| dc.description | When someone turns on a faucet or breaks the seal on a bottle of water,
how the water got there is not something they think about. A person just turns
on the faucet and the water is simply there. Yet, a multitude of intertwined,
natural and man-made processes allow water to be clean and readily available
for consumption. A conflict can emerge when humans use water for profit.
Water has become big business. Osborne (1999), in an op-ed piece for the
Washington Post, said that "water is the commodity of the next century, and
those who possess it and control it could be in a position to control the world's
economy."
In the late 1990s, the Perrier Corporation sought a spring that could
supply water to Midwestern urban areas including Chicago and Minneapolis.
One of the sites was central Wisconsin where water is prized for its quality and
abundance. Perrier's plans faced serious concerns by citizens, scientists, and
local, regional and national interest groups. Although the area could benefit
economically from a new bottling plant and already supported many other
high-capacity wells, the perceived value of the spring water became a
roadblock to development. After protests and legal battles, Perrier's interest
turned to a site in Michigan before the completion of final well tests
Wisconsin.
Local and regional media outlets and special interest groups tracked
the interaction between citizens and Perrier. The development of the bottling
plant proposal was documented in a variety of media: newspapers, television
programs, magazines and Web sites. The media attention to the Perrier
proposal to use Wisconsin's prized water supply for commercial profit
illustrated a unique relationship between the local citizens and the
environment.
Specifically, the case study will seek answers to three research
questions:
1. What techniques, such as news releases, letters to the editor, newsletters
and other public relations tactics, were used to express opinions and
provide information?
2. What frames emerged from the media coverage?
3. What made the case unique in comparison to other development projects,
and how does it increase an understanding of framing theory, agenda
setting, issue management and risk communication? | en_US |
