Media Framing of Particulate Matter Air Pollution

• In Event: 50620 - Section on Environmental Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 16: Information Technology and the Environment

Abstract

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a hazardous air pollutant linked to lung cancer, dementia, and respiratory illnesses. Despite regulatory measures that led to real declines in fine particulate matter nationwide, disparities persist, with marginalized communities experiencing disproportionate exposure. In recent years, PM2.5 pollution has increased, largely due to wildfires. This study examines how particulate matter air pollution (PMAP) has been framed as a social problem in two major U.S. newspapers, The New York Times and USA Today, from 2013 to 2024. Using frame analysis, we analyzed a total of 288 articles across both papers. We find that coverage of PMAP increased in 2018, 2020, and 2023, corresponding to major wildfire events and the COVID-19 pandemic. The New York Times consistently covered PMAP at a higher rate, focusing on federal policy changes and new scientific findings, while USA Today did not cover PMAP consistently until 2020. In USA Today, in 2020, the framing of PMAP shifted significantly with the emergence of an environmental justice frame. This frame links higher COVID-19 mortality for Black and Latino communities to PMAP air pollution. Black and Latino neighborhoods are exposed, on average, to higher PM2.5 pollution than White neighborhoods. The environmental justice frame became more pronounced after 2020. Rather than fading after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this frame persisted through 2023. Drawing on theories from environmental sociology, cultural sociology, and science and technology studies, we argue that these framing shifts reflect the amplification of risk during unsettled times.

Authors

• Norah MacKendrick, Rutgers University-New Brunswick

• Seungyun Lee, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

• Hanee Choi, Rutgers University-New Brunswick

• Marina Rivera Ramos, Rutgers University-New Brunswick