The HKSAR Government's PR Sense and Sensibility: Analysis of its SARS Crisis Management

Abstract

This paper analyzes the HKSAR government’s crisis management during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak and is an attempt (in a post-handover Hong Kong) to shed light on its ability, sensitivity and priority in managing political public relations (PR). It discusses how, under Tung’s leadership, SARS reflected the poor political PR sense and practices of the government. It further explores why, since the handover, the government’s PR performance had consistently diminished. The concluding section sheds light on how the case of SARS illustrates the uniqueness of governmental crises.