Lost in Translation? Exploring the journey from press releases to news articles during volcanic crises, and its impact on perceptions

Jones, Elena May

Abstract

The world in which we communicate has changed rapidly in recent years; information from official bodies can be posted, shared, translated, re-interpreted and disseminated rapidly via online news outlets and social media. The increased use of the internet means that science communication can be spread more than ever, from online news to press releases being shared on social media. The modern drive of the press industry can cause news about events to be sensationalised to create interesting stories, therefore potentially impacting the public perceptions of a volcanic crisis. This study aims to better understand how the ‘translation’ of press releases by the mainstream media impacts the behaviours and perceptions of the global community during a volcanic crisis. Here we show that translation from press releases to news articles is not always linear and different media companies translate press releases differently. This therefore impacts public perceptions of volcanic events as the news articles do not always portray the events accurately and the public’s perceptions can be impacted by many extraneous factors. It is thought that this research will be the starting point into more research into press release translation and that the results of this study can show the true impact of sensationalist language within the press industry.

Citation

Jones, E. M. Lost in Translation? Exploring the journey from press releases to news articles during volcanic crises, and its impact on perceptions. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4448192

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 20, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 23, 2023
• Keywords: Volcanology ; Geology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4448192
• Additional Information: School of Environmental Sciences; University of Hull
• Award Date: Nov 14, 2023