A 25-Year Comparison of Arguments and Trends in American News Coverage of Climate Change and the Ozone Hole

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A 25-Year Comparison of Arguments and Trends in American News Coverage of Climate Change and the Ozone Hole University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2006 Good press, bad press: A 25-year comparison of arguments and trends in American news coverage of climate change and the ozone hole David Howland University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Howland, David, "Good press, bad press: A 25-year comparison of arguments and trends in American news coverage of climate change and the ozone hole" (2006). Doctoral Dissertations. 316. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/316 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GOOD PRESS, BAD PRESS: A 25-YEAR COMPARISON OF ARGUMENTS AND TRENDS IN AMERICAN NEWS COVERAGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE OZONE HOLE BY DAVID HOWLAND B.S. The Pennsylvania State University, 1991 M.S. The University o f New Hampshire, 2001 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor o f Philosophy in Natural Resources and Earth Systems Science May, 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3217424 Copyright 2006 by Howland, David All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3217424 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ALL RIGHT RESERVED c 2006 David Howland ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. Dissertation Director, Mimi Larsen Becker, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy Robert T. Eckert, Ph.D., Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation Richard W. England, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Natural Resource Economics ■ '/A[ & cy Lawrence J. Prelli, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication v. ^ahagiai^, Ph.D.,Dork L.v. Sahagian,^ahagiai^, Ph.D.,Ph.D.,Dork Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Date iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my three beautiful children - Sam, Maggie and Cameron Howland - who are my greatest teachers. Whatever paths you choose, please remember that learning, which is a value your family holds dear, is a lifelong journey that takes many forms. The world is a wonderful classroom. Your mother and I encourage you to travel and share your experiences and love with others to help make it a better place for everyone. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AKNOWLEDGEMENTS With luck, the research in the pages that follow will make a positive contribution, however small, to understanding and improving the way the news media covers global environmental problems - problems like the ozone hole and climate change, that pose a threat to humanity and the myriad ecosystems that support our lives. This dissertation has been a team effort, and so I must thank my All-Star team: my adviser, Dr. Mimi Becker, for taking me on as a non-traditional student and empowering me with her knowledge of the policy process; and the other members o f my interdisciplinary committee: Professors Larry Prelli, Dork Sahagian, Richard England and Bob Eckert for their expertise in rhetoric, earth systems science, economics and systems thinking. You are my role models for how to work effectively across academic traditions. I owe a big debt to my research subjects: my undergraduate coders, Ingrid Nugent and Brian Topping, who helped successfully test the content analysis system used in this study; and my seven interview subjects, who took time from their busy schedules to help me understand the issues from their perspectives with honest, insightful observations. Separately, I owe much to my colleagues in the reporting profession - the ones I have worked with and the ones I haven’t met whose work I scrutinize in the pages to follow. Thank you, Brian and Amy Frappier, and the rest o f the crew in James Hall for your listening, suggestions, and friendship. Thank you, professors Becky Warner and Mark Ducey, for help with statistics and sampling methodology. And for seven years of cheerful support with forms, copies, supplies and answers to redundant questions, thank you Linda Issacson. Finally, I could not have done this work without the unflagging love and support o f my family - my parents, my brothers and especially my wife, Vicki Banyard, who made it all possible. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.............................................................................................................................................iv AKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................................viii LIST OF FIGURES.....................................................................................................................................ix ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................................xi CHAPTER PAGE I. BACKGROUND...................................................................................................................................... 1 The Topic of and Justification for this Study ...................................................................................1 Historical, Scientific and Political Context...................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Frameworks ................................................................................................................... 43 Research Products and Questions .................................................................................................... 75 II. METHODS............................................................................................................................................ 79 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................79 Basic Methodology ............................................................................................................................80 Expanded Methodology for Case Comparison ............................................................................123 III. CODING RESULTS.................... 134 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................134 Code Totals ....................................................................................................................................... 135 Policy Issue Criteria ........................................................................................................................156 Stakeholders .....................................................................................................................................172 Summary.......................................................................................................................................... 198 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. IV. INTERVIEWS...................................................................................................................................203 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 203 Robert Watson, Atmospheric Scientist .........................................................................................205 A Member o f the U.S. Congress ...................................................................................................213 Frank Maisano, Industry Spokesman, Strategist ........................................................................ 215 David Doniger, Environmental Lawyer .....................................................................................
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