Misinformation and the Emotional Labor of Crisis Governance: Evidence from Hurricane Helene in North Carolina

• In Event: State Policy Variations in Disaster Governance: Analyzing the Role of Evidence, Emotions, Discretion, and Policy Windows

Abstract

As authority over policy design and implementation increasingly shifts toward states, the demands placed on local and state public managers, particularly during crises, have intensified. While existing scholarship documents substantial variation in state policy driven by political ideology rather than objective need, less attention has been paid to how these dynamics shape the lived experiences and well-being of the managers responsible for policy implementation. This study examines the mental health impacts and emotional labor associated with managing misinformation during crisis response, focusing on a qualitative case study of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. Data were collected through a series of focus groups with local and state government managers across North Carolina who were directly involved in emergency response and recovery efforts during Hurricane Helene. These focus groups provided a space for participants to reflect on their experiences navigating rapidly evolving information environments characterized by widespread misinformation circulating through social media, partisan networks, and community channels. Using thematic analysis, this study explores how these conditions shaped not only managerial responsibilities but also the psychological and emotional experiences of public servants. The analysis centers on how public managers perceive and respond to the mental health challenges associated with their roles during crisis conditions. Particular attention is given to reported experiences of stress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion, as well as the strategies managers use to cope with these pressures. In addition, the study examines the forms of emotional labor required in this context, including managing personal emotional responses, maintaining public trust amid confusion and skepticism, and engaging empathetically with distressed or misinformed constituents. These dynamics are explored as core, yet often overlooked, components of public sector work in high-stakes, information-saturated environments. By foregrounding the mental health dimensions of crisis governance, this paper contributes to scholarship on state policy and administration by linking broader governance structures to the day-to-day experiences of public managers. In doing so, it responds directly to calls for research that better captures variation in state-level policy environments and their implications for well-being. The study aims to inform future research and practice by highlighting the need for institutional supports, training, and resources that address the psychological toll of public service in an era of pervasive misinformation and decentralized governance.

Authors

• Aram Jung, Cornell University
  Presenting Author

• Rebecca M Entress, University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Co-Author