Risk communications -- a mad cow disease case study

Tromp, Katherine M.

Student Work

Risk communications -- a mad cow disease case study

Public

The goal of this MQP was to research risk communication and to explore how risk is communicated in situations where uncertainty exists. I examined the mad cow disease crisis by analyzing eighteen newspaper articles over a series of three time periods. The analysis revealed several themes in the risk communication of mad cow disease, including patterns in the rhetoric of risk and safety. Finally, I wrote two articles that more thoroughly addressed uncertainty and the science of mad cow disease.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator