Citation

Choi M, Song B, Moon WK. Public Relat. Rev. 2024; 50(2): e102450.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102450

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study examined how two opposing advocacy organizations, National Rifle Association and Moms Demand Action, legitimize issues related to gun violence. Through topic modeling and social network analysis of tweets from both organizations, this study analyzed how advocacy organizations dealing with controversial issues use communication to achieve certain types of legitimacy. With the consistent outbreak of school mass shootings, this study also explored the communication strategies employed by advocacy organizations to manage issues and enhance legitimacy to garner policy initiatives. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings were discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

Advocacy communication; Gun debate; Issue management; Legitimacy theory; Topic modeling