This article seems to underscore some of the issues we are discussing in class about risk communication. To me, the problem in this situation wasn't a lack of communication, rather, it was a difference in the perception of risk. The local citizens and workers/managers of the local treatment plant had a much larger risk perception than the supervisors who were in charge of allocating funds to fix the problem of the backed-up water in the mine tunnels. I wonder if this had anything to do with the fact that the supervisors didn't live in the town?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/28leadville.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/28leadville.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin
6 comments:
I always wonder how accurate the EPA's assessment of areas are and how they specify their regulations based on location. Despite the EPA's assessment, the public often looks to the media to assess the potential risk of incidents such as this mine water situation. This article brings up the issue that mine water (contaminated with lead) not only poses a health threat but also an economic threat. Depending on how risk communication is relayed to the public, the region that is being publicized can be greatly affected. For instance, as parents remove their children from the public school system, the community is beginning to develop their own perception of the risk at hand. Unfortunately, if information is presented incorrectly, the public can often misinterpret the potential risk. The media as well as government agencies like the EPA should take greater responsibility in facilitating accurate information to the public so that panic is not instigated.
This is good example of how the media can effect public perceptions how risk is communicated. The article contains both expert facts and opinions from the EPA, as well as quotes from the general public. These different sources give the article both credibily and insight from other people that may be in the same situation as the reader.
As the above post indicated, parents have removed thier children from school out of fear, yet they may not be sure what the entire problem may be. It will be interesting to see how this article, as well as the attention that is being drawn to this problem elsewhere effect the amount of emphasis given in the media.
I especially found the quotes from the general public to be of interest. Notice how the first line of the piece began with reference to one of the people living in the area. The picture included in the article was another method that was used to better illustrate the point of the piece. In fact, these techniques served to capture the readers interest since it started in a tone that seemed to be a little like a human interest story.
The tone of this article makes the EPA sound like a father telling his child, "Okay this is looking bad. Do something about it. You need money? Okay let me help you out." I don't know why but that's what I felt. Also, I agree about the human interest aspect. Look at the very last sentence: "As a muffled recording broadcast warnings in English and Spanish, a herd of elk wandered down from the mountains. Down the road, peering out from behind the peaks, the yellow lights from the old Climax mine continued to burn through the night." Very interesting how this article went from people to the environment to the an agency and to the people and back to the environment. I've read somewhere that slightly changing the focus of an article like this keeps readers interested. Apparently our society has a a problem with being attentive to the world around us. Think about it, how many of us just scan the headlines?
I strongly agree with Ordessia Charran's sentiments. The very personal quotations of the general public really served to draw my interest in this article. Specifically, Leadville Mayor Bud Elliot's quotation brings the common citizens' fears out into the limelight. Education is so essential to most people's lives. Yet, a concerned couple of parents has feared the impending threat of being washed away by toxic water (this fear seems pretty reasonable) so much that the couple has decided to remove its two children from school. This article presents a perfect example of the fear of an environmental catastrophe causing "dread" for many people because they do not feel any sense of control over the situation.
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