The Story of an Emerging Energy Issue: National Television News Coverage of Fracking in the United States

Abstract

This is a narrative analysis that documents how the issue of fracking emerged in national television evening news programs in the United States from 2010 to 2013. Four features of narrative–character, setting, narration, and causal relationships – are central to stories that began with controversy and contamination, but then shifted to boomtowns and energy independence, suggesting that news coverage became more industry-oriented over time.