Delivering the Scary News: Newspaper Sourcing in a Bioterrorism Crisis
Journal Title: Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies - Year 2012, Vol 2, Issue 2
Abstract
This study examines patterns in news sourcing and play, in light of risk communication factors. A content analysis of 457 U.S. newspaper stories about the 2001 anthrax attacks revealed that more stories included outrage rhetoric than risk explanations. Stories containing uncertainty factors appeared more often during the impact phase than any other crisis phase. The more sources a story used, the less likely it was to include vague advice and explanations. The more play that a story received, the less likely it was to include explanations. Health agency and law enforcement officials dominated the coverage, while scientists, victims, and citizens were quoted least often. Stories quoting experts received higher play than stories quoting non-experts. A relatively large proportion of stories quoted unnamed sources, only one source, or non-experts, indicating a lack of access to authoritative interview sources, especially during the outbreak and impact phases of the crisis.
Authors and Affiliations
Kristen Alley Swain| University of Mississippi, USA
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP9897
- DOI -
- Views 369
- Downloads 20
Delivering the Scary News: Newspaper Sourcing in a Bioterrorism Crisis
This study examines patterns in news sourcing and play, in light of risk communication factors. A content analysis of 457 U.S. newspaper stories about the 2001 anthrax attacks revealed that more stories included outrage...
Taming the Information Beast: Content Customization and Its Impact on Media Enjoyment for Online Consumers
As technologies continue to evolve, customized online environments are becoming evermore popular with consumers as they help manage information flow in the online space while limiting exposure to advertising. This stud...
Community Radio and Empowerment of Women among Pastoralist Communities in Northern Kenya
This paper focuses on the contribution of a community radio (Serian Radio) to community empowerment of women among pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 4 divisi...
The Antecedents of Interactive Loyalty
Brand loyalty towards video game consoles may have several antecedents. Gender, genre of video games and network externality may impact brand loyalty, mediated by perceptions of video game console brand personalities....
Bestsellers beyond Bestsellers: The Success of a Good Story
This article examines the recent trend of books and book series gaining popularity with unprecedented speed. By closely examining the release and success of The Da Vinci Code and the Harry Potter series, early publicat...