Understanding the Media Journey of Local Issues: The Case of the Flint Water Crisis

Bremme, Sarah M.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/90242 Copy

Description

Title

Understanding the Media Journey of Local Issues: The Case of the Flint Water Crisis

Author(s)

Bremme, Sarah M.

Contributor(s)

Reisner, Ann

Issue Date

2016

Keyword(s)

• media
• news
• timeline
• coverage
• flint

Abstract

Until recently, local news stories were confined to their immediate area of effect and rarely received national attention through the mainstream media channels of networked news. In rare cases where they did, e.g., Rodney King in 1991, the initial source is often a local citizen with a camera phone. Without the rise in citizen access to a means acquiring and distributing local news, communities faced these issues in isolation, and without the attention or assistance of a larger audience. However the rise of social media and citizen activist groups, together with the prevalence of mobile recording technology has given rise to a new era of citizen journalism. This term refers to the documentation and spread of local news stories to a larger constituency through citizen-controlled media and activist efforts, thereby gathering momentum and drawing the attention of mainstream news outlets. As an example of this process, this study examines the media pathway taken by the story of the Flint, Michigan water crisis from local to national news platforms. This analysis was accomplished through specialized tools and methods used to track the spread of a story over time and across media channels, e.g., MediaCloud.org; IssueCrawler.net. Futher, this study hopes to develop a more thorough understanding of how local news stories can spread beyond their direct area of effect, and more easily bring important issues into the national conversation.

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/90242

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2016 Sarah M. Bremme

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