing and mitigating risks. It is about disseminating targeted messages in different contexts, and to create awareness on the probabilities and potential of risks and consequences to potential audiences, and to modify the attitude of targeted audiences through behavior change (Sandman & Jody, 2012).
Recent scholarships have revealed that risk communication continues to be used in differentcontexts due to its provisional nature (Arlikatti, Taibah & Andrew, 2016; Holtzhausen, & Zerfass, 2015).It has been usedby health practitioners to communicate health emergencies.
However, Nurse, Creese, Goldsmith, & Lamberts, (2011) have pointed that there is no one size fits all communication strategy.Several risk communication strategies have been proposed by risk communication scholars; some of these approaches are participatory risk communication strategy; probability risk communication strategy; contextualized approach crisis communication strategy; care communication strategy consensus communication strategy; public relations; stakeholder relations; outrage communication; technocratic risk
When an organization adopts the probability risk communication strategy, risk information is presented through numerical formats like frequencies, numbers, relative risks or odds. In addition, proponents of probability risk communication strategy have argued that risk communication can also be calculated and evaluated through scientific methodologies in order to ascertain the degree of risk. In recent years probability risk communication has been criticized by scholars and risk communication experts who have argued that this form of risk communication is not participatory as compared participatory risk communication