Framing Theory and Its Application to the Fracking Controversy in St. Tammany Parish

Identifier

etd-04112015-223252

Author

Lindsay Colleen Rabalais, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical CollegeFollow

Degree

Master of Mass Communication (MMC)

Department

Mass Communication

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

When Helis Oil & Gas Company announced it was interested in drilling for oil in Louisiana’s St. Tammany Parish, it ignited a firestorm. The proposed drilling project would use hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – causing some residents to voice their concerns for the parish’s wellbeing. My thesis looks to framing theory to analyze how local media covered the issue, as well as the effects those frames might have on public policy and the lawsuits that arose out of the proposed drilling operation. I performed quantitative and qualitative content analyses of local media coverage of this issue from April 2014 through December 2014. I found that the media focused the most on the “public backlash” frame. The media coverage showed that public opinion has already had an impact on public policy; it could also influence litigation in this matter.

Date

2015

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Recommended Citation

Rabalais, Lindsay Colleen, "Framing Theory and Its Application to the Fracking Controversy in St. Tammany Parish" (2015). LSU Master's Theses. 1224.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1224

Committee Chair

Reynolds, Amy

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.1224