Huisma, Roeli (2026) Framing Nitrogen Policy in the Netherlands: Attribute Salience and Actor Representation in Newspaper Coverage of the Greenpeace Ruling. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Climate Adaptation Governance (CAG).
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Abstract
The nitrogen crisis in the Netherlands has attracted ample media attention. According to attribute-agenda setting theory, media emphasis on specific attributes may increase salience of these attributes for readers. This is an important topic to address, since the media can influence public opinion and therefore voting behaviour. Therefore, the current study examines the following research questions: “How did three Dutch newspapers construct their coverage of the Greenpeace lawsuit ruling in January 2025 through attribute salience and actor representation?” A deductive content analysis was used to investigate the attributes and differences between newspapers. The codebook was based on existing literature, and supplemented with category application guidelines by Le Chat AI, a Large Language Model. This study adds to previous research on the nitrogen debate in media by examining positive and neutral attributes alongside negative ones and including salience indicators. Lastly, actor representation is examined inductively. The sample consists of 25 articles by 3 major Dutch newspapers. The news coverage examined in this study suggests that the Greenpeace court case ruling was mostly presented as a political issue, rather than an environmental issue. Across newspapers, government criticism, disagreement on policies, scientific evidence and political actors are most salient. Additionally, attributes are presented mostly negatively, reflecting the negativity bias in media. Further research is recommended to examine these findings in a broader context, to examine the relationship between attributes and actors, and to examine less-frequently featured actors more closely. Keywords: attribute agenda-setting, salience, actor representation, nitrogen crisis, media
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Rosenbergova, S. |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jun 2026 12:56 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Jun 2026 12:56 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/865 |
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