Slovic, Paul (author) and Kunreuther, Howard (author)
Format:
Book chapter
Publication Date:
2001
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C19694
Notes:
Pages 331-352 in James Flynn, Paul Slovic and Howard Kunreuther (eds), Risk, media and stigma: understanding public challenges to modern science and technology. Earthscan Publications Ltd., London, England. 399 pages., Authors describe four strategies for coping with stigma. Examples of stigma include the Alar scare of 1989: "media-amplified stigmatization" of apples after CBS ran a news story on "60 Minutes" stating that the chemical Alar could cause cancer.
"Our data suggest that the majority of newspaper articles accurately convey the results of and reflect the claims made in scientific journal articles. Our study also highlights an overemphasis on benefits and under-representation of risks in both scientific and newspaper articles. The cause and nature of this trend is uncertain."
22 pages., Online via UI electronic subscription, Researchers combined recent national survey data and media reports to quantitatively examine the effects of food scandals and media exposure on food safety risk. Findings suggesed hat media reported food scandals are not significantly related to public concern about food safety risk, suggesting that food risk perceptions may be nationwide rather than region specific. Findings also suggested that more educated citizens with more media exposure were more concerned about food safety risk.
