How Broadcast Media Discuss New Drug “Epidemics”: Integrating Neuroscience With Communication Studies Through Textual Framing

Abstract

Interdisciplinary research is being heralded as the pinnacle for success in academia, and many researchers are attempting to integrate their fields. This case study describes the process of designing and implementing cross-disciplinary research, including the challenges we faced publishing a study combining the fields of mass communication and neuroscience. We will examine this process in reference to our work examining media reporting of the Miami Zombie Attack and the "new" designer drug, bath salts. First, we will discuss how we developed the idea for our study. We will then explore the methodology used, including qualitative framing and quantitative measures, sharing how the unique skills of both researchers provided a novel framework for asking our questions. We will ultimately describe some of the challenges we encountered throughout the course of this research, and how future interdisciplinary researchers might be able to avoid them.

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