Media coverage of chemical crimes, Hillsborough County, Florida, 1987-97

Michael J. Lynch, Paul Stretesky, Paul Hammond

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    49 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    While criminologists focus a considerable amount of attention on issues relating to crime and the media, little consideration has been given to the news media's coverage of environmental crimes. Consequently, we examine the amount of news coverage devoted to corporate environmental crime in Hillsborough County, Florida for the years of 1987-97. Specifically, we investigate the frequency and content of reports of accidental chemical releases (ACRs) in the Tampa Tribune - the County's largest newspaper. We find that of the 878 chemical spills reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Emergency Response and Notification System (ERNS), nine made the news. We also discover that news reports appear to reflect public opinion concerning the nature of corporate crime.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)112-126
    Number of pages15
    JournalBritish Journal of Criminology
    Volume40
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Dec 2000

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