Social Construction and Framing of Tailepipe Emissions in the Media.

摘要

The reduction of tailpipe emissions is a critical issue in the U.S. Vehicle emissions containing carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides degrade the quality of air and damage lung and heart function. Urban areas in the northeast and California suffer from severe air quality issues caused by tailpipe emissions. Mass communication through the media can help communicate the risks of tailpipe emissions and help set the political agenda. This study examines media coverage of tailpipe emissions in the Associated Press State and Local Wire from 2000 to 2008. Using a framing analysis approach, the researchers focused on the policy actors and issue frames in media coverage relating to tailpipe emissions. Frames define problems, provide causal analysis, moral judgment, and remedy promotion. The analysis shows that government and industry officials were the most prominent sources in the news articles. However, the prominence of environmental groups, scientists and individual citizens changed depending on the primary focus of the article. In particular, articles that focused on public policy initiatives were more likely to cite government officials and less likely to cite alternative sources. Numerous studies of vehicle emission control policies have suggested that, in many cases, technology and 'technological optimism' have shaped the policy process. The analysis indicates that tailpipe emissions are defined either as a public health or environmental issue, but in either case, 'technological fixes' are the most prominent solution promoted by policy actors in the media. This finding is instructive to policy-makers seeking to reduce tailpipe emissions to meet societal goals. There is a lack of a publicly available discourse regarding non-technology solutions to tailpipe emissions. This in turn limits public understanding of the range of solutions necessary to reduce motor vehicle emissions.