Imperial College London
Alternate

ProfessorClivePotter

Faculty of Natural Sciences, Centre for Environmental Policy

Professor of Environmental Policy
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 9314c.potter

 
 
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Location

 

16 Prince's GardensSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Fellenor:2019:10.1080/13669877.2018.1485170,
author = {Fellenor, J and Barnett, J and Potter, C and Urquhart, J and Mumford, JD and Quine, CP},
doi = {10.1080/13669877.2018.1485170},
journal = {Journal of Risk Research},
pages = {1459--1478},
title = {Ash dieback and other tree pests and pathogens: dispersed risk events and the Social Amplification of Risk Framework},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2018.1485170},
volume = {22},
year = {2019}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - It is widely acknowledged within the risk literature that the mass media play a pivotal role in shaping information about risk events for audiences. While some risk events reflect occurrences specific to particular times and locations, other risk events are more difficult to temporally and spatially situate as they are dispersed across years or months and are not constrained to particular geographic locations. Studies examining the relationship between the social amplification or attenuation of risks and their framing in the media have tended to focus on the former type of event. In this paper, we explore the social amplification of risk in relation to ash dieback disease (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), a tree health issue that attracted intense media attention in the United Kingdom in 2012, and characterise what we designate as a dispersed risk event. Drawing on the influential Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF), we present a frame analysis of UK national newspaper articles to assess the connection between media coverage of dieback and risk amplification, and the extent to which dieback coverage drew on other tree health issues and objects of media attention. Focusing particularly on the blame frame around dieback, the paper considers the implications of conceptualising dispersed risk events for the SARF and its amplification metaphor. Moreover, given that risk events such as dieback are often associated with policy shifts, we suggest that there is value for risk communicators and policymakers in broadening their focus to incorporate more of the ‘history’ of risk events in order to anticipate likely anchors of public and media attention.Abbreviations: BSE: bovine spongiform encephalopathy; Defra: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; DED: Dutch elm disease; EAB: Emerald ash borer; EU: European Union; FMD: foot and mouth disease; FC: Forestry Commission; GSBB : Great spruce bark beetle; HCLM: Horse chestnut leaf miner; HTA: Horticultu
AU  - Fellenor,J
AU  - Barnett,J
AU  - Potter,C
AU  - Urquhart,J
AU  - Mumford,JD
AU  - Quine,CP
DO  - 10.1080/13669877.2018.1485170
EP  - 1478
PY  - 2019///
SN  - 1366-9877
SP  - 1459
TI  - Ash dieback and other tree pests and pathogens: dispersed risk events and the Social Amplification of Risk Framework
T2  - Journal of Risk Research
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2018.1485170
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/66710
VL  - 22
ER  -
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