Local Press Coverage of Environmental Conflict

Abstract

An examination of 600 items in the local press coverage of environmental conflictduringa ten-yearperiodshowed thata communitydaily inasmall, but heterogeneous system (1) did indeed favor governmentlindustry sources rather than activistslcitizens through allfive stages of the conflict;(2) supported local industry in editorials and staff opinion columns in only two stages (Mobilization and Confrontation); and (3) legitimized local industry and marginalized its opponents through all five stages.There is a rich tradition of research on the mass media and community conflict in small, homogenous and large, pluralistic communities, but far less attention has been paid to environmental issues in "fragmented communities.' In the rural south where such groupings are situated between smallhomogenous and large-pluralistic metropolitan areas, the existence of such "fragmented communities poses an important yet unanswered question about how news media function in covering the conflict of protracted environmental struggles.American environmentalism in the 1990s has been credited with precipitating "a collision with long-dominant political and economic values."2 Whenever there are angry citizens in debate, whether it is about a nuclear power plant, an urban renewal project, or location of a chemical waste disposal site, it often becomes a question of whose ox is being gored.3 In a Community conflict case involving a meat packing plant, for example, residents with little to lose if the plant were to close were most supportive of efforts to stop that town's largest employer from dumping raw sewage into a river?Residents of small communities experiencing high unemployment tend to welcome new industry that promises to create hundreds of jobs and pour millions of dollars into the stagnant economy. When it involves hazardous waste, however, community reaction often divides residents into two groups: those who applaud the windfall of new employment opportunities and those who point ominously at the potential health and safety risks. The size and fabric of such a community, the level of local journalists' interest, and the parent company's attempts to mold public opinion also influence the development and outcome of such conflicts?By tracing the evolution of one "fragmented" community's experience during a ten-year period, it is possible to discern how coverage of an environmental dispute over a planned hazardous waste incinerator was framed in terms of the powers involved at different stages during the community conflict. By doing so, we attempt to assess how the local press Claire E . Taylor is a writer for The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, Louisiana. This research article is based upon her graduate thesis conducted under the supervision of the lute lung-Sook Lee. It is submitted with the assistance of William R. Davie, who directs the broadcasting program at the University of Louisiana at Lufayette.

Impact of Newspaper Characteristics on Reporters' Agricultural Crisis Stories: Productivity, Story Length, and Source Selection

“…Coverage by the Oregonian, located in cosmopolite, urban Portland, also supported previous findings that newspapers in larger, more pluralistic communities tend to give greater coverage to controversial science topics, with mitigation by involvement of a community with the controversy (Branton & Dunaway, 2009;Eshbaugh-Soha & Peake, 2008;Griffin & Dunwoody, 1995, 1997Hindman, 1996;Taylor, Lee & Davie, 2000). Portland, for example, had no such involvement in the BSE outbreak.…”

“…Since the December 2003 BSE outbreak occurred in Washington state, this finding supports the ideas that the closer to an event in physical and social distance and in place characteristics a newspaper is, the more coverage it is likely to devote to the event in terms of number of stories, story length, and source choice (Bendix & Liebler, 1999;Caburnay et al, 2003;Crawley, 2007;Marks, Kalaitzandonakes, Wilkins, & Zakhorova, 2007). Thus, newspapers in the far Midwest and on the West Coast might logically be expected to provide greater coverage of a crisis occurring in Washington state (Branton & Dunaway, 2009;Eshbaugh-Soha & Peake, 2008;Griffin & Dunwoody, 1995, 1997Hindman, 1996;Taylor, Lee & Davie, 2000). And, given the possible seriousness of the event for public health and for the nation's economy, national newspapers might also have been expected to pay particular attention to the event (Bendix & Liebler;Branton & Dunaway;Cannon & Irani, 2011;Eshbaugh-Soha & Peake;Harry, 2000;Haygood, Hagins, Akers & Keith, 2002;King, Cartmell, & Sitton, 2006;Ruth, Eubanks, & Telg, 2005).…”

Journal of Applied Communications vol. 96(3) Full Issue

“…Coverage by the Oregonian, located in cosmopolite, urban Portland, also supported previous findings that newspapers in larger, more pluralistic communities tend to give greater coverage to controversial science topics, with mitigation by involvement of a community with the controversy (Branton & Dunaway, 2009;Eshbaugh-Soha & Peake, 2008;Griffin & Dunwoody, 1995, 1997Hindman, 1996;Taylor, Lee & Davie, 2000). Portland, for example, had no such involvement in the BSE outbreak.…”

“…Since the December 2003 BSE outbreak occurred in Washington state, this finding supports the ideas that the closer to an event in physical and social distance and in place characteristics a newspaper is, the more coverage it is likely to devote to the event in terms of number of stories, story length, and source choice (Bendix & Liebler, 1999;Caburnay et al, 2003;Crawley, 2007;Marks, Kalaitzandonakes, Wilkins, & Zakhorova, 2007). Thus, newspapers in the far Midwest and on the West Coast might logically be expected to provide greater coverage of a crisis occurring in Washington state (Branton & Dunaway, 2009;Eshbaugh-Soha & Peake, 2008;Griffin & Dunwoody, 1995, 1997Hindman, 1996;Taylor, Lee & Davie, 2000). And, given the possible seriousness of the event for public health and for the nation's economy, national newspapers might also have been expected to pay particular attention to the event (Bendix & Liebler;Branton & Dunaway;Cannon & Irani, 2011;Eshbaugh-Soha & Peake;Harry, 2000;Haygood, Hagins, Akers & Keith, 2002;King, Cartmell, & Sitton, 2006;Ruth, Eubanks, & Telg, 2005).…”

“…In contrast, newspapers in larger, more pluralistic communities give greater coverage to controversial science topics such as environmental contamination or political "hot topics" like immigration, although involvement of an area with controversial subject matter in some way -for example, local economic dependence on the covered industry -may affect coverage (Branton & Dunaway, 2009;Eshbaugh-Soha & Peake, 2008;Griffin & Dunwoody, 1995,1997Hindman, 1996). Daily newspapers in small but demographically and economically heterogeneous communities may be expected to favor local government and industry when reporting environmental conflict Hindman;Taylor, Lee, and Davie, 2000).…”