Conference paper
HOW TO LEGITIMIZE POLITICAL DECISIONS: THE MEDIA COMMUNICATION OF RISKS REGARDING HAZARDOUS WASTE DUMPS
Blanka Jergović
; Croatian Radiotelevision, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The media communication of risks is firmly rooted in the “transfer” paradigm of communication. Also, the preliminary research has confirmed the conclusions of the relevant studies that there is a need for adopting an ethics protocol on the communication of risks so that the public is able to reach a concensus on the nonacceptable or acceptable risks through a democratic process of negotiation. The article includes the results of an analysis of the articles on hazardous waste from Croatian papers in the first half of 2004, since all Croatian counties should decide on their waste dump location by the end of the year. Besides, the contract with Slovenia regarding the nuclear plant Krško obliges Croatia to keep its part of the bargain regarding the disposal of medium- and low-radioactive waste. The choice of the waste dump locations has turned into a political issue par exellence and the responsibility is occasionally shifted to the public. A research has shown that the media (for many citizens the sole source of information about the risks hazardous waste dumps entail) do not provide the information that would enable the public to make an informed decision on this issue.
Keywords
newspapers; risk; decision-making; media communication
Hrčak ID:
22807
URI
Publication date:
11.1.2005.
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