Danger! Toxic Reporting: A Case Study of the Benzene Barge Spill on the Mighty Mississippi. S. F. Duhe, COJMC, USC, 205 Rosebank Drive, Columbia, SC 29209-1929
In March of last year, a barge traveling up the Mississippi in the downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana area turned over and started leaking benzene. The incident prompted massive evacuations including one of the largest black colleges. More than 100 were sent to area hospitals. Live coverage of the incident began soon after the barge overturned; however, nearly 24 hours passed before journalists reported that the overturned barge was leaking benzene. To examine media coverage of the event and test communication theories, the researcher analyzed more than 400 news stories—both broadcast and print—during the initial days of the incident. In nearly half of the stories analyzed, there was no source. When the media did use a source, state police were the most often interviewed. The actual level or amount of benzene spilled was mentioned in only one-quarter of the stories. Furthermore, the amount of benzene necessary to cause human health problems was nearly never mentioned. The research suggests that citizens often acted on the basis of incomplete and inaccurate information reaffirming problems associated with science reporting while broadening the science communication literature. Furthermore, the research provides a framework for improved science journalism.
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