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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Scarce Water In Site: A Content Analysis Of News Coverage Of The Sites Reservoir Project, Cara Lawson, Richard Austin-Castillo, Lauren Chase Jun 2023

Scarce Water In Site: A Content Analysis Of News Coverage Of The Sites Reservoir Project, Cara Lawson, Richard Austin-Castillo, Lauren Chase

Journal of Applied Communications

Plagued by recent and historic drought, the need for water storage and management solutions in California is apparent. As a potential solution, the Sites Reservoir project offers an opportunity to a state eager to conserve and better manage water. The Sites Reservoir project involves complexities from a variety of standpoints and stakeholder perspectives. This study investigated the frames and sources used by The Sacramento Bee to communicate about the Sites Reservoir project over a 10-year period. The most frequently used frames throughout the dataset were “policy and government” and “water conscious,” and the sources most frequently utilized for information about …


Exploring News Coverage About Plant-Based Milk: A Content Analysis, Elise Regusci, Courtney Meyers, Nan Li, Erica Irlbeck Feb 2022

Exploring News Coverage About Plant-Based Milk: A Content Analysis, Elise Regusci, Courtney Meyers, Nan Li, Erica Irlbeck

Journal of Applied Communications

Plant-based milk has provided more options to consumers who are looking for an alternative to dairy milk. Recently, sales of plant-based milk have increased while dairy milk has continued to decline. To gather more insight into what is being discussed in news coverage about plant-based milk, a quantitative content analysis was conducted on 250 articles published from 2011 to 2020. These articles were coded for word count, location of publication, frame, and article type. The seven frames used to describe plant-based milk were Environment, Animal Welfare, Health, Economics, Labeling, Taste, and Trend. There was an increase in articles published each …


Framing Friction: A Content Analysis Investigating How The Cdc Framed Social Media Communication With The Public During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michaela Kandzer, Valentina Castano, Lauri M. Baker, Ashley Mcleod-Morin Feb 2022

Framing Friction: A Content Analysis Investigating How The Cdc Framed Social Media Communication With The Public During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Michaela Kandzer, Valentina Castano, Lauri M. Baker, Ashley Mcleod-Morin

Journal of Applied Communications

The novel coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019. This zoonotic disease quickly spread through over 100 countries, including the U.S. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency by the end of January 2020. Soon after, many U.S. states issued mandatory stay-at-home orders, which caused adverse effects for agricultural businesses and food supply chains. During this crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared information through social media platforms such as Facebook. This study sought to understand how the CDC framed direct communication to the public about issues related to COVID-19 using …


Individual Depictions, Causes, And Consequences: Effects Of Media Frames On Perceptions Toward The Rural Opioid Epidemic, Cara Lawson, Courtney Meyers, Amber Mccord, Erica Irlbeck, Amy Boren May 2021

Individual Depictions, Causes, And Consequences: Effects Of Media Frames On Perceptions Toward The Rural Opioid Epidemic, Cara Lawson, Courtney Meyers, Amber Mccord, Erica Irlbeck, Amy Boren

Journal of Applied Communications

Rural America faces challenges unique from other parts of the United States with vulnerabilities leaving its potential resilience at risk. In particular, issues associated with public health leave many in rural communities in lack of needed care and resources to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The rural opioid epidemic has added greater challenges to an already fragile rural health system. The mass media has for many decades served as a vessel for health promotion and health campaigns have been successful at changing levels of knowledge. Given that acceptance or action on an issue can be a result of how the message …


Visualizing Values: A Content Analysis To Conceptualize Value Congruent Video Messages Used In Agricultural Communications, Laura Morgan Fischer, Kelsi Opat, Kayla Jennings, Courtney Meyers May 2021

Visualizing Values: A Content Analysis To Conceptualize Value Congruent Video Messages Used In Agricultural Communications, Laura Morgan Fischer, Kelsi Opat, Kayla Jennings, Courtney Meyers

Journal of Applied Communications

Visual messaging is becoming the new avenue to connect with consumers. The majority of the American public is not connected with agriculture and often questions procedures, practices, and tactics within the industry. Practitioners and researchers have suggested value congruent messages, a type of emotional appeal, may increase attention to agricultural messages. However, limited research has been conducted to define and investigate value congruent messages in agricultural communications. The purpose of this study was to describe the presented messages in videos used in one agricultural advocacy effort, CommonGround’s “Nothing to Fear Here” campaign. This content analysis described the video’s message content …


Country Crisis: A Content Analysis Of Rural Opioid Epidemic News Coverage, Cara R. Lawson, Courtney Meyers May 2020

Country Crisis: A Content Analysis Of Rural Opioid Epidemic News Coverage, Cara R. Lawson, Courtney Meyers

Journal of Applied Communications

The spread of non-prescription opioid abuse has increased to the point that a person is now more likely to die from an accidental overdose than an automobile accident. Rural areas have been hit particularly hard, and many farmers indicate direct impacts resulting from the opioid epidemic. Researchers have recognized the role of the media in communicating complicated issues and influencing potential solutions. This study analyzed the frames and sources used to communicate issues regarding the rural opioid epidemic in The New York Times and five additional newspapers from states most affected by the opioid epidemic. A total of 115 news, …


Exploring Social Media Engagement Of A Mosquito Control Campaign: Comparing Engagement Rates Per Content Type And Content Frame, Ashley Mcleod-Morin, Peyton Beattie, Shelli Rampold, Ricky Telg Feb 2020

Exploring Social Media Engagement Of A Mosquito Control Campaign: Comparing Engagement Rates Per Content Type And Content Frame, Ashley Mcleod-Morin, Peyton Beattie, Shelli Rampold, Ricky Telg

Journal of Applied Communications

This study explored the social media follower engagement of a campaign with the intention to inform Florida residents about mosquito-related topics, specifically mosquito control. Engagement rates were compared between social media content type and content frames. Text graphics without characters were the most engaged content type, while the personal responsibility frame was the most engaged frame. The social media campaign examined in this study had overall low engagement rates, which could have been attributed to factors outside the scope of this study. Future recommendations for research should determine what factors most contribute to the engagement of social media content. In-depth …


Misleading Or Informing? Examining The Effects Of Labeling Design On Consumers’ Perception Of Gluten-Free Products And Wheat Safety, Kimberly Cantrell, Nan Li, Courtney Meyers, Cindy Akers Feb 2020

Misleading Or Informing? Examining The Effects Of Labeling Design On Consumers’ Perception Of Gluten-Free Products And Wheat Safety, Kimberly Cantrell, Nan Li, Courtney Meyers, Cindy Akers

Journal of Applied Communications

As food products marketed as “gluten-free” become increasingly popular, many consumers start to exclude sources of gluten (e.g., wheat, barley, and rye) from their diets for both medical and non-medical purposes. The grain industry is facing a growing challenge to (re)boost consumers’ confidence in the healthiness and safety of its commodities. Using 561 participants recruited from the Amazon Mechanical Turk workers’ panel, this study implemented a 2 (pretzels vs. potato chips) * 2 (positive- vs. negative- frame) * 2 (wheat image vs. no wheat image) experiment to examine the effects of gluten-free labels on consumers’ perceived healthiness and safety of …


A Content Analysis Of Antibiotic Use In Livestock In National U.S. Newspapers, Garrett M. Steede, Courtney Meyers, Nan Li, Erica Irlbeck, Sherice Gearhart Jan 2019

A Content Analysis Of Antibiotic Use In Livestock In National U.S. Newspapers, Garrett M. Steede, Courtney Meyers, Nan Li, Erica Irlbeck, Sherice Gearhart

Journal of Applied Communications

The discovery of the antibiotic Aureomycin as a growth promotor for the livestock industry was viewed as revolutionary in 1950. The use of antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock, however, has been questioned by health professionals concerned with the role this use might play in the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria. As a public health issue, newspapers have covered this topic since its discovery. Media, such as newspapers, have used frames to discuss the topic over time as new discoveries have occurred, policy changes have been implemented, and food animal production has changed. The purpose of this study was to …


The Communication Effectiveness Of Scientist-Stakeholder Partnerships Addressing Agriculture And Natural Resources Issues: An Analysis Of The Media Attention And Media Framing Of The Florida Water And Climate Alliance, Shuyang Qu, Tracy Irani Dec 2018

The Communication Effectiveness Of Scientist-Stakeholder Partnerships Addressing Agriculture And Natural Resources Issues: An Analysis Of The Media Attention And Media Framing Of The Florida Water And Climate Alliance, Shuyang Qu, Tracy Irani

Journal of Applied Communications

Scientist-stakeholder partnerships are formed by scientists from academic institutions and industry representatives in an effort to address contingent science issues such as climate change, inform the public and influence public policies. Such organizations often lack expertise in communicating to the public and conducting outreach which are crucial components to building a good reputation. This study selected Florida Water and Climate Alliance [FWCA] as an example of such an organization, exploring its media attention and media framing to assess the visibility and reputation of [FWCA]. Results showed very limited media attention had been devoted to [FWCA]. The framing analysis results indicated …


Message Framing And Climate Change Communication: A Meta-Analytical Review, Nan Li, Leona Yi-Fan Su Nov 2018

Message Framing And Climate Change Communication: A Meta-Analytical Review, Nan Li, Leona Yi-Fan Su

Journal of Applied Communications

This meta-analytic study reviewed experimental studies that examined the effects of message framing on public engagement with climate change. We included 10 studies that used self-reported measures of climate-related attitudes and behaviors, with 26 comparison pairs. The results suggested that message framing generally has a positive effect on individuals’ engagement with climate change and its two sub-categories – behavioral intentions and support for climate policy. More specifically, we found message frames that emphasize the environmental, economic, and moral dimensions of climate change have a small-to-medium size impact on individuals’ engagement with climate change. In contrast, message frames around public health …


The Effects Of Online Video On Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Local Food, Shuyang Qu, Alexa J. Lamm, Joy N. Rumble, Ricky W. Telg Jan 2017

The Effects Of Online Video On Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Local Food, Shuyang Qu, Alexa J. Lamm, Joy N. Rumble, Ricky W. Telg

Journal of Applied Communications

Marketers rate online video as their most utilized content medium. This study used a between-subject control group post-test-only experiment to investigate the effect of three local food messages delivered via online video on U.S. consumers’ attitudes toward local food. The three 30-second videos each featured one of the documented benefits of local food: high quality, support of local economy, and strengthening of social connection. Results indicated all three video treatments yielded a positive attitude toward local food, while respondents in the control group had a neutral attitude. The video treatment featuring local food’s high quality generated a significantly more favorable …


The Gold Standard: A Qualitative Framing Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Golden Rice In The United States And Philippines, Taylor K. Ruth, Joy N. Rumble Dec 2016

The Gold Standard: A Qualitative Framing Analysis Of Newspaper Coverage Of Golden Rice In The United States And Philippines, Taylor K. Ruth, Joy N. Rumble

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major issue in developing countries and affects approximately 250 million children, and blinding 500,000 a year. A proposed intervention to VAD is Golden Rice, a rice that has been genetically modified (GM) to contain beta-carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A. However, Golden Rice is often associated with negatively perceived GM food. Because the media is the most trusted source in providing food-risk related information, a framing analysis of Golden Rice in United States and Philippine newspapers was conducted to determine past and current frames used to describe the rice. Understanding such frames could help …