Wolf coverage and framing by newspapers across the Italian Eastern Alps

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Alps are among the most human-exploited mountain regions in the world and are undergoing a rapid recolonization by wolves, causing social conflicts and great attention by the public and the media. We conducted a content analysis of newspaper articles published between 2019 and 2020 (n = 803) across the Eastern Italian Alps to assess how the wolf is covered and framed and to get an insight into public attitudes and debate around the topic. Although our results show a general neutral depiction of wolves, where wolf management and predations are the main new topics, interesting differences both among areas and newspapers were found, with Belluno being the province with the highest coverage and the most negative framing of the species, whereas Trento province turned out as the area with the more positive portrayal. Our results provide important insight to help improve communication and thus coexistence with the species.