INVESTIGATING CRISIS COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN A GOVERNMENT OPERATING SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY OF CHINESE GOVERNMENT CRISIS RESPONSE TO THE 2008 SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE by QIANQIAN NONG (Under the Direction of Bryan H. Reber) ABSTRACT This study applies Coombs’s crisis response strategies, Benoit’s image restoration theory, and Grunig’s excellence theory as theoretical Frames to investigate the Chinese Government’s response and image restoration Following to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. This study serves as a test on the applicability of these theories in the context oF China, a country in which the political culture oF authoritarian communist party leadership plays a crucial role. Through content analysis oF prominent media coverage and government released materials, buttressed by case studies oF public evaluations, this study indicates that the Chinese Government established a new credible and transparent government communication style aFter the earthquake in comparison with its handling oF SARS Crisis of 2002. INDEX WORDS: The Chinese Government, Sichuan earthquake, Image restoration, Crisis communication, Crisis response strategy continuum, Two-way asymmetrical communication INVESTIGATING CRISIS COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN A GOVERNMENT OPERATING SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY OF CHINESE GOVERNMENT CRISIS RESPONSE TO THE 2008 SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE by QIANQIAN NONG B.A., North China Institute oF Science and Technology, China, 2010 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty oF The University oF Georgia in Partial FulFillment OF the Requirements For the Degree MASTER OF ARTS ATHENS, GEORGIA 2012 © 2012 Qianqian Nong All Rights Reserved INVESTIGATING CRISIS COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES IN A GOVERNMENT OPERATING SYTEM: A CASE STUDY OF CHINESE GOVERNMENT CRISIS RESPONSE TO THE 2008 SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE By QIANQIAN NONG Major ProFessor: Bryan H. Reber Committee: Bryan H. Reber Lynne Sallot Lijiang Shen Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2012 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to show my heartFelt gratitude to my major proFessor Dr. Bryan Reber, whose persistent encouragement, patience, motivation, guidance and support enabled me to FulFill the research and writing of this thesis. Besides my advisor, I am indebted to my thesis committee members Dr. Lynne Sallot and Dr. Lijiang Shen, From whom I gained insightFul comments and support. Last, I would like to thank Yanjing Li, who served as another coder veriFying my research results. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................. iv 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 2 SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE ............................................................................................ 3 3 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................. 5 3.1 Crisis deFinition and image damage .......................................................... 5 3.2 Crisis response strategies continuum ....................................................... 6 3.3 Excellence theory oF communication ........................................................ 9 4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................... 16 5 METHOD ......................................................................................................................... 17 6 FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................... 22 6.1 Crisis strategies application ....................................................................... 23 6.2 Communication with news media ........................................................... 26 6.3 Social media application .............................................................................. 27 6.4 Image/reputation establishment ............................................................. 32 6.5 In comparison with SARS crisis ................................................................ 41 7 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................. 44 7.1 Examination oF Coombs’s crisis response strategies continuum in the context of China ......................................................................................... 44 vi 7.2 Examination oF Grunig’s model oF excellence in the context of China ............................................................................................................................ 48 7.3 Examination oF Benoit’s image restoration strategies in the context of China ...................................................................................................... 52 7.4 The innovative application oF social media ........................................................................................................................................ 54 7.5 Progress made in Sichuan earthquake in comparison to SARS ........................................................................................................................................ 56 8 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 58 9 LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE IMPLICATIONS ................................................. 60 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................... 62 APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................................... 71 Appendix A ................................................................................................................ 71 Appendix B ................................................................................................................ 86 Appendix C ................................................................................................................ 88 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION A lethal earthquake measuring 8.0 magnitude hit Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, a rural and mountainous region in western China, at 2:28 p.m. (Beijing time), May 12, 2008 (Xin, 2008), leaving about 80,000 people dead or missing (Mu, 2011). According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter oF the earthquake was less than 80 miles northwest oF the capital oF Sichuan province Chengdu. Hence, the provincial capital was devastated by this earthquake. The damage oF the earthquake had extended to neighboring cities such as Mianyang, Dujiangyan and Guanyuan (Tao, Wu, Zheng, & Tao, 2010, p. 524). At the same time, people From thousands oF miles away around China, From Beijing to Shanghai also sensed the strong tremor (Xin, 2008). Lerbinger (1997) stated that a crisis is characterized as suddenness, unwanted uncertainty, high risk, and image challenges (p. 3-4). These remarkable characteristics were reFlected by an unexpected natural disaster. After the earthquake, the Chinese Government’s image and credibility were at stake, which required them to develop a crisis management mechanism to cope with the natural disaster. Chen (2009) observed, “The Chinese Government was compelled to deal with such critical issues as inFormation provision, openness, speed, and ease oF availability, credibility, confidence building, and image/reputation retaining.” (p. 187). As a natural disaster creates unexpected, devastating consequences, the 2 Chinese Government had to make decisions in a timely Fashion. Hart, Rosenthal and Kouzmin (1993) indicated that “political and administrative centralization” play an important role in crisis decision-making. Bo¨hm (2008) pointed out that politically speaking, the Sichuan earthquake reaFFirmed the conviction that For the legitimacy oF a state there is nothing as important as developing an eFFicient crisis management mechanism (as cited in Lai & Hui, 2009, p. 137). This study, thereFore, seeks to examine the Chinese Government’s crisis response capability Following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. This research analyzes the crisis communication strategies that the Chinese Government employed when it was Faced with such a devastating catastrophe, through the lenses oF Coombs’s crisis response strategies continuum (Coombs, 1999), Benoit’s image restoration strategies (Benoit, 1997), and Grunig’s excellence theory (Grunig, 1992). Additionally, it scrutinizes the applicability oF these three major models in China. Through a comprehensive analysis oF the Chinese Government’s crisis management in 2008 Sichuan earthquake the theories and strategies are examined and modiFied to be better applied in this developing but highly authoritarian country. Finally, it measures the Chinese Government’s success, or lack thereoF, in handling this earthquake by comparing how the Chinese Government handled the SARS Crisis in 2002, as well as exposing deficiencies that need to be improved in the Future. In addition, this analysis will determine whether the Chinese Government has been making eFForts to establish a transparent government, thereby changing people’s stereotypical views on the relationship between news media and the Chinese Government. 3 CHAPTER 2 SICHUAN EARTHQUAKE A destructive, large-scaled earthquake, measuring 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale and centering 10km below the surFace,