To drink or not to drink? What Philly’s water crisis can tell us about emergency communication

After more than 8,000 gallons of an acrylic polymer solution leaked into a tributary of the Delaware River, the city of Philadelphia panicked. But even after the all clear was given, many residents were still wary. 

This is just one example of a growing mistrust of government messaging. What could officials on the city, state, and national level be doing better in times of crisis? Dr. Mike Smith is an associate professor of communications at La Salle University. He tells us how he thinks the government and institutions should communicate with people and how to regain public trust once it’s gone. 

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