A1 Journal article (refereed)
Healthy mistrust or complacent confidence? : Civic vigilance in the reporting by leading newspapers on nuclear waste disposal in Finland and France (2021)
Lehtonen, M., Kojo, M., Kari, M., & Litmanen, T. (2021). Healthy mistrust or complacent confidence? : Civic vigilance in the reporting by leading newspapers on nuclear waste disposal in Finland and France. Risk, Hazards and Crisis in Public Policy, 12(2), 130-157. https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12210
The research was funded by Strategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland.
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Lehtonen, Markku; Kojo, Matti; Kari, Mika; Litmanen, Tapio
Journal or series: Risk, Hazards and Crisis in Public Policy
ISSN: 1944-4079
eISSN: 1944-4079
Publication year: 2021
Publication date: 10/03/2021
Volume: 12
Issue number: 2
Pages range: 130-157
Publisher: Wiley
Publication country: United States
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12210
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/74587
Abstract
Trust and confidence have been identified as crucial for efforts at solving the conundrum of high‐level radioactive waste management (RWM). However, mistrust has its virtues, especially in the form of “civic vigilance”—healthy suspicion towards the powers that be. This article examines civic vigilance in the form of “watchdog journalism,” as practiced by the leading Finnish and French newspapers—Helsingin Sanomat (HS) and Le Monde (LM)—in their RWM reporting. Although both countries are forerunners in RWM, Finland constitutes a Nordic “high‐trust society” while France has been characterized as a “society of mistrust.” Employing the methods of frame analysis, key RWM‐related news frames were identified, consisting of varying combinations of confidence, skepticism, trust, and mistrust. LM's mistrust‐skepticism‐oriented framings reflect the classical watchdog role, in sharp contrast with the confidence oriented framings of HS, which tends to reproduce government and industry framings. Explanations for the observed differences can be sought in historically constituted political and media cultures, as well as national nuclear “regimes”. For further research, we suggest two alternative hypotheses concerning the implications that these distinct models of civic vigilance have for democracy.
Keywords: trust; society; radioactive waste; nuclear power plants; supervision; citizen observations; citizen journalism; media; communication culture
Free keywords: media frames; radio active waste management; trust
Contributing organizations
Related projects
- Bentonite-rock - interaction
- Miettinen, Arttu
- Nuclear Waste Management Fund
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- Litmanen, Tapio
- Research Council of Finland
Ministry reporting: Yes
Reporting Year: 2021
JUFO rating: 1