Brendan Watson

Routine journalistic coverage relies heavily on official sources, which are least likely to raise critical questions about the causes and consequences of disasters such as the 2010 BP oil spill. It is possible, though, that disasters—precisely because they are unexpected—at least temporarily dislodge journalistic routines that sideline independent, more critical voices. This study uses Gulf Coast newspaper coverage of the BP oil spill to examine whether there are two discernible stages of… Show more

Routine journalistic coverage relies heavily on official sources, which are least likely to raise critical questions about the causes and consequences of disasters such as the 2010 BP oil spill. It is possible, though, that disasters—precisely because they are unexpected—at least temporarily dislodge journalistic routines that sideline independent, more critical voices. This study uses Gulf Coast newspaper coverage of the BP oil spill to examine whether there are two discernible stages of crisis reporting, the first marked by the more frequent use of unofficial sources (and thus, a more critical tone to the coverage), followed by a narrowing of those perspectives seen as being legitimate as the official interpretation of the crisis emerges, and journalists index their coverage to match that interpretation. Show less

This article reports results of a survey of authors of submissions to Quarterly over a five-year period. The goal was to take stock of who the journal’s contributors are and to get a sense of their evaluation of the peer review process. In addition to describing authors who submit their work (faculty rank, academic degrees, years in teaching, etc.), we chose to examine their views on peer review because of concerns in the literature—in journalism and mass communication (J/MC) and the academy in… Show more

This article reports results of a survey of authors of submissions to Quarterly over a five-year period. The goal was to take stock of who the journal’s contributors are and to get a sense of their evaluation of the peer review process. In addition to describing authors who submit their work (faculty rank, academic degrees, years in teaching, etc.), we chose to examine their views on peer review because of concerns in the literature—in journalism and mass communication (J/MC) and the academy in general—with the process. Show less

Rural, non-White survey respondents face the greatest objective environmental risks in North Carolina, evidence that environmental injustice persists in rural parts of the state. Residents' perceived risks, however, are not significantly associated with their objective risks or demographic characteristics, contrary to what the Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model predicts. Rather, survey respondents' perceived risks, as well as their confidence to cope with local environmental… Show more

Rural, non-White survey respondents face the greatest objective environmental risks in North Carolina, evidence that environmental injustice persists in rural parts of the state. Residents' perceived risks, however, are not significantly associated with their objective risks or demographic characteristics, contrary to what the Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model predicts. Rather, survey respondents' perceived risks, as well as their confidence to cope with local environmental problems, are shaped primarily by respondents' media use: watching local TV news increased perceived risks, whereas national TV news use and newspaper reading increased individuals' environmental self-efficacy. Exposure to environmental health risks, perceived risks, and environmental self-efficacy, however, did predict individuals' information seeking, a “gateway” to more substantive behaviors that may help residents cope with environmental problems where they live. Show less

This study, using survey data (N = 529), examined perceived immigration “threat,” subjective knowledge, support for punitive and assimilative immigration policies, and opinions about media coverage effects. Perceived threat was not related to a third-person effect; however, perceived threat of immigrants was related to support for punitive immigration policies, and a strong “hostile media perception” was confirmed. There was a significant belief among respondents that others would view… Show more

This study, using survey data (N = 529), examined perceived immigration “threat,” subjective knowledge, support for punitive and assimilative immigration policies, and opinions about media coverage effects. Perceived threat was not related to a third-person effect; however, perceived threat of immigrants was related to support for punitive immigration policies, and a strong “hostile media perception” was confirmed. There was a significant belief among respondents that others would view immigration negatively, if only media were not biased in favor of immigration. Internet use, age, race, and education predicted threat perception; perceived threat, perceived favorableness of coverage, and daily newspaper reading predicted presumed influence of news coverage. Show less

The analysis of 100 blogs finds that local public affairs bloggers do not rely on newspapers for the majority of their sources. They are more likely to use original sources and original reporting, particularly when writing about local topics commonly ignored by the news media.

A survey of Gulf Coast journalists revealed that their environmental and political ideologies are the strongest predictors of their attitudes toward the oil industry following the BP oil spill. Conservative journalists are more likely to believe that the industry behaved responsibly.

This study examines the relationship between community-level characteristics and the presence of public affairs place blogs in 232 U.S. cities. Two models to predict the presence of these sites are tested: a structural pluralism model, which suggests that the presence of one of these sites reflects more pluralistic voices, and a community stress model, which suggests that the presence of these sites reflects citizens’ efforts to cope with community problems. Analysis of demographic and crime… Show more

This study examines the relationship between community-level characteristics and the presence of public affairs place blogs in 232 U.S. cities. Two models to predict the presence of these sites are tested: a structural pluralism model, which suggests that the presence of one of these sites reflects more pluralistic voices, and a community stress model, which suggests that the presence of these sites reflects citizens’ efforts to cope with community problems. Analysis of demographic and crime data using logistic regression suggests that the community stress model is the stronger predictor. Public affairs place blogs are more likely in cities with higher murder rates, poverty rates, more physical decay, and more residents with professional occupations. It is these residents—with more education and income, living on the periphery of the most affected urban neighborhoods—who are most likely to go online to write about obtrusive community problems. Show less

Previous studies have not found consistent evidence that journalists’ personal beliefs and attitudes bias their coverage. These studies, however, are based on aggregate data of journalists’ political leanings and their coverage. This study revisits the issue of reporter bias using individual-level survey data of Gulf Coast journalists’ beliefs and attitudes toward the BP oil spill, matched with a content analysis of respondents’ stories about the disaster. Journalists are also placed within the… Show more

Previous studies have not found consistent evidence that journalists’ personal beliefs and attitudes bias their coverage. These studies, however, are based on aggregate data of journalists’ political leanings and their coverage. This study revisits the issue of reporter bias using individual-level survey data of Gulf Coast journalists’ beliefs and attitudes toward the BP oil spill, matched with a content analysis of respondents’ stories about the disaster. Journalists are also placed within the professional and social context in which they work. The study examines the effect journalists’ perceptions of professional norms and the social and economic contexts of the communities in which they work had on their attitudes toward and coverage of the crisis. This study finds that journalists’ coverage of the oil spill was shaped by multiple, interdependent factors. Show less