Presenter(s): Christa Huddleston
Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Blaine & Hollie Smith
Poster 152
Session: Social Sciences & Humanities
Forest fires have been all over the news in Oregon the past two years, especially during the dry summer months which have hit record-high temperatures and record-long periods without rain. Due to nearly a century of fire exclusion, wildfires continue to get larger and wildfire season continues to get longer each year. This already devastating pattern is accelerated by climate change due to climate scientists predicting hotter and drier summers in the Pacific Northwest. Yet, existing literature shows climate change continues to be a low priority for the public. The media is one of the main avenues through which the public receives information about both forest fires and climate change. I hypothesized that if this media coverage was analyzed then data would show that most coverage of forest fires is not including climate change in the conversation. My thesis project analyzed local media coverage of forest fires and smoke here in Lane County using a content analysis: keyword searching for words such as ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ in relevant articles. It was found that most Lane County media coverage of wildfires and smoke does not include climate change in the conversation. The purpose of demonstrating coverage/lack of coverage is to have qualitative research to help start a public discussion about the media’s role in communicating local issues related to climate change.