Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Conserv Biol. 2012 Feb;26(1):171-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01750.x. Epub 2011 Oct 6.
Populations of large carnivores are declining globally, and analysis of public discourse about carnivores is useful for understanding public opinion and influences on management and policy. Portrayal of carnivores in the media affects public perceptions and support for their conservation. We conducted a content analysis of 513 articles about Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) published from 2003 to 2006 in newspapers with local circulation in core panther habitat in southwest Florida and papers with statewide circulation to compare the differences in the amount of coverage and portrayals of panther risks to people and property on the basis of proximity of human communities to panthers. Local papers published significantly more news articles and significantly longer news articles primarily about panthers. Articles in local and statewide papers used both episodic frames, which focus on specific occurrences (e.g., a panther sighting or predation) and thematic frames, which focus on general trends (e.g., abundance of panthers over time). Local articles more often emphasized risks that panthers might harm people, pets, or livestock than statewide papers. Our results are consistent with theory that proximity to human-carnivore conflict influences perceptions and salience of risks posed by large carnivores. Most articles mentioned panthers as a secondary topic, which we believe was a result of the relevance an endangered carnivore has in discussions of public land management, development, and regulations in Florida. Claims made by sources quoted in each article had a neutral to positive depiction of panthers, and most quotations were from federal and state agency scientists. We suggest continued use by the media of agency sources provides the opportunity for clear, concordant messages about panther management. Content analysis provides a way to monitor media portrayal of carnivores for consistency with agency outreach goals.
大型食肉动物的数量在全球范围内呈下降趋势，分析公众对食肉动物的看法有助于了解公众意见以及对管理和政策的影响。媒体对食肉动物的描绘会影响公众对它们的看法和对其保护的支持。我们对 2003 年至 2006 年间在佛罗里达州西南部黑豹栖息地的当地报纸和全州性报纸上刊登的 513 篇关于佛罗里达黑豹（Puma concolor coryi）的文章进行了内容分析，以比较根据人类社区与黑豹的接近程度，报道黑豹对人和财产的风险的数量和方式的差异。当地报纸发表了更多的新闻文章，篇幅也明显更长，主要是关于黑豹的新闻。当地和全州性报纸的文章都使用了特定事件框架（例如，黑豹目击事件或捕食事件）和主题框架（例如，黑豹随时间的数量趋势）。当地文章更常强调黑豹可能伤害人、宠物或牲畜的风险，而全州性报纸则较少强调这一风险。我们的结果与理论一致，即与人类-食肉动物冲突的接近程度会影响人们对大型食肉动物所带来风险的看法和重视程度。大多数文章都将黑豹作为次要话题提及，我们认为这是因为濒危食肉动物在佛罗里达州的公共土地管理、开发和法规讨论中具有相关性。每篇文章引用的消息来源的说法对黑豹有中立到积极的描述，并且大多数引语都来自联邦和州机构的科学家。我们建议媒体继续利用机构来源，为有关黑豹管理的清晰、一致的信息提供机会。内容分析为监测媒体对食肉动物的描绘是否符合机构外联目标提供了一种方法。
