This book chronicles the American media's coverage of the 1984 chemical spill in Bhopal, India, and its aftermath in the US. It explains how the press reported about Bhopal and examines journalism's subsequent influence on public perceptions about technological safety. . . . It is an excellent addition to university collections in science writing, journalism criticism, and mass media research and should be useful to undergraduates at all levels.Choice
More than two years after the Bhopal disaster, fatalities and illnesses in this central Indian city continue to be reported by U.S. media. Litigation involving Union Carbide still makes the front page. In this new book, Professor Wilkins offers a unique case study of news accounts of the worst industrial accident in history, combining a detailed review of media coverage with an analysis of public reaction to those reports.
LEE WILKINS is Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder and earned her doctorate in political science.
Illustrations
Preface
The Year of Bhopal
The Scholarly Framework
Bhopal in Black and White
The Living Room Tragedy
Patterns of Power
The Public Perception
What Price Connection?
Shared Vulnerability
Selected Bibliography
Index