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The role of media actors in reframing the media discourse in the decision to reject relicensing the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant

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Abstract

This paper examines 8 years of news media discourse on the operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant leading up to a 2010 vote by Vermont legislators to reject relicensing the facility. Nuclear power license decisions are usually solely under the purview of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; but Vermont legislators required the facility to also seek approval from the Vermont Legislature, presenting a unique case where state legislators have a direct vote on a nuclear power plant. Over the 8 years of the case study, we find that opposition narratives highlighting an aging, unsafe facility managed by an untrustworthy corporation increased while pro-Vermont Yankee narratives of reliable energy, technical competence, and economic progress decreased. We analyze the changes in the media discourse through examining changes in media frames, the media actors, their sponsorship activities, and the narrative integrity of the frames. These findings are instructive in understanding the factors contributing to changes in the media culture around news coverage of nuclear power.

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Notes

  1. Journalists and news editors are also key actors; functioning as gatekeepers and interested policy actors themselves. The production of news is influenced by a complex interaction between: (1) journalistic norms; (2) dependency on sources; (3) desire of the news industry to earn profits; (4) adherence to public preferences; and (5) the value preferences of journalists (Callaghan and Schnell 2001). The results reported in this study are certainly influenced by these biases in news production. However, the results still serve as a valid reflection of the construction of meaning about Vermont Yankee within the media discourse. The mass media is a central institution in the construction of meaning about policy issues. Studying the media coverage about Vermont Yankee tells an important part of the story of how Vermont Yankee was socially constructed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Transportation Research Center & Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont, 208 Morrill Hall, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Richard Watts

  2. Farrell Hall, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Jonathan Maddison

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  1. Richard Watts
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  2. Jonathan Maddison
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Correspondence to Richard Watts.

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Watts, R., Maddison, J. The role of media actors in reframing the media discourse in the decision to reject relicensing the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. J Environ Stud Sci 2, 131–142 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-011-0066-4

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