The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: News Media Fantasy versus Reality Essay

AbstractThe purpose of this investigate paper was to investigate the news medias depiction of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The reporting provided by the newspapers was compared to that of scientific journals to access their validity and insight. The reactions the c overage evoked on the public were also studied. The paper specifically addressed the medias line drawing of the oil company versus that of environmental groups. It was entrap that the news media did not implicate the benefits the oil company had had on the people and economy of Alaska. It was also found that up until 1989, many Alaskans were opposed to environmental groups. Next, the paper followed the role the media contend on the publics emotions and subsequent government policy. In addition, the design of exaggerated statistics in the wake of the spill are examined and corrected. Finally, the debate over the recovery of the area is tackled. And while the debate remains open, the apparent discrepancies in data are discussed. IntroductionOn March 27, 1989 the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran ashore in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil. The oil soon fan out into the waters of south-central Alaska from the sound of Kodiak Island to the Kenai Peninsula (refer to Figure 1 for a stage of the area). Almost immediately, news media arrived at the site reporting images of oil-stained beaches and wildlife to the masses. News insurance coverage centered around the environmental devastation which would result from the spill. The coverage, for the most part, reenforce stereotypes of Alaska, as a pristine wilderness and Exxon as a greedy, lordly oil company. These images stressed the negative consequences of the spills and ignored ... ...nd, Alaska. The Condor 102 (4), 723-737.Lance, B. K., Irons, D. B., Kendall, S. J., and McDonald, L. L. (2001) An evaluation of marine dolly population trends following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Prine William Sound, Alaska. Marine Pollution Bulletin 42 (4) 298-309. Leo, Roger. Spill is a Slipery Subject Ten Years Later, Exxon Wont Admit the Disaster Continues. Worcester Telegram & publish Worester, MA. 28 March 1999 D12.Leo, Roger. distillery Paying Price for Exxon Spill Some Species Continue to Suffer.Worcester Telegram & Gazette Worester, MA. 30 April 2000 D9Shabecoff, Philip. U.S. Asks Exxon for $20 Million to Access Spill Damage in Alaska.New York Times New York 18 January 1990 B4.Wiens, J. A. (1996) Oil, seabirds, and science the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. bioscience 46 (8) 587-598.