Abstract
The policy change literature is contradictory about the role the media plays in policy change: a conduit for policy participants, with media accounts transmitting multiple policy beliefs of those involved in policy debates or a contributor in the policy process, with media accounts supplying consistent policy beliefs with congruent narrative framing strategies to construct a policy story. The purpose of this study is to empirically test whether the role of the media is that of a conduit or contributor in the policy change process. This study tests whether there are differences in policy beliefs and narrative framing strategies between local and national print media coverage of two contentious policy issues in the Greater Yellowstone Area between 1986 and 2006, that of snowmobile access and wolf reintroduction. In the Greater Yellowstone Area policy arena, local media accounts are believed to be aligned with the Old West Advocacy Coalition, whereas the national media accounts are thought to be part of the New West Advocacy Coalition. With a methodology informed by narrative policy analysis, one hundred seventy five local and national print newspaper accounts were content analyzed to determine whether these media accounts were policy narratives, with embedded policy beliefs and narrative framing strategies. The results indicate that there are statistical differences between local and national media coverage for five of the seven hypotheses. Media accounts are generally policy stories, suggesting that the media’s role is more of a contributor than a conduit in the policy change process.
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Notes
Nationalism theory supports the notion that decisions should be made at the federal level; compact theory supports decisions being made locally.
Conservation science is characterized by natural management, habitat and ecosystem protection, and biodiversity; technical fix centered science is characterized by management of the environment through technological innovation and the productive capacity of natural resources.
The biocentric view of the human–nature relationship means that nature has an intrinsic value, on par with humans; the anthropocentric view of this relationship means that human concerns/wellbeing take precedence over concerns/wellbeing of nature.
The scale from −1.00 to +1.00 representing Old West to New West policy orientation does not apply to the variable ‘Framing Format.’
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Appendices
Appendix A: Codebook
-
1.
List the source cues by the characteristics; include line/paragraph citation; record each source cue once.
Interest group
Elected official or judge
Governmental agency
Science
Individual or business
Local (inside ID, MT, WY)
N=_____
reconcile= _______
NEW WEST
pro-wolf
anti-snowmobile
Technical:
n=___
reconcile=___
N=_________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
Conservation:
n=___
reconcile=___
n=________
reconcile=_____
OLD WEST
anti-wolf
pro-snowmobile
Technical:
n=________ reconcile=_____
N=_________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
Conservation:
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
National
(outside ID, MT, WY)
N=_____
reconcile= _______
NEW WEST
pro-wolf anti-snowmobile
Technical:
n=________ reconcile=_____
N=_________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
Conservation:
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
OLD WEST
anti-wolf
pro-snowmobile
Technical: n=________ reconcile=_____
N=_________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
Conservation:
n=________
reconcile=_____
n=________
reconcile=_____
-
2.
List the descriptors used in the article (symbols, adjectives, or metaphors used to describe wolves, snowmobiles, the GYA, or the issue) and evaluate their usage to be for or against the issue. Include line/paragraph citation(s).
NEW WEST
(pro wolf; anti snowmobile) n=_____ reconcile = _____
OLD WEST
(anti wolf; pro-snowmobile) n=_____ reconcile = _____
by the journalist
n=___; reconcile=___
in a quotation
n=___; reconcile=___
-
3.
Is/are victim(s) identified in the article? _____ YES ______ NO RECONCILE = ______ If YES, who are the victims in the article (include line/paragraph citations)?
Specific Victim (episodic, e.g., Joe’s snowmobile rental business)
n=_____ reconcile = _____
General references to victims (thematic, e.g., democracy)
n=_____ reconcile = _____
anthropocentric
n=___; reconcile=___
biocentric
n=___; reconcile=___
-
4.
How is the problem defined (e.g., environmental issue, economic issue)? RECONCILE:
Appendix B: Inter-coder reliability
| Exact coding match | Missed by one coding entry | Missed by two coding entries | Missed by three coding entries | Total articles |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q1: Local source cue | 160 (91%) | 13 (7%) | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 175 |
Q1: National source cue | 158 (90%) | 12 (7%) | 3 (2%) | 2 (1%) | 175 |
Q2: Journalist source | 141 (81%) | 21 (12%) | 5 (3%) | 8 (5%) | 175 |
Q2: Quotation | 141 (81%) | 25 (14%) | 6 (3%) | 3 (2%) | 175 |
Q3: Anthropocentric | 78 (80%) | 14 (14%) | 3 (3%) | 2 (2%) | 97 |
Q3: Biocentric | 72 (81%) | 12 (14%) | 2 (2%) | 3 (3%) | 89 |
Q4: Problem definition | 92 (53%) | 75 (43%) | 7 (4%) | 1 (0%) | 175 |
Agree | Disagree | ||||
Q3: Victim | 153 (87%) | 22 (13%) | 175 | ||
Total | 995 (80%) | 172 (14%) | 69 (6%) | ||
Grand total number of codings | 1236 (100%) |
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Shanahan, E.A., McBeth, M.K., Hathaway, P.L. et al. Conduit or contributor? The role of media in policy change theory. Policy Sci 41, 115–138 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-008-9058-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-008-9058-y