Media representations of hydraulic fracturing and agriculture: A New York case study

New York announced a ban on hydraulic fracturing in late 2014, making it the first state with significant natural gas resources to do so. Due to the prevalence of farmers as rural landowners and the economic importance of the agricultural sector in the state, farmers comprise an important stakeholder group who experience the ramifications of natural gas development. This study investigates the representation of agriculture within the context of hydraulic fracturing. Mainstream news media forms a site where groups on opposing ends of the hydraulic fracturing debate make, contest, and navigate claims regarding the risks and benefits of shale gas development. Using New York as a case study, this paper applies discourse analysis to three newspapers to analyze the portrayal of farmers as a significant stakeholder group within the hydraulic fracturing debate. This study identifies three primary themes within the representation of farmers and agriculture in this context: farmers as landowners, farmers struggling economically, and farmers as environmental stewards. These themes are situated within broader discourses of a “Not-In-My-Backyard” politics of risk and refusal. These themes are also framed by an urban/rural binary, which highlights certain ways of viewing agriculture in relation to hydraulic fracturing while obscuring others.