Researcher(s):
Rachel Lupberger
ENVS course(s): 400 Initiated: September 2012 Completed: May 2013 Go to project site
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This paper examines the role of the media in shifting responsibility during E. coli outbreaks in ground beef. The way in which mass media informs the public about E. coli outbreaks, and the actions being taken against E. coli outbreaks can play a huge role in how the general public responds. Using three case studies of large E. coli outbreaks, the 1992-1993 Jack in the Box outbreak, the 1997 Hudson Foods outbreak, and the 2007 Topps Meat Brand outbreak, news pieces were coded for the mention, critique and recommendation of actions by different actors in the industrial meat system. Source of data came from newspaper articles from The New York Times and USA Today, as well as news transcripts from CBS News. This study found that the media shifts most responsibility onto government agencies. This shift towards government agencies takes away both agency for the consumer, and the possibility for systematic change in the industrial meat system.