A Case Study of the Communication Themes for the Management of the Louisiana Nutria Population

UNCP Author/Contributor (non-UNCP co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Sara Rebekah Goldsberry (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP )
Web Site: http://www.uncp.edu/academics/library
Advisor
Emilia Bak, Ph.D.

Abstract: The scholarship on issues such as invasive species has, in the past, focused entirely on the development of management tactics and the scientific research of the environmental effects, but over the past few years, communication tactics for the implementation of proposed management strategies for the control of invasive species have begun to be studied. This case study examines the themes related to the articles published by traditional news sources in the state of Louisiana in connection with the invasive nutria. The study’s results found many themes are commonly used across the different news sources that were covered, and that the popularity and circulation of a story depended on the relevance and relatability to the audience. The nutria is such a widespread issue in the state that many in-depth pieces that discuss elements of the problem and its history are picked up and circulated by several sources. Although the exchange and control of the conversation by the audience appears different in the traditional media sources used in this study versus social media, the stories are still written to the appeal of public attention.

Additional Information

Publication
Honors Project
Language: English
Date: 2021
Keywords
Invasive Species, Louisiana, Invasive Nutria, Coypu, Myocastor Coypus, Communication,

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