Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

News Framing of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Leak in India and the 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico: A Content Analysis of The New York Times and The Washington Post Coverage

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Journalism (Communication).
The methyl isocynate (MIC) gas leak from a U.S. multinational corporation Union Carbide's plant killed an estimated total of 15,000 people and injured tens of thousands in Bhopal, India, on December 3, 1984 (“Indian Court,” 2010). A massive oil spill remained uncontrolled for 86 days due to a rig explosion on April 20, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, when British Petroleum was the operator and principal developer of the oil drilling platform. Both events caused by multinational corporations were defined as disasters (Gillis, 2010). This study, guided through the theoretical perspectives of news framing and nationalism, examined how The New York Times and The Washington Post framed the two events. It also examined how the news coverage of the two events differed in responsibility attribution, source usage, and headline tone. Through a content analysis, 89 stories of the Bhopal gas leak from December 3, 1984 to May 4, 1985 and 296 stories of the BP oil spill from April 20, 2010 to September 21, 2010 were examined. Findings indicated that the frame for the first event de-emphasized the perpetrating party and emphasized the causal exploration when the wrongdoer was a U.S.-based corporation. On the contrary, the second frame focused on the rescuing efforts and disaster aftermath while attributing clear responsibility to BP when the U.S. national interest was affected. The results supported and furthered earlier research that a close tie between news framing and nationalism does exist.
Hong Cheng (Advisor)
75 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Lou, C. (2011). News Framing of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Leak in India and the 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico: A Content Analysis of The New York Times and The Washington Post Coverage [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1307116967

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Lou, Chen. News Framing of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Leak in India and the 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico: A Content Analysis of The New York Times and The Washington Post Coverage. 2011. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1307116967.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Lou, Chen. "News Framing of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Leak in India and the 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico: A Content Analysis of The New York Times and The Washington Post Coverage." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1307116967

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)