title: Uncharted Waters: Communicating Health Risks During the 2014 West Virginia Water Crisis.
abstract: This study is among the first to examine how health risks are communicated through traditional and social media during a public health crisis. Using an innovative research approach, the study combined a content analysis with in-depth interviews to examine and understand how stakeholders involved in crisis response perceived media coverage after a chemical spill contaminated the drinking water of 300,000 West Virginia residents. A content analysis of print, television, and online media stories and tweets revealed that health risk information was largely absent from crisis coverage. Although traditional media stories were significantly more likely to include health information compared to tweets, public health sources were underutilized in traditional media coverage. Instead, traditional media favored the use of government sources outside the public health field, which stakeholders suggested was problematic because of a public distrust of officials and official information during the crisis. Results also indicated that Twitter was not a common or reliable source for health information but was important in the spread of other types of information. Ultimately, the study highlights a need for more deliberate media coverage of health risks and provides insight into how Twitter is used to spread crisis information.
authors: a Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health , University of South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors: Tracey L
authors: TL
authors: Thomas
authors: a Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health , University of South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors: Daniela B
authors: DB
authors: Friedman
authors: a Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health , University of South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors: Heather M
authors: HM
authors: Brandt
authors: a Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health , University of South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors: S Melinda
authors: SM
authors: Spencer
authors: b School of Journalism and Mass Communications , University of South Carolina , Columbia , South Carolina , USA.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Tanner
mesh_terms: D055884:Chemical Hazard Release; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011634:Public Health; D012306:Risk; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014903:West Virginia
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical