Rhetoric and Reality: Risk Communication in Government Agencies

Government agencies and industries are increasingly grappling with ways to address the problems caused by the different ways that laypeople and experts perceive environmental risks. This article summarizes the results of two studies that examined the extent of philosophical commitment to risk communication by government agencies compared with the risk communication practices of these agencies. Both studies suggest a gap between the stated commitment of government agencies to risk communication and their practices. The authors suggest how that gap may be bridged.