From fear to understanding: changes in media representations of leopard incidences after media awareness workshops in Mumbai, India

Hathaway, Ryan S; Bryant, Ana-Elisa M; Draheim, Megan M.; Vinod, P. R.; Limaye, Sunil; Athreya, Vidya

doi:10.1093/jue/jux009

Cited by 38 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Notably, this included framing many human-bear interactions as "conflicts," despite a lack of imminent threat to humans. Indeed, human-bear conflict stories were over-reported compared to other narratives, where a single incidence garnered more attention over communicating factual information or peaceful human-bear interactions (Cohen & Richardson, 2002;Hathaway et al, 2017;Muter et al, 2009;Sakurai et al, 2013). It also appeared as though several grand narratives were used by the news media to resonate with the public, who may be eager to consume and internalize sensational bear stories (Bombieri et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This eco-gossip, with very predictable and clear protagonists and antagonists and the occasional man-bites-bear surprise, appears to be the diet of manufactured information fed to the public (Boan, Malcolm, Vanier, Euler, & Moola, 2018). Repetitious and negative storylines like these undoubtedly have the power to influence public perceptions about bears by unrealistically elevating risk perception among the public, and perhaps hampering conservation efforts or polarizing conservation debates (Bombieri et al, 2018;Bornatowski, Hussey, Sampio, & Barreto, 2019;Hathaway et al, 2017;Kaczensky et al, 2001;Sabatier & Huveneers, 2018;Stoddard & MacDonald, 2011). So while the journalistic principles of objectivity, fairness, accuracy and balance should be espoused by journalists and news editors, the reality may be if it bleeds, it leads (Boykoff & Boykoff, 2007;Stoop, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From human invaders to problem bears: A media content analysis of grizzly bear conservation

Hughes

Foote

Yarmey

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Across their North American range, grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) occupy a special place in human imagination, as icons of nature's rugged and raw power, to representations of safety risks and economic costs of living with carnivores. Different bear representations can also be found across news media, from controversial and sensational descriptions of attacks, tragic events and conflicts, to scientific accounts of conservation research. News media certainly has the power to pique curiosity, spark debate, or elicit emotional responses through framing and repetition of content. In turn, news stories can influence how people might interpret and internalize information about grizzly bears. Using media content analysis, we examined newsprint stories on grizzly bears across their North American range between 2000 and 2016, to understand message framing and attention cycle, as well as attitudinal expression and representative anecdote conveyed to the readership. We found that human–bear conflict stories are over‐reported compared to other narratives, where a single incidence garners more attention than a story about new scientific findings. We also found articles that included hunting frames largely originated in Alberta, likely due to the threatened species listing and hunting moratorium. Attitudinal expressions included ecological, negative or neutral, and moral sentiments toward bears. The most common representative anecdote conveyed to the readership reflected the dire state faced by grizzly bears. The bear eco‐gossip expressed in the articles we reviewed, which included clear protagonists and antagonists and the occasional man‐bites‐bear surprise, appears to be the diet of manufactured information fed to the public. Results of our study can help scientists and conservationists understand how news media portrays grizzly bears to the public and how this might influence public sentiment toward their conservation, but also identifies the roles that scientists, conservationists and journalists together can play in crafting effective, factual and engaging news stories about bears.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From human invaders to problem bears: A media content analysis of grizzly bear conservation

Hughes

Foote

Yarmey

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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“…For example, media workshops tailored to desensationalize the coverage of negative human‐leopard conflicts have proven effective in Mumbai (Hathaway et al. ). Similarly, an efficient assessment of salient topics could be a first step to increase the effectiveness of new community engagement programs by improving our ability to align practices with current conditions (Slagle et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because media can play an influential role in shaping support for different conservation strategies (Enck & Brown 2002;Serfass et al 2014), identifying how issues are framed can be useful in developing new media relation plans to promote productive dialogue supporting coexistence (Siemer et al 2007). For example, media workshops tailored to desensationalize the coverage of negative human-leopard conflicts have proven effective in Mumbai (Hathaway et al 2017). Similarly, an efficient assessment of salient topics could be a first step to increase the effectiveness of new community engagement programs by improving our ability to align practices with current conditions (Slagle et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking a half century of media reporting on gray wolves

Killion

Melvin

Lindquist

et al. 2018

Conservation Biology

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Natural resource and wildlife managers must balance the disparate priorities of a diversity of stakeholders. To manage these priorities, a firm understanding of topics salient to the public is needed. The media often report on issues of importance to the public; therefore, these reports may be a useful measure of public interest. However, efficient methods for distinguishing diverse topics related to a wildlife management issue reported in the media and changes in the salience of those topics have been lacking. We used latent Dirichlet allocation, a Bayesian mixture model, to quantitatively assess the salience of topics surrounding the gray wolf (Canis lupus), which was reintroduced to Idaho (U.S.A.) in 1995. We analyzed articles published from 1960 to 2015 in an Idaho newspaper. We identified 6 distinct topics associated with gray wolves: policy, hunting, biological status, implementation of management, recovery, and human‐wolf conflict. The salience of topics pre‐ and postreintroduction of wolves (1995) and pre‐ and postdelisting of wolves from the U.S. Endangered Species Act (2009) differed significantly, underscoring that these events were turning points in how issues were being publicly discussed and framed. Articles written by the local reporters were more likely to report on topics regarding conflict between humans and wolves, whereas articles sourced from a national outlet reported more on topics pertaining to wolf policy and biological status. In the context of managing a contentious, far‐ranging, and long‐lived wildlife species, our methods can help guide the location and timing of a suite of management strategies (e.g., media relation plans and stakeholder engagement) that promote human‐wildlife coexistence across different landscapes.

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“…Studies suggest that emotional feelings toward wildlife are, indeed, in-born (Strommen, 1995;Davey et al, 1998;Prokop & Tunnicliffe, 2008;DeLoache, Pickard, & LoBue, 2010), often recurring with striking similarities across diverse cultural settings (Davey et al, 1998). As a direct consequence, animals-related emotions end up playing a key role in scientific and socio-political debates around both the management and conservation of wildlife (Jones, 2006;Singh, 2009;Frank, Johansson, & Flykt, 2015;Zainal Abidin & Jacobs, 2019;Drijfhout, Kendal, & Green, 2020;Straka, Miller, & Jacobs, 2020), and in the perception of risk (Knopff, Knopff, & St. Clair, 2016;Hathaway et al, 2017;Bombieri et al, 2018;Nanni et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Media representation of spiders may exacerbate arachnophobic sentiments by framing a distorted perception of risk

Mammola

Nanni

Pantini

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Spiders are able to arouse strong emotional reactions in humans. While spider bites are statistically rare events, our perception is skewed towards the potential harm spiders can cause to humans. We examined the human dimension of spiders through the lens of traditional media, by analysing more than 300 spider-related news published online in Italian newspapers between 2010 and 2020. We observed a recent, exponential increase in the frequency of the news, particularly those focused on medically important spiders -the Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) and the Mediterranean recluse (Loxosceles refescens). The news quality was generally poor: 70% contained different types of error, 32% were exaggerated, and in virtually none was an expert consulted. Overstated news referring to spider bites were significantly more shared on social media, thus contributing to frame a distorted perception of the risk associated with a spider bite and possibly reducing general public tolerance of spiders.

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From fear to understanding: changes in media representations of leopard incidences after media awareness workshops in Mumbai, India

Cited by 38 publications

References 30 publications

From human invaders to problem bears: A media content analysis of grizzly bear conservation

From human invaders to problem bears: A media content analysis of grizzly bear conservation

Tracking a half century of media reporting on gray wolves

Media representation of spiders may exacerbate arachnophobic sentiments by framing a distorted perception of risk

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