Chapter 3 - Laws and Regulations
There are many laws and regulations for risk communication that public relations practitioners need to know. Failure to follow the laws and regulations may result in audience members taking legal action against an organization, loss of funding and an organization being forced to shut down (Lundgren and McMakin, p. 29-30). These laws and regulations cover anything from how to deal with chemical leaks to how to make decisions about how to clean up inactive waste sights. There are also laws and regulations about workplace safety and privacy in health communication. Some laws even require organizations to have plans on hand in case of a crisis.
The summary of chapter three says “Check with federal agencies, state agencies, local governments, and your organization before beginning a risk communication effort to ensure that you understand and are in compliance with the requirements (Lundgren and McMakin, p. 43).” After reading this chapter, I felt overwhelmed with rules and regulations and I can just imagine how a public relations practitioner feels. All of the laws and regulations seem necessary, but is there a point when there are too many laws and regulations? Is there a point when the threat of legal action creates more problems than it solves?
If I were a public relations practitioner working for an organization that had to follow all of these laws and regulations, I would feel very overwhelmed and confused of how to start putting together a crisis plan. I know that the laws and regulations are for people’s protection, but when there are so many to follow, how can a practitioner know where to start when putting together a crisis plan? There are so many agencies to contact and if a practitioner is working for an organization with limited public relations funds, they have many other things to be working on in addition to a crisis plan.
I guess that I am confused as to what to decide about the laws and regulations that I read about. I know they are all important and have been developed over time in response to things that have happened and harmed people, but at the same time, the list is very long and requires time to understand what is required by each law and regulation. The chart at the end of the chapter was helpful in understanding what is required and when and makes the list of laws and regulations more manageable.
I think the best thing for practitioners to do, when faced with having to comply with multiple laws and regulations, is to sit down and spend a significant chunk of time, such as a work day, understanding what is required by each law and regulation. Once a practitioner has done that, they will know what they need for their crisis plan, so they can start putting it together. The task of putting together a crisis plan while complying with the laws and regulations should be broken up into smaller steps so that it does not seem so overwhelming.
The summary of chapter three says “Check with federal agencies, state agencies, local governments, and your organization before beginning a risk communication effort to ensure that you understand and are in compliance with the requirements (Lundgren and McMakin, p. 43).” After reading this chapter, I felt overwhelmed with rules and regulations and I can just imagine how a public relations practitioner feels. All of the laws and regulations seem necessary, but is there a point when there are too many laws and regulations? Is there a point when the threat of legal action creates more problems than it solves?
If I were a public relations practitioner working for an organization that had to follow all of these laws and regulations, I would feel very overwhelmed and confused of how to start putting together a crisis plan. I know that the laws and regulations are for people’s protection, but when there are so many to follow, how can a practitioner know where to start when putting together a crisis plan? There are so many agencies to contact and if a practitioner is working for an organization with limited public relations funds, they have many other things to be working on in addition to a crisis plan.
I guess that I am confused as to what to decide about the laws and regulations that I read about. I know they are all important and have been developed over time in response to things that have happened and harmed people, but at the same time, the list is very long and requires time to understand what is required by each law and regulation. The chart at the end of the chapter was helpful in understanding what is required and when and makes the list of laws and regulations more manageable.
I think the best thing for practitioners to do, when faced with having to comply with multiple laws and regulations, is to sit down and spend a significant chunk of time, such as a work day, understanding what is required by each law and regulation. Once a practitioner has done that, they will know what they need for their crisis plan, so they can start putting it together. The task of putting together a crisis plan while complying with the laws and regulations should be broken up into smaller steps so that it does not seem so overwhelming.
posted by Jennifer at
1/21/2007 04:29:00 PM
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