In order to obtain data detailing the public perception of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), our team chose to perform content analysis of the media source The Roanoke Times, a regional newspaper with high readership among the geographic area most impacted by the Mountain Valley Pipeline. The Roanoke Times has covered the development of the MVP since its announcement in 2014, so it provided a great resource to observe not only the change in perception over time, but also the increase in media coverage and public interest as the pipeline has been brought to fruition. Our team chose specifically to analyze the reader comments on each article, a total of 1,507 comments on 222 articles spanning August of 2014 to June of 2018. Through this research we have obtained data from 129 cities and 24 states.
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What key issues do stakeholders care about regarding the MVP?
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How is the messaging different between favorable and unfavorable comments regarding the MVP?
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How have perspectives on the MVP changed over time?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
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Who are the winners and losers of this pipeline development?
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How does your world view shape your perception of the pipeline? Why are you compelled to believe certain sources and statistics but not others?
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Which results about public opinion are most surprising? Is the Roanoke Times an accurate representation of public opinion?