Agricultural Journalists' Assessments of Print Coverage of Agricultural News¹

Abstract

Critics of agricultural news claim farm media and mass media coverage of agriculture is systematically distorted, a condition that could seriously affect the agricultural information system. A national survey used agricultural journalists as expert judges to assess how well three types of print journalists cover agricultural news. Their assessments indicated that mass media reporters who do not regularly cover agricultural news tend to write agriculture stories that are superficial and stereotyped but not biased toward agricultural interests. Farm magazine writers' stories are not superficial or stereotyped, but writers are uncritical of agriculture, biased toward agroindustry, and overlook important social and environmental issues. Newspaper farm beat reporters are closer to farm magazine writers in not trivializing agriculture and closer to general newspaper reporters in avoiding close ties with industry. Both farmers and public thus receive biased and fragmented reporting that may polarize their views on current agricultural issues. Even if reporters are aware of critical shortcomings in their coverage, improvement may require reduction in structural constraints on story choice. I The authors thank Suzanne Wilson, Marta Zambrano, and anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Poultry Production Messaging in Two National-Circulation Newspapers

“…The presence of this agenda fuels consumer distrust of agricultural practices (Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2007), but more importantly it has the potential to create reader distrust since non-agricultural groups pointed to higher estimates of the amount of antibiotics used in poultry production. As a part of this theme, poultry producers were held directly responsible for the lack of transparency, which could be attributed to the lack of complete and adequate coverage of this issue (Reisner & Walter, 1994). This lack of complete and adequate coverage is exacerbated by lack of research and lack of transparency from producers, which were both exemplified in articles with this emergent theme.…”

Penchant for Print: Media Strategies in Communicating Agricultural Information

“…Needless to say, this suggestion is not a simple solution; conversely, it is a solution that will take time and effort, and agricultural communication professionals may have to forsake their comfort level and communicate with a changing, less interested, and nontraditional media representative. Endorsing work with consumer media outlets, Reisner and Walter (1994) suggest that general interest media "cover agricultural events and issues for the nonfarming public, who depends on that coverage for their understanding of agricultural topics" (Stringer,p. 7).…”

“…For example, a 1993 survey by American Opinion Research, Inc. suggested that 81% of respondents considered the news media to be their principal source of information regarding science topics, especially information on the environment and natural resources. Research specific to agricultural communication indicates that consumers are primarily informed about agriculture through the news media (Reisner & Walter, 1994;Rogers, 1983). Stringer (1999) established the ensuing connection between the reliance on the mass media for agricultural information and the lack of media coverage by saying, "Because agriculture is taken for granted and media coverage is sparse, the public has little understanding of agricultural issues" (p. 2).…”

Poultry Production Messaging: Frames and Emergent Themes in Three National Newspapers, 1994 to 2014

“…Again, the presence of this agenda fuels consumer distrust of agricultural practices (Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2007). As a part of this theme, poultry producers were held directly responsible for the lack of transparency, which could be attributed to the lack of complete and adequate coverage of this issue (Reisner & Walter, 1994).…”

“…Often, what consumers do know about agricultural processes they primarily glean from media (Malone et al, 2000;Reisner, 2005), and newspapers are a form of media readily available to communities from which they learn about agricultural practices in their area and across the country (Reisner, 2005;Reisner & Walter, 1994). Newspapers, as well as other media outlets, often provide information about issues through the lenses of agenda-setting and framing (McCombs & Shaw, 1972;Scheufele & Tewksbury, 2007).…”