Outrage Factors and Explanations in News Coverage of the Anthrax Attacks

Abstract

This content analysis examined risk communication factors in news coverage of the 2001 anthrax attacks appearing in 833 stories from 272 newspapers, AP, NPR, and four national television networks (CBS, NBC, CNN, ABC). An exploratory framework posits that when outrage factors characterize crisis coverage, accompanying explanations mitigate negative public reactions by putting the hazard into a broader context. Stories that portrayed uncertainty—through conflicting reports, speculation, use of unnamed sources, and coverage of vague advice and hoaxes/false alarms—frequently contained outrage rhetoric. However, speculative coverage often contained explanations that helped to contextualize frightening circumstances.