Media coverage on radon gas in Galician digital news media

Authors

Keywords:

radon gas, media coverage, risk communication, Galicia, digital news media, journalism

Abstract

Exposure to radon gas is the first cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, and Galicia is the most affected region in Spain. The main objective of this research is to know the relevance of radon gas in the news agenda of the digital media outlets in Galicia, analyzing its evolution in recent decades and the characteristics of the news coverage. Also to identify the most relevant actors in the news, observing the role of public administrations and political actors in the communication of the radon risk. A content analysis of the news about radon (n=271) published in the digital editions of La Voz de Galicia, Galicia Confidencial, La Región and Faro de Vigo was carried out. The results reveal an increasing coverage of radon during the period analyzed (2002-2022). The news items address measurements and risks of gas exposure in homes and workplaces, health research and regulatory initiatives. Local government and public administrations share prominence as actors together with research institutions, with no clear dominance of the first on the public agenda on radon.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

María Cruz Negreira Rey, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC)

Profesora ayudante doctora del Departamento de Ciencias de la Comunicación de la Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC). Doctora en Comunicación e Información Contemporánea (USC). Es miembro del grupo de investigación Novos Medios (USC). Su investigación se centra en el periodismo local, el periodismo digital y las redes sociales. 

Jorge Vázquez-Herrero, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC)

Profesor ayudante doctor del Departamento de Ciencias de la Comunicación de la Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC). Doctor en Comunicación e Información Contemporánea (USC). Es miembro del grupo de investigación Novos Medios y de la Cátedra Latinoamericana de Narrativas Transmedia (ICLA-UNR). Fue investigador visitante en la Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Universidade do Minho, University of Leeds y Tampere University. Su investigación se centra en el impacto de la tecnología y las plataformas en el periodismo digital y las narrativas.

References

Balog-Way, D., McComas, K., y Besley, J. (2020). The evolving field of risk communication. Risk Analysis, 40(1), 2240-2262. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13615

Boholm, A. (2019). Lessons of success and failure: Practicing risk communication at government agencies. Safety Science, 118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.05.025

Brewster, L. (2015). Radon Gas Portrayal in the Canadian Print Media: A Mixed Methods Approach. [Trabajo de Fin de Grado, University of British Columbia]. http://summit.sfu.ca/item/15261

Coleman, R., McCombs, M., Shaw, D., & Weaver, D. (2009). Agenda Setting. En Wahl-Jorgensen, K. y Hanitzsch, T. (eds.), The Handbook of Journalism Studies (pp. 147-160). Routledge.

Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (2017). Cartografía del potencial de radón en España. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. https://www.csn.es/documents/10182/914801/FDE-02.17%20Cartograf%C3%ADa%20del%20potencial%20de%20rad%C3%B3n%20de%20Espa%C3%B1a

Cori, L., Bustaffa, E., Cappai, M., Curzio, O., Dettori, I., Loi, N., Nuchis, P., Sanna, A., Serra, G., Sirigu, E., Tidore, M., y Bianchi, F. (2022). The role of risk communication in radon mapping, risk assessment and mitigation activities in Sardinia (Italy). Advances in Geosciences, 57, 49-61. https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-57-49-2022

Covello, V. T. (2020). Strategies for overcoming challenges to effective risk communication. En Heath, R.L. y O'Hair, H.D. (eds.), Handbook of risk and crisis communication (pp. 143-167). Routledge.

Farré Coma, J. (2005). Comunicación de riesgo y espirales del miedo. Comunicación y Sociedad, 2(3), 95-119. https://doi.org/10.32870/cys.v0i3.4209

Ferguson, M. A., y Valenti, J. M. (1988). Risk-taking tendencies and radon messages: A field experiment testing an information process model for risk communication. [Presentación de paper]. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Portland, Estados Unidos. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED298545

Fisher, A., McClelland, G. H., Schulze, W. D., & Doyle, J. K. (1991). Communicating the risk from radon. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 41(11), 1440-1445. https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.1991.10466940

Friedman, S. M., Post, J. F., Vogel, M. B., y Evans, W. F. (1987). Environmental Reporting: Reporting on Radon: The Role of Local Newspapers. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 29(2), 4-45. https://doi.org/10.1080/00139157.1987.9928854

García-Talavera San Miguel, M., López Acevedo, F. J. (2019). Cartografía del potencial de radón en España. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. https://www.csn.es/documents/10182/27786/INT-04.41+Cartograf%C3%ADa+del+potencial+de+rad%C3%B3n+de+Espa%C3%B1a/3884d22b-0ad9-3db3-119b-8f29b03e23f7

García-Talavera San Miguel, M., Martín Matarranz, J. L., Gil de Mingo, R., García Cadierno, J. P., Suárez Mahou, E. (2013). El mapa predictivo de exposición al radón en España. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. https://www.csn.es/documents/10182/27786/INT-04-31%20El%20mapa%20predictivo%20de%20exposici%C3%B3n%20al%20rad%C3%B3n%20en%20Espa%C3%B1a

Harcup, T., y O’Neill,D. (2017). What is News? News values revisited (again). Journalism Studies, 18(12), 1470-1488. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2016.1150193

Harcup, T., y O’Neill, D. (2001). What is News? Galtung and Ruge Revisited. Journalism Studies, 2(2), 261–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616700118449

Krippendorff, K. (1990). Metodología de análisis de contenido. Teoría y práctica. Paidós Comunicación.

Lichtenberg, J., y MacLean, D. (1991). The role of the media in risk communication. En Kasperson, R. E. y Stallen, P. J. M. (eds.), Communicating Risks to the Public. Technology, Risk, and Society. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1952-5_9

Lofstedt, R. (2019). The communication of radon risk in Sweden: where are we and where are we going? Journal of Risk Research, 22(6), 773-781. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2018.1473467

López-Abente, G., Núñez, O., Fernández-Navarro, P., Barros-Dios, J. M., Martín-Méndez, I., Bel-Lan, A., Locutura, J., Quindós, L., Sainz, C., y Ruano-Ravina, A. (2018). Residential radon and cancer mortality in Galicia, Spain. Science of The Total Environment, 610–611, 1125-1132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.144

Lorenzo-González, M., Ruano-Ravina, A., Peón, J., Piñeiro, M., y Barros-Dios, J. M. (2017). Residential radon in Galicia: a cross-sectional study in a radon-prone area. Journal of Radiological Protection, 37(3), 728-741. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6498/aa7922/meta

Makedonska, G., Djounova, J., y Ivanova, K. (2018). Radon risk communication in Bulgaria. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 181(1), 26-29. https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncy096

Mazur, A. (1987). Putting radon on the public's risk agenda. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 12(3/4), 86-93. https://www.jstor.org/stable/689387

McCombs, M., y Evatt, D. (1995). Los temas y los aspectos: explorando una nueva dimensión de la agenda setting. Communication & Society, 8(1), 7-32. https://revistas.unav.edu/index.php/communication-and-society/article/view/35616

McCombs, M. E., y Shaw, D. L. (1972). The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176-187. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2747787

McCombs, M., y Weaver, D. (1973). Voters' Need for Orientation and Use of Mass Communication. Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association, 25-28 de abril, Montreal. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED077061

Neri, A., McNaughton, C., Momin, B., Puckett, M., y Gallaway, M. S. (2018). Measuring public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to radon to inform cancer control activities and practices. Indoor Air, 28(4), 604-610. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12468

Page, S. D. (1994). Indoor radon: a case study in risk communication. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 10(3), 15-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(18)30545-2

Perko, T. (2012). The role of mass media and journalism in risk communication. Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism, 2. https://doi.org/10.4172/2165-7912.1000e110

Rickard, L. N. (2021). Pragmatic and (or) constitutive? On the foundations of contemporary risk communication research. Risk analysis, 41(3), 466-479. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.13415

Schultz, I. (2007). The Journalistic Gut Feeling. Journalistic doxa, news habitus and orthodox news values. Journalism Practice, 1(2), 190–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512780701275507

Scheberle, D. (1994). Radon and asbestos: A study of agenda setting and causal stories. Policy Studies Journal, 22(1), 74-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0072.1994.tb02181.x

Suárez Mahou, E., Fernández Amigot, J. A., Baeza Espasa, A., Moro Benito, M. C., García Pomar, D., Moreno del Pozo, J., Lanaja del Busto, J. M. (2000). Proyecto Marna. Mapa de radiación gamma natural. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. https://www.csn.es/documents/10182/27786/INT-04-02+Proyecto+Marna.+Mapa+de+radiaci%C3%B3n+gamma+natural

Zeeb, H., y Shannoun, F. (2009). WHO handbook on indoor radon: a public health perspective. World Health Organization. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44149/9789241547673_eng.pdf?sequence=1

Published

2022-10-29

How to Cite

Negreira Rey, M. C., & Vázquez-Herrero, J. (2022). Media coverage on radon gas in Galician digital news media. Revista Prisma Social, (39), 4–24. Retrieved from https://revistaprismasocial.es/article/view/4855