Benefits and risks of genetically modified mosquitoes: news and Twitter framing across issue-attention cycle

Abstract

This study examines how online news and Twitter framed the discussion about genetically modified mosquitoes differently in response to Zika as the issue-attention cycle progressed. Results show that Twitter discussions relied on recurring frames. By contrast, online news media used a wider variety of benefit and risk frames than Twitter, which helped generate new knowledge. The issue-attention cycle did make a difference in the frame used. We observed a dramatic decline in benefit coverage in Twitter but not in online news media coverage. For Twitter, risk coverage spiked in the middle stages of the cycle. There was nearly no mention of risk at the beginning and ending stages of the cycle in Twitter coverage. Online news media presented a different pattern that benefit coverage was constantly high and risk coverage stably increased as the issue-attention cycle progressed. Implications are discussed in light of the media characteristics.

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