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Representations of mad cow disease

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  • Washer, Peter

Abstract

This paper examines the reporting of the story of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and its human derivative variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) in the British newspapers. Three 'snapshots' of newspaper coverage are sampled and analysed between the period 1986 and 1996 focusing on how representations of the disease evolved over the 10-year period. Social representations theory is used to elucidate how this new disease threat was conceptualised in the newspaper reporting and how it was explained to the UK public. This paper examines who or what was said to be at risk from the new disease, and whether some individuals or groups held to blame for the diseases' putative origins, the appearance of vCJD in human beings, and its spread.

Suggested Citation

  • Washer, Peter, 2006. "Representations of mad cow disease," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 457-466, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:62:y:2006:i:2:p:457-466
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Joffe, Hélène & Haarhoff, Georgina, 2002. "Representations of far-flung illnesses: the case of Ebola in Britain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 54(6), pages 955-969, March.
    2. Miller, David, 1999. "Risk, science and policy: definitional struggles, information management, the media and BSE," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 49(9), pages 1239-1255, November.
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    2. Barbara Tiozzo & Anna Pinto & Federico Neresini & Stefano Sbalchiero & Nicoletta Parise & Mirko Ruzza & Licia Ravarotto, 2019. "Food risk communication: analysis of the media coverage of food risk on Italian online daily newspapers," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(6), pages 2843-2866, November.
    3. Smith, Richard D., 2006. "Responding to global infectious disease outbreaks: Lessons from SARS on the role of risk perception, communication and management," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(12), pages 3113-3123, December.
    4. Minerva Catalán‐Vázquez & Horacio Riojas‐Rodríguez & Blanca Estela Pelcastre‐Villafuerte, 2014. "Risk: For Whom? Representations of Mining Activity by Different Social Actors in the Molango Manganese District of Hidalgo, Mexico," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(1), pages 28-43, January.
    5. Washer, Peter & Joffe, Helene, 2006. "The "hospital superbug": Social representations of MRSA," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(8), pages 2141-2152, October.
    6. Ribeiro, Barbara & Hartley, Sarah & Nerlich, Brigitte & Jaspal, Rusi, 2018. "Media coverage of the Zika crisis in Brazil: The construction of a ‘war’ frame that masked social and gender inequalities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 137-144.

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