Gatekeeping and Communities in Energy Transition: A Study of the Block Island Wind Farm

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

11-17-2019

Abstract

The Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) is the first offshore wind farm in the United States. Using gatekeeping theory as a framework, this research analyzes local and regional/national newspaper coverage of the BIWF paying particular attention to the use of sources. The data suggest that the differences between newspaper source usage from 1 January 2008 to 1 July 2017 is minimal. However, business sources appeared more than any other group, including government sources, which is a new finding. The prevalence of business sources leads to important questions about the role of businesses in shaping narratives about community transitions to renewable energy systems.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Environmental Communication

Volume

13

Issue

8

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