Impact Trust • Working glossary

Crisis narrative / framing

How the story of a crisis is told shapes what responses feel possible.

Details

Our Take
Somewhat academic but helpful for explicitly analysing messaging
Examples of Use
Media, academics, advocates
Ideological Framing
The framing of a crisis is never neutral. It determines which actors are seen as legitimate responders, which solutions appear natural, and whose suffering becomes visible. Pay attention to who controls the narrative and whose experience it centres.
Synonyms/Variants
Crisis framing; Problem framing; Narrative warfare (more adversarial)