What's Real and What's News: An Exploratory Analysis of Media Coverage and Resident Perceptions of Environmental Risk Using Objective Risk Data

This thesis draws on five disparate data sources to examine availability and efficacy of media covering environmental risk in North Carolina. Framed as a study of environmental in/justice, the analysis uses objective measures of risk to examine the state's health disparities in light of demographic data. The results indicate that counties with more poor and more minority residents are both less healthy overall and have fewer media outlets to learn about health and environmental risks. Recommendations for more robust and thorough media coverage of environmental risks accompany suggestions for public health practitioners and future research.