UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Maddison, Jonathan
Dept./Program:
Public Administration
Year:
2012
Degree:
MPA
Abstract:
The reduction of tailpipe emissions is a critical issue in U.S. climate policy and public health policy. Emissions from the transportation account for one third of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. and vehicle emissions containting 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 still suffer from severe air quality issues cause 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 quantitative framing analysis, this study focused on the policy actors and issue frames in media coverage relating to tailpipe emissions. Frames contain problem definition, causal analysis, moral judgment, and remedy promotion.
The first paper presented in this thesis analyzed the diversity of news sources cited in the media coverage. 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. This finding suggests that the thematic focus on public policy by journalists helps explain the dominance of government source.
The second paper in this thesis employed a social constructionism and policy design framework to identify problem definitions, policy solutions and policy actors in the media discourse and to deconstruct the role of technology in public debate about vehicle emissions. 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. It is argued that the lack of a publicly available discourse regarding non-technology solutions may act to limit public understanding ofthe range of solutions necessary to reduce motor vehicle 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 quantitative framing analysis, this study focused on the policy actors and issue frames in media coverage relating to tailpipe emissions. Frames contain problem definition, causal analysis, moral judgment, and remedy promotion.
The first paper presented in this thesis analyzed the diversity of news sources cited in the media coverage. 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. This finding suggests that the thematic focus on public policy by journalists helps explain the dominance of government source.
The second paper in this thesis employed a social constructionism and policy design framework to identify problem definitions, policy solutions and policy actors in the media discourse and to deconstruct the role of technology in public debate about vehicle emissions. 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. It is argued that the lack of a publicly available discourse regarding non-technology solutions may act to limit public understanding ofthe range of solutions necessary to reduce motor vehicle emissions.