About: He teaches public relations, management, and writing. Research foci are public relations and health and crisis communication.
Education
Ph.D., Journalism, University of Missouri
M.S., Journalism, University of Kansas
B.A., Speech and Drama, Bethel College
Research Interests and Activities
Dr. Reber’s research focuses on public relations theory, practice and pedagogy. He has published his research in the Journal of Public Relations Research, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Communication Management, and Newspaper Research Journal among others. In addition, Dr. Reber has presented his research at numerous academic conferences.
Abstract: This study investigated the ethical challenges facing public relations professionals in today’s digital communication environment. Our research found nearly 60% of surveyed professionals reported that they faced ethical challenges […]
Read MoreAbstract: This chapter explores the importance of organizational purpose, culture, and leadership in weathering a social media crisis and the impact of stakeholders’ changing expectations on organizational responses. Organizations are […]
Read MoreAbstract: The standard advice in crisis communication is to respond quickly, but only with what is absolutely known to be fact. Social media have increased the potential for quick response, […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study is motivated to investigate the ethical challenges facing public relations professionals in today’s digital communication environment. Our research found nearly 60% of surveyed professionals reported that they faced […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study investigated PR professionals’ attention to and perceptions of cybersecurity, and their involvement in handling cybersecurity incidents. Preliminary findings include that practitioners in the US and Canada did […]
Read MoreAbstract: Organizations need to respond to sticky crises with speed and timeliness; this speed depends onhow communication practitioners assess threats and their organizations’ resources for the threats. Based on theoretical […]
Read MoreAbstract: To further the understanding of how communication executives make tough calls in times of organizational-public conflict, we use a conjoint analysis to identify key drivers for organizational stance decision-making. […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study investigates the ethical challenges facing public relations professionals in today’s digital communication environment. Specifically, we focused our research on the new ethical challenges in digital practice, the […]
Read MoreAbstract: Crises present organizations with the “rhetorical exigency” to enact control (Heath, 2004, p.167). Silence is not an option. This study, as the first empirical examination of Le et al. (2019)’s seminal study […]
Read MoreAbstract: The paper presents findings from an international survey of communication professionals on change leadership in communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the strong impact brought by the pandemic, communication […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study is motivated to investigate the ethical challenges facing public relations professionals in today’s digital communication environment. Specifically, we focused our research on the new ethical challenges in […]
Read MoreMeng, J., Reber, B. H., Gower, K., Zerfass, A. (June 9, 2021). Exploring the 2020-2021 North American Communication Monitor. Facebook Live Webinar, invited and hosted by the Plank Center for […]
Read MoreAbstract: How individuals experience unintended effects of risk messages is an understudied area. Focusing on three types of unintended effects (i.e., message fatigue, risk tolerance, and psychological reactance) associated with […]
Read MoreNorth American Communication Monitor 2020-2021. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic, ethical challenges, gender issues, cyber security, and competence gaps in strategic communication.
Read MoreAbstract: The paper presents findings from an international survey of communication professionals on change leadership in communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the strong impact brought by the pandemic, communication […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study uses a novel approach, the conjoint analysis, as a way to investigate the interactions between three factor groupings of the contingency theory variables that are relevant for […]
Read MoreAbstract: To expand the existing scholarly literature on the nature of crisis, this study elaborates on the notion of crisis distance by 1) investigating its influence on publics’ crisis responses […]
Read MoreAbstract: The purpose of this study is to identify the best practices for corporate communication research collaboration between a university research group (URG) and outside businesses or organizations that systematically […]
Read MoreMeng, J., Berger, B. K., Heyman, W., & Reber, B. H. (2019). Public relations leaders earn a “C+” in The Plank Center’s Report Card 2019. Gender and hierarchy gaps widen, […]
Read MoreMeng, J., Reber, B. H., Berger, B. K., Gower, K. K., & Zerfass, A. (2019). North American Communication Monitor 2018-2019. Tracking trends in fake news, issues management, leadership performance, work […]
Read MoreAbstract: This Delphi study explores the status of crisis communication research and education qualitatively through the lens of 22 internationally recognized crisis communication scholars, systematically recruited and retained to serve […]
Read MoreAbstract:: Advancing Crisis Communication Effectiveness shows how crisis communication plans and efforts for complex and challenging issues benefit when academic perspectives are connected with practitioner experiences. This book brings crisis […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study explored how financial crisis history can inform corporate crisis communication practice across industries and over time. Thirty-eight interviews with chief communications officers (CCOs) and their counselors were […]
Read MoreAbstract: This study explored how financial crisis history can inform corporate crisis communication practice across industries and over time. Thirty-eight interviews with chief communications officers (CCOs) and their counselors were […]
Read MoreTeaching Specialties
His primary teaching interests are public relations administration, public relations communication, and public relations campaigns. He has also taught persuasion, campaign research and public opinion management on the graduate level.
Experience
Prior to joining the Grady College, Dr. Reber worked in public relations at Bethel College, Kansas. He has conducted research and consulted for the University of Alabama, Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network, Sierra Club, Ketchum, Missouri Public Service Commission, and others. He taught at the University of Alabama immediately prior to joining the Grady faculty.
Awards and Fellowships
He received the Ketchum/Institute for Public Relations, Scientific Methods And Research Techniques (SMART) Grant/Internship in 1999. He has received top paper awards at the International Communication Association (2001) and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (2003, 2000).