Date of Award
2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marine Affairs
Department
Marine Affairs
First Advisor
Emily Diamond
Abstract
The United States set a goal to develop 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 as an ocean-based method to decarbonize the energy grid to combat climate change (The White House, 2021). The problem is that certain opposition groups are adopting delay and misinformation strategies to dissuade offshore wind development (Dunlap & Brulle, 2020; Supran & Oreskes, 2021; Climate and Development Lab, 2023; Slevin et al., 2023) by conflating actual environmental impacts (BOEM & NOAA Fisheries, 2024) with an unusual mortality event of North Atlantic Right Whales and humpback whales on the East Coast of the United States (Office of Communications, 2024; Office of Protected Resources, 2024; Office of Protected Resources 2024a). This study employs media content analysis techniques to examine how regional and national newspapers in the United States are covering the proliferation of offshore wind development in the context of East Coast whale strandings. In short, I seek to understand what narratives newspapers are perpetuating, whom they are quoting or referencing to perpetuate those narratives, and what delay or misinformation tactics quoted entities are using, if any. I also aim to identify if any quoted entities share any explanations for the whale deaths that do not involve offshore wind development. I find that newspapers generally take a balanced approach to discussing offshore wind development and whale deaths, quoting and referencing various entities that say “offshore wind development is not killing whales”, “offshore wind development is killing whales, and “the impact of offshore wind on whales is not clear”. The most quoted or referenced entities are non-governmental organizations (NGOs), federal agencies, and federally elected officials. Of these groups, only NGOs and federally elected officials used delay or misinformation tactics in their quoted rhetoric. The most common techniques they used were “logical fallacies”, “emphasize the downsides” and “impossible expectations.” Federal agencies are most frequently quoted using alternative explanations for whale deaths. They mostly point to ship strikes, fishing gear entanglements, and climate change impacts as causes of reported whale deaths.
Recommended Citation
Hussain, Rafeed, "EXAMINING THE NARRATIVES, MISINFORMATION, AND DELAY TACTICS IN NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT IN RELATION TO WHALE STRANDINGS ON THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES" (2024). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2531.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2531