Documentaries Change of Time: How The Cove and Blackfish Influence the Business of Marine Parks

Pedersen, Thea Astrid Brunslev ; Stentebjerg, Henriette Maria Bolvig ; Torp, Zenia Ina Stavnshøj

4. semester

Kommunikation, Kandidat

2015

2015-06-01

109

Specialet undersøger, med udgangspunkt i dokumentarerne The Cove og Blackfish, hvilke temaer og måder at tale om emnet (diskurser) der præger debatten om havparker—steder hvor gæster ser shows med optrædende havpattedyr—og hvordan debatten påvirker branchen. SeaWorld bruges som case til at vise, hvordan en konkret virksomhed påvirkes. Med en socialkonstruktivistisk tilgang betragter vi SeaWorlds situation som en krise, fordi kritikere og medier omtaler og tillægger den betydning som en krise. Vi har interviewet deltagere i debatten, både kritikere og tilhængere, for at forstå deres perspektiver. Analysen er todelt. Først laver vi en diskursanalyse af fire kommunikationsprodukter: The Cove, Blackfish, SeaWorlds spækhuggershow One Ocean og websiden "Blackfish: The Truth About the Movie". Med afsæt i Laclau og Mouffes diskursteori og Henrik Juels indholdsanalyse identificerer vi to konkurrerende diskurser: en kritik-diskurs og en støtte-diskurs. Parterne tegner hinanden som modstandere, hvilket skaber et antagonistisk forhold, hvor meningsfuld dialog er vanskelig. I kritikernes optik kan havparker ikke forbedres; lukning er den eneste acceptable løsning. Derfor kan parkerne, set med disse øjne, ikke kommunikere sig ud af problemet. Dernæst bruger vi krisekommunikationsteori af William Benoit og Timothy Coombs til at vurdere SeaWorlds svar. Uanset hvilken forsvarsstrategi SeaWorld vælger, bliver virksomheden fortsat udfordret af kritikere, medier og andre interessenter. Vi ser samtidig et skifte i havparkernes kommunikation: de fremhæver i stigende grad naturbeskyttelse, uddannelse og forskning og forsvarer mere aktivt deres berettigelse ved at betone deres samfundsrolle. Samtidig bliver havparker i højere grad end før mødt med spørgsmål fra interessenter og medier. Specialet antager, at den tillid, som tidligere blev givet havparker, er svækket i takt med øget fokus på dyrevelfærd, miljø, madforbrug, landbrug og beslægtede emner. Dokumentarerne synliggør dette fokus og skaber negative opfattelser af dyrenes "unaturlige" omgivelser. Hvis tendensen fortsætter, kan kritikernes syn blive dominerende, hvilket kan gøre det svært for havparker at opretholde deres nuværende forretningsform; en 50 år gammel tradition kan være i fare.

This thesis examines, through the documentaries The Cove and Blackfish, which topics and ways of talking (discourses) shape the debate about marine parks—places that stage shows with performing marine mammals—and how this debate affects the industry. SeaWorld is used as a case to show how a single company is influenced. Using a social constructivist approach, we treat SeaWorld’s situation as a crisis because critics and media describe and give meaning to it as a crisis. We interviewed participants in the debate, both critics and supporters, to understand their perspectives. The analysis has two parts. First, we conduct a discourse analysis of four communication products: The Cove, Blackfish, SeaWorld’s killer whale show One Ocean, and the website "Blackfish: The Truth About the Movie." Drawing on Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory and Henrik Juel’s content analysis, we identify two competing discourses: a Critic discourse and a Supporter discourse. Each side constructs the other as an opponent, producing an antagonistic relationship in which meaningful dialogue is difficult. In the critics’ view, marine parks cannot be improved; closure is the only acceptable solution. As a result, no communication, campaign, or initiative from the parks can be “right” in their eyes. Second, we use crisis communication theories by William Benoit and Timothy Coombs to assess SeaWorld’s responses. Regardless of which defensive strategy SeaWorld adopts, critics, media, and other stakeholders continue to challenge the company. Across the material, we observe a shift in how marine parks communicate: they increasingly highlight conservation, education, and research and more actively defend their right to operate by emphasizing their societal role. At the same time, stakeholders and media question marine parks more than before. The thesis assumes that trust once widely granted to marine parks has weakened amid broader public attention to animal welfare, the environment, food consumption, farming, and related issues. The documentaries bring this focus to the fore and foster negative views of the animals’ "unnatural" conditions. If this trend continues, the critics’ perspective could become dominant, making it hard for marine parks to maintain their current business model; a 50-year-old tradition may be at risk.

[Dette resumé er genereret ved hjælp af AI]

Krisekommunikation ; Diskurs ; Dokumentar ; Marine Parker ; SeaWorld ; Blackfish ; The Cove

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Pedersen, Thea Astrid Brunslev:

• Documentaries Change of Time: How The Cove and Blackfish Influence the Business of Marine Parks (2015)

Stentebjerg, Henriette Maria Bolvig:

• Documentaries Change of Time: How The Cove and Blackfish Influence the Business of Marine Parks (2015)

Torp, Zenia Ina Stavnshøj:

• Documentaries Change of Time: How The Cove and Blackfish Influence the Business of Marine Parks (2015)