Media Coverage of the 2014 West Virginia Elk River Chemical Spill

Abstract

This study examined how news media framed West Virginia’s 2014 Elk River Chemical Spill, an industrial disaster that began a national discussion about chemical safety. A content analysis of media was conducted to explore disaster coverage. Additionally, in-depth stakeholder interviews were conducted to examine how audiences interpreted and evaluated media coverage. Both content analysis and interview findings highlighted the media’s reliance on the attribution of responsibility news frame, which dominated media coverage, although the dominance of particular frames differed according to media channel and time period.