Rischio e Comunicazione. Teorie, modelli, problemi.

Andrea Cerase RISK AND COMMUNICATION Theories, models, problems The text of this book was subjected to peer review (blind peer review) in accordance with guidelines and procedures approved by the Scientific Committee of Egea (http://www.egeaeditore.it/ita/chi-siamo.aspx) and available on the website of the publishing house (http://www.egeaonline.it/media/site_resources/documenti/ita/criteri-identificanti-ilcarattere-scientifico.pdf) Copyright © 2017 EGEA S.p.A Via Salasco, 5-20136 Milan Tel. +00392-58365751 + 00392-58365753 [email protected] - www.egeaeditore.it All rights are reserved, including translation, total or partial adaptation, reproduction, communication to the public and making available by any means and / or on any media (including microfilms, films, photocopies, electronic or digital media), as well as electronic storage and any storage and retrieval system information. For more information or requests to reproduce see the website www.egeaeditore.it Given the characteristics of the Internet, the Publisher is not responsible for any changes of addresses and content of the websites mentioned. ISBN: 978-88-238-4552-7 First Edition: April 2017 Print: Digital Print Service, Segrate (MI) Andrea Cerase is an Italian media sociologist and received its PhD in Communication Research. He’s been a research fellow at La Sapienza University in Rome, and he taught as lecturer at Rome, Sassari e Florence universities. This book fulfils a risk trilogy also including the books Terremoti, comunicazione, diritto. Riflessioni sul processo alla “Commissione Grandi Rischi”, edited in 2015 with Alessandro Amato and Fabrizio Galadini and the volume La malasanità in scena. Anatomia di un “caso mediale”, co-authored with other three and published in 2012. This book is 288 pages long and it is organized into eight chapters, including an introduction and conclusions. It also contains a foreword by Alberto Alemanno and an afterword by Alessandro Amato, plus 11 figures and one table. The reference list is made by 623 entries as to cover extensively the academic debate. At the moment it is available only in Italian. For translation requests please contact the publisher: Egea Via Salasco, 5-20136 Milan Tel. +00392-58365751 + 00392-58365753 [email protected] - www.egeaeditore.it Index Foreword: a plea for a pluralistic understanding of risk Page 11 » » » » » » » 17 20 27 30 33 36 39 » » » » » » » 41 43 44 52 58 61 67 » » 77 81 by Alberto Alemanno Risk and communication: notes to introduce the debate Relevance and centrality of risk studies Why risk studies? The reasons behind an interdisciplinary approach Risk approaches: basic concepts and definitions Risk centrality in contemporary cultures Risk communication: practices in search of a theory? Cyclic and co-presence perspectives: a readers’ guide Acknowledgement 1. Risk beyond risk society theories 1.1 The rising of the Risk Society 1.2 Beck, Giddens, Lash: risk and reflexivity 1.3 Beck: risk as a late modernity apocalypse 1.4 Giddens and the eclipse of tradition: knowledge, trust, risk 1.5 Criticisms against the risk society theories 1.6 Risk in the governmental perspective 1.7 Niklas Luhmann. Risk and the social system: decision and communication. 2. Technical and scientific approaches to risk: the rational actor paradigm 2.1 Quisque faber: risk, nature, science and rationality 2.2 The number’s fashion: engineering approaches 2.3 Frank Knight: risk as calculable uncertainty 2.4 The sunset of certainties 2.5 Risk communication: linear models 2.5.1 Deficit model 2.5.2 The Decide- announce – defend model » » » » » 89 92 93 96 100 » » » » » » » » » » 105 107 109 112 113 114 115 117 121 123 » 127 » » » » 133 135 139 140 » » 143 150 » 153 » » » » 154 156 159 159 3. Risk perception and psychometric approach 3.1 Psychological theories: main research seams 3.2 The prospect theory 3.3 Risk heuristics 3.3.1 Euristics of availability 3.3.2 Euristics of affect 3.4 The psychometric approach 3.5 Risk perception: dread, familiarity, knowledge 3.6. The role of mediating factors in risk communication 3.6.1. The mental models’ approach 3.7 Psychological approaches: criticism and interpretive limitations 4. The Cultural Theory: risk research between anthropology and sociology 4.1 Mary Douglas and the dialectics between culture and social structure 4.2 Norms, values and social conflicts 4.3 The grid / group model 4.4 Risk as faults: blaming and strategies 4.5 L’allargamento dei campi di indagine della Cultural Theory 4.6 Risk communication as a symbolic exchange 4.7 Cultural Theory’s limit: posing the question of empirical validation 5.The Social Amplification of Risk (SARF) 5.1 The Social Amplification of Risk: origins of a meta-theory 5.1.1 A conceptual, meta-theoretical umbrella 5.1.2 Epistemological foundations 5.1.3 Toward an integrative and multidisciplinary approach 5.2 Stages of amplification and ripple effects 5.3 Communication and risk amplification 5.3.1 The pivotal role of della communication 5.3.2 Media significance 5.3.3 Linking with communication research 5.3.4 Trust as a relevant matter 5.4 How risk meanings are constructed 5.5 Criticism against the theory 5.6 From the theory to research fields: empirical and practical suggestions » » » » » » » » 160 166 168 169 171 174 175 177 » » 183 187 » » » » » 191 196 199 203 205 6. Between theory and practices: a key in understanding risk communication 6.1 Goals and functions of risk communication 6.2 Interpersonale mediation: from the opinion leadership to the social media environment 6.3 Risk communication and political decision making processes 6.4 Risk communication and other communication branches 6.4.1 Contents and labels: peculiarities and superimpositions 6.4.2 Natural and scientifica languages 6.5 Misconceptions and misunderstandings: probability and uncertainty Conclusions: an opening towards the future Linking theories and technicalities From theory to research: a plea for a scientifically sound communication Codified knowledges: guidelines, protocols, best practices Learning from mistakes: the assessment » » 211 215 » » 217 221 By Alessandro Amato » 229 References » 235 Afterwords