Catching Fire in the News

Three conditions are necessary to trigger a media storm: newsworthiness, relevance with current debates, and amplification beyond the news.

This Element uses a fire triangle analogy for the necessary conditions of media storms. Media storms takes the right event, at the right time, with the momentum of attention. But when a media storm erupts, it can serve as an opportunity for change. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.Why do some events catch fire in the news, producing a media storm, while many similar events go unnoticed? This Element uses a fire triangle analogy to explain the necessary conditions of media storms. The 'heat' is the spark: a dramatic event or discovery. The 'fuel' is the political and cultural landscape, including similar items in recent news, as well as current debates that allow the event to be framed in a resonant way. The 'oxygen' is the available news agenda space, plus attention the event receives beyond the news (by activists, politicians, people on social media, etc.). Media storms are not easily predictable; it takes the right event, at the right time, with the right momentum of attention. But when the political stars align and a media storm erupts, it can be a window of opportunity for change. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.