Mass Media Research Based On Risk Social Amplification Framework

Risk is not only the core of the modern world, but also an important subject tryingto investigate the social science of the world. Technical innovation such as science andtechnology not only has rapidly improved the people’s living standard, but also makespotential risks to be closer to us. The sudden disasters and problems from Wenchuanearthquake to Fukushima nuclear leak and from bird flu to genetically modified foodsetc. have brought various risks and uncertainties to people’s daily life, allowing us todeeply feel that risks are everywhere.Risks are usually established in our daily life based on the mass media, personalexperience and life experience etc. Under the mediated social background, the massmedia become a part of the risk manufacturing model, become the core of riskawareness, and are also the core of explaining the human risk response.This study begins with such a perplexing question: Why a lot of risks and riskevents will lead to strong public concern and have significant influence on the societyand economy? In professional risk analysis, these risks and risk events may beevaluated by the government and expert as smaller risk values. For example, somehazards with extremely low probability of risks, such as mad cow disease, areamplified in the UK to cause extremely significant political concerns. In contrast, therisks with great potential hazards like smoking do not attract great attention of themedia.At the same time, in the risk transmission practice of the media, we will findmany cases that inappropriate media reports aggravate or even cause new risks. InChina, media coverage of the Yongwen bullet train accident in July2012hasexperienced the process of changing from "rescue theme" to "censure theme", andfrom "truth investigation" to "catharsis". According to the reflection after the events,excessive "supervision" of the media has brought huge pressure to the risk control at that time, thereby seriously damaging the government reputation, seriously frustratingthe high-speed rail construction, and giving rise to unprecedented risks in China’srailway industry. In the risk transmission, what is the role positioning of mass media?How does it present the modern risks? What is the path and consequences? All thesequestions are worthy of our in-depth study.The social amplification of risk framework used in this study is an attempt toexplain the theoretical model of risk formation in mass media."Risk amplification"means that the eventual impact of a risk event is more than its initial effect. In theamplified framework, mass media are involved in the construction of various cultures,have established risks at different levels as key symbol manufacturing facilities, andhave amplified risks on this basis.This paper focuses on the researches of the positioning, performance, risktransmission process and transmission consequences of mass media in the risktransmission. But this paper not only rests on the combing and description of thisconstruction path, but also points the research incidence at how to walk out of the riskamplification hedge, and rebuilds the transmission practice of mass media in risk field.The research footholds can be focused on three aspects:Firstly, through comprehensive ethical and cultural reflection of the mass mediaamplification risks, the mediated risk is realized to be not only a risk realism, but also arisk constructivism. The role of media in risk transmission is critically reflected bypushing aside the mystery around risk amplification.Secondly, media fulfill their due responsibility from their due responsibility in themodern democratic society and around risk management, accountability, fairness andaction etc., and comprehensively establish the medium trust mechanism in risktransmission respectively from the perspective of "competence"(i.e., professionalability of the transmitters and the degree of their ability to transmit a certain subjectfield) and "honesty"(i.e., with the transmitters’ loyalty degree of the facts in theinformation dissemination process as the evaluation index). Specifically, media should provide complete, reliable and independent information in the risk report; open forumis held to express and discuss public anxiety and worrying risk subjects; supervise theperformance of relevant interest groups and government power center and distinguishthe risk accountability.Thirdly, put the media in the multidirectional communication environment ofrisks. The communication model based on social amplification regards risktransmission as a one-way transmission of information. However, the news report andsignal produced by any risk event are carried out through various organizationstructures in the existing communication network. Media activities are just the subfieldof a series of actions. Therefore, this research is intended to build the field model ofrisk transmission with the aid of the Bourdieu’s field theory. Risk managers, relevantparties in the risk project, scientific circle, the public and media etc. are set up as theparticipants in risk transmission. They compete with each other in order to establish therelationship of dominant and subordinate in the risk field. Each party makes persistentefforts to maintain or improve its position, which is also the core power to maintain theecology in the risk field. Where, the public will be regarded as the active participantsof status competition, instead of only passive recipients or bystanders in the socialamplification model. This field model is the consideration of expanding risk researchesfrom focus on a certain specific risk event to systemic determinants in risktransmission. In essence, risk transmission is the results of negotiation and publicdiscussion of all parties involved, including mass media, in risk distribution, evaluationand decision making.