We Thought It Could Never Happen Here

Abstract

This article is a case study of the crisis communications response that took place following the Thurston High School shootings in Springfield, Oregon, in May 1998. It addresses the challenges faced by public information officers, in the Springfield/Eugene, Oregon area, who dealt with the communications aftermath of the Thurston shootings and looks at the emotional impact a crisis of this magnitude can have on those responding to it from an information dissemination and news gathering perspective.

Key Words:

• Crisis communications
• public information officers (PIOs)
• public relations