Water/Communication Seminar

The Impact of the News Media on the Public Psyche During the Sewage Spill Event, or It’s a dirty story, but somebody has to cover it.

Gerald Kato and Thomas Kelleher (School of Communications, UH).

Abstract: The news media (newspaper, television and radio) have tremendous influence over public perception and public opinion during times of public emergencies. They become the main source for communicating information about these emergencies. Their influence is illustrated in the Ala Wai sewage spill earlier this year. Extensive coverage of the sewage spill created heightened public awareness of the event and its potential impact on beaches around the island. Despite public officials assurances that the beaches were safe, the public still stayed away for fear of contamination. This talks focuses on the impact of the news media on sewage spills and other public health emergencies and the influence the news media exerts in such situations.

Event Sponsor
Water Resources Research Center, Manoa

More Information
Philip Moravcik, 956-3097, morav@hawaii.edu, http://www.wrrc.hawaii.edu/seminars.html

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