Framing and Its Involvement in the Drilling Moratorium Story

Hey everybody... My blog post for today will be focusing on how people and reporters use FRAMING in stories and reports. I have read and learned many things about framing from my “Media Now” textbook that I am reading for my RTF 305 class, which is awesome by the way. I now have the knowledge and understand the connection between framing and issues presented by the media, such as the story I will be discussing about what experts say how the White House ‘misrepresented’ views to justify drilling moratorium.


In the media, reports and stories of all kinds are presented for viewers all across the world to see and hear. The news on television shows us (the viewers) issues that they believe are important for us to be aware of; but what is it that tells us exactly how to think about these issues and topics and everything associated with them? The answer is… Drum roll please… Framing. The theory of framing is that reporters have the ability to alter a story on an issue. The reporter is able to choose everything that he or she wishes to include, and also what he or she doesn’t want to include in the report. For anything that is included in the report, the reporter chooses the facts, tone and words of the story, and also the interpretation of the facts. The contents of the report are fully in the hands of the reporter.

Fox News presented a story on the topic of the safety of offshore drilling that was published on June 11, 2010 by FOXNews.com. There were seven experts recommended by the National Academy of Engineering who, after the Deepwater Horizon Explosion occurred, advised the President on the issue of offshore drilling safety. Although the seven experts opposed a six-month drilling moratorium, President Obama’s administration said differently. The experts then accused the administration of “misrepresenting their views” to make it seem as if they really did support and back up the drilling operation (LaJeunesse, FOXNews.com). The experts claimed that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar altered their report a month before, after they had already signed it. According to the seven experts, Salazar also included a couple of false statements that comprised of “calling for a moratorium on existing drilling and new permits” (LaJeunesse, FOXNews.com). Salazar issued a report to President Obama stating that the seven experts ‘peer reviewed’ his suggestions, that consisted of “a six-month moratorium on permits for new wells being drilled using floating rigs and an immediate halt to drilling operations” (LaJeunesse, FOXNews.com). Here is what the experts had to say to Fox News in response to Salazar’s false testimony: “None of us actually reviewed the memorandum as it is in the report. What was in the report at the time it was reviewed was quite a bit different in its impact to what there is now. So we wanted to distance ourselves from that recommendation” (Arnold, LaJeunesse, FOXNews.com). Salazar later apologized and made the point that he appreciated the experts’ proposal, but it was ultimately the President and his decision on the moratorium, and not the seven experts. A letter was then sent to Salazar from the experts saying that “they said his primary recommendation ‘misrepresents’ their position and that halting the drilling is actually a bad idea” (LaJeunesse, FOXNews.com). This is an excellent example of how reporters or people of higher authority have the ability to revise reports in any form they choose to do so. Salazar used framing to modify the report and recommendations of the seven experts to appear as if they supported the drilling moratorium, when in fact, they actually opposed it. Salazar wanted the public to view the situation HOW HE viewed it. Framing is what tells us exactly how to think about issues and topics and everything associated with them, right? Well… Salazar did just that, making the public view the report and situation how he wanted us to view it. Framing is an incredibly important part of the media and how we, the viewing people, view it.

Here is the link to where I received my information on my framing example: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/10/experts-say-obama-misrepresented-views-justify-offshore-drilling-ban/. I hope you all enjoyed this blog post and learned a little something as well!!