Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1080/17524032.2019.1592004
Volltext Akzeptiertes Manuskript
Titel (primär) Routine reporting of environmental risk: The first traces of micropollutants in the German press
Autor Schulte-Römer, N.; Söding, M.
Quelle Environmental Communication
Erscheinungsjahr 2019
Department SUSOZ
Band/Volume 13
Heft 8
Seite von 1108
Seite bis 1127
Sprache englisch
Keywords Environmental reporting, journalistic norms, media framing, micropollutants, pharmaceutical residues
Abstract This article analyzes the emergence of a new environmental issue in the German press. Since the 1990s, scientists have detected traces of pharmaceuticals, hormones and chemicals in all segments of the water cycle. These micropollutants have negative effects on aquatic life and might affect human health. Their sources are manifold and include private households. Yet although micropollutants of are direct concern to media audiences, they are a challenging topic for news reporting. Although this issue is systemic and fraught with uncertainty, it does not easily translate into news stories. Our content analysis of 444 articles (1995–2015) reveals that the societal risk was rarely presented as a stand-alone topic. Instead, the issue was mostly covered as part of local routine reporting and framed as a challenge for experts to solve. Over time, the reporting became more managerial, while media framings of micropollutants gained more substance and scope. We contend that local routine reporting should receive more attention as a public forum for addressing emerging environmental concerns.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=21964
Schulte-Römer, N., Söding, M. (2019):
Routine reporting of environmental risk: The first traces of micropollutants in the German press
Environ. Commun. 13 (8), 1108 - 1127