I do agree on the importance of the place-based descriptor in normal times!

A current wrench in the gears is that the US can't even decide if that body of water is called the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America. That alone is politicized/polarized & (for now) the whales would be no better off.

Good thought!

We did see patriotic framing 🇺🇸🐋 in quotes by scientists and conservationists, mostly in earlier stories (2021/2022). Attention cycles rely on drama, so the framing wouldn't likely do much on that front. Definitely other reasons to explore it further, though.

This research isn’t just for right whale experts and advocates. We use this case to offer a method and insights that researchers and conservation practitioners can use to understand media systems, identify emerging attention cycles, and plan their own #strategiccommunication approaches. (8/8)

This research shows how science and media often operate from different logics in pursuit of different goals. Yes, even in science and environmental reporting. More media attention doesn't necessarily equate to better or even desired conservation outcomes. (7/8)

We also found that right whales were included in disinformation campaigns designed by think tanks and deployed by local advocates to delay or defeat #offshorewind energy development along the U.S. East Coast. They argued the US gov didn’t do enough to determine possible impacts on marine life. (6/8)

The issue-attention cycle moved into stage 4, gradual decline in public interest as coverage returned to more episodic coverage of whale births, injuries, and mortalities. Policy action and organizational change are less likely now that peak public attention has passed. (5/8)

The conservation conflict between whale experts and advocates & lobster fishers and their allies was the primary focus of coverage from 2017 to early 2023, even though other threats remain & groups made progress to develop new fishing gear technologies that reduce right whale entanglements. (4/8)

We continued studying the issue-attention cycle about North Atlantic right whale science, conservation, and policy in six U.S. newspapers for the years 2023 and 2024. Media coverage (and public attention) declined following a turning point in December 2022.
(3/8)

Issue-attention cycles (IACs) follow the predictable rise and fall of public attention. Media organizations simplify, dramatize, and problematize topics to attract and maintain audiences’ attention as long as possible before everyone moves on. IACs follow 5 defined stages, timelines vary. (2/8)

3/3 You can read my #openaccess #research on the topic here: journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3...

2/3 If you've read my recent research article on right whale news coverage, you'll see some familiar talking points and predictable arguments from the #fishery. Doesn't seem like the start of a new issue-attention cycle for right whales but a resurgence of interest as part of the post-problem phase.