Coverage of organic agriculture in North American newspapers

Abstract

Purpose -The project explored the ways in which the topics of organic food and agriculture are discussed in representative North American media outlets in reference to food safety, environmental concerns, and human health. Design/methodology/approach -Articles from five newspapers were collected and coded using the content analysis technique and analyzed for topic, tone, and theme. Findings -For a six-year time period, 618 articles on organic food and organic agriculture are analyzed and the prominent topics are found to be genetic engineering, pesticides, and organic farming. Articles with a neutral tone with respect to organic agriculture and food accounted for 41.4 percent of the articles, while positively toned articles garnered 36.9 percent. The themes human health, food safety, and environmental concerns were discussed with positive reference to organic food and agriculture in 81, 50, and 90 percent, respectively, of comments pulled from the articles. Practical implications -Analysis of these articles over time, between media outlets and by topic allows for understanding of media reporting on the subject and provides insight into the way the public is influenced by news coverage of organic food and agriculture. Originality/value -Research that analyzes media coverage for how it portrays the topic of organic food and organic agriculture with respect to health, food safety, and environmental concern, and concludes that articles about organic production in the selected time period are seldom negative.

Organics, trust, and credibility: a management and media research perspective

“…Research reveals a shared tendency in the media for a lack of critical journalism, hard facts, and more complex knowledge about organics (Cahill et al 2010). Media content analyses show that the media almost exclusively represent organic food as a positive alternative to conventional food (Lockie 2006, Cahill et al 2010).…”

“…Media content analyses show that the media almost exclusively represent organic food as a positive alternative to conventional food (Lockie 2006, Cahill et al 2010). Organic signifies "good" production, whereas conventional signifies "bad."…”

Pull the Emotional Trigger or the Rational String? A Multi-Group Analysis of Organic Food Consumption

“…1 stated that governments should continue to adjust and optimize the agricultural structure; strengthen the certification and management of green food, organic agricultural products and geographical indications of agricultural products; and increase the supply of high-quality green agricultural products. Compared with traditional food, organic food follows the production standards of organic agriculture, without using chemically synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, and other substances [2,3]. It contains no pesticide residues and does not use growth hormone and genetic engineering (GE) in the growing process, which is more healthy, nutritious, and natural [4].…”

Effect of information on public perception of organic foods: a case study

“…The nonfactual news story exaggerated the benefits of organic foods beyond what has been scientifically shown. Cahill et al. (2010) contended that news media often exaggerate health and environmental benefits of organic foods in the US.…”

“…The nonfactual news story exaggerated the benefits of organic foods beyond what has been scientifically shown. Cahill et al (2010) contended that news media often exaggerate health and environmental benefits of organic foods in the US. Therefore, participants with average or high frequencies of news exposure amplified their perceptions of organic foods after watching the nonfactual news story because prior exposure influenced their perceived accuracy of the nonfactual news.…”