Mapping Sticky Crises through the Rhetorical Arena: A Topic-Led Model

Rongting Niu (Ph.D. candidate) and Winni Johansen. “Mapping Sticky Crises through the Rhetorical Arena: A Topic-Led Model.” Accepted for presentation at the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), March 5-7, 2026, Orlando, FL. Abstract: The overall goal of this paper is to introduce a RAT-based, topic-led model to advance the theoretical development of RAT and sticky crises. Our model captures crisis characteristics and trajectories by showing how multivocal interactions within the larger rhetorical arena and within/between topic-defined sub-arenas yield complexity and dynamic transformation.

Rongting Niu

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