This document discusses using an interdisciplinary approach to understand the complex issue of fracking and its related policies. The author proposes examining the problem through the lenses of mass communication and organizational leadership. Mass communication could help communicate information to the public to increase understanding of fracking, while organizational leadership may help analyze existing policies and how communities could be better involved in the policy-making process. Literature is reviewed from various relevant disciplines including political science, environmental protection, and risk communication to gain insights from each. Some conflicts between the sources are identified, such as differing views on what level of government regulates fracking policies. The author aims to take an interdisciplinary approach to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the issue.

1. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 1
Communication Effect on Policy Change
Altagracia Del Valle
INTS 3300-D01
Dr. Gail Bentley
Texas Tech University

2. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 2
Abstract
“Hydraulic fracturing is a procedure that can increase the flow of oil or gas from a well. It
is done by pumping liquids down a well into subsurface rock units under pressures that are high
enough to fracture the rock.” (King n.d). With occurring conflict in the debate of fracking creates
the need for clear understanding in order to create policy that would be beneficial for
communities and their families. Research has investigated how public perception has an impact
on policy. Research is also investigating how private interest groups impacts policy. It will also
investigate how policy varies among states and the reason why this occurs. Opinion polling can
target which soc-demographics are the most impacted and create understanding in those areas.
The use of social representation will investigate how science transitions into everyday social
interacting and permeates in public understanding. The use of these studies can bring insights to
a clear understanding.

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According to the Oxford dictionary fracking is “the process of injecting liquid at high pressure
into subterranean rocks, boreholes, etc, so as to force open existing fissures and extract oil or
gas: Also called hydraulic fracturing.” Fracking is a complex problem and with little
understanding it is hard to know what policy is most effective for the public and their
community. How can communication create an understanding and a clear perception of this
wicked problem so that the communities and their families can benefit from policy created in
their interest? The two disciplines that I will be using to help address this problem are mass
communication and organizational leadership.
STEP 1: State the Focus of Your Paper
Fracking is a complex problem and it takes many disciplines in order to gain an
understanding of the problem. Through my research I have found that policy is dictated interest
groups. Policy tends to be more one sided favoring those who have a viable interest. With a
better understanding of this wicked problem communities could be a part of the policy that is
created and receive benefits that would better suit their community. Future research needs to
focus on risk communication to increase awareness to the public. Through risk communication
the community and their family can learn about policy and be able to decide which policies
would serve their interest better. How can communication create an understanding and a clear
perception of this wicked problem so that the communities and their families can benefit from
policy created in their interest?
STEP 2: Justify Using an Interdisciplinary Approach
Since fracking is a complex problem and it takes multiple disciplines in order to gain an
understanding the interdisciplinary approach is justifiable. Mass communications will help to

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communicate information about fracking to help the public gain clear understanding. Since there
is a diverse audience mass communication will help to communicate to different parties that deal
with fracking. For instance, environmental groups, natural gas industry, the public and those are
just of few people that are impacted by "fracking". Communication will be very important to be
able communicate across different boundaries. Organizational leadership will help the
community and their family to create policy that is best suited for their interest. Organizational
leadership can sift through the regulations of fracking to help create clear understanding so that
the community and their family can receive the best benefits for them.
STEP 3: Identify Relevant Disciplines
The various disciplines that will be used in my study are energy, science, public affairs, mass
communication and politics. The two disciplines that I will be focusing on will be mass
communication and organizational leadership. I feel these two areas will be able to work together
in order translate what those different disciplines are trying to say in order to give the community
and their families a clearer understanding of this “wicked problem” so that they can be a part of
policy change.
STEP 4: Conduct a Literature Search
The two disciplines that I am using to deal with this wicked problem are Mass
Communication and Organizational Leadership. Organizational leadership can sift through
policy and mass communication will be able to communicate what the policy is. How can
communication create an understanding and a clear perception of this wicked problem so that the
communities and their families can benefit from policy created in their interest?
Boudet, Bugden, Roser-Renouf & Leiserowitz (2014) discusses how occurring conflicts
in fracking debates creates a need for public understanding. Opinion polling data of public

5. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 5
perception shows how soc-demographic, risk/benefit perception and media plays a role in the
public perception. Heikkila, Pierce, Gallaher, Kagan, Crow, & Weible, (n.d.) investigates how
ones beliefs and values affect the policy changes. It also discusses how and why policy changes
occur. How divergence and convergence plays a role in why policy changes occur. Jaspal &
Nerlich, (2013) use of Thematic Analysis and Social representation theory will help to re-
construed public perception that was created by debates on fracking. In the article they also show
how threat representation is created through social representation. The use of symbolic coping
model can help to form your own opinions and not rely heavily on the thoughts of others. Jaspal,
Turner, & Nerlich, (2014).discusses how there is a gap in the social and physiological aspects of
fracking and putting more focus on the human aspect could help to communicate to the public
about new technologies. Davis, (2012) examines how policy is adopted and how technologies are
advanced that they do not require the extra policies that are made.
Fisk (2013) employs Abel, Stephan, and Kraft’s (ASK) performance model to measure
whether information based disclosure rules are effective in the industry. They also question why
different policy is created throughout the state and why disclosure regulation materializes?
Cairney, Fischer & Ingold (n.d) discusses how policy makers decide what information and who
to trust and what level of risk is acceptable. Bishop, Lampe, Okey, Wilber, & Arnowitt, (2012)
discusses how policy change can become complicated with the state dictating what policy
changes occur. Rush (2010) discusses how there is disconnect among the different levels of
authority officials. Malo, Moutenet, Bédard, & Raymond (n.d) discusses how the public fear the
unknown and tends to be against anything that they do not know. Through his survey it has
shown that areas that were deeply against fracking were more accepting after learning of the

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process. Bandura, (2002) discusses the social cognitive theory where he states that people who
have and understanding of their environment will participate actively in regulatory procedures.
Bandura, A. (2002). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. media effects: advances in
theory and research, 2, 121-153.
Bishop, R. E., Lampe, D. J., Okey, B. W., Wilber, T., & Arnowitt, M. (2012). " Fracking:" a
roundtable. journal of appalachian studies, 31-47.
Boudet, H., Clarke, C., Bugden, D., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., & Leiserowitz, A. (2014).
“Fracking” controversy and communication: using national survey data to understand
public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing. Energy Policy, 65, 57-67.
Cairney, P., Fischer, M., & Ingold, K.(n.d). Hydraulic fracturing policy in the UK: coalition,
cooperation and opposition in the face of uncertainty.
Davis, C. (2012). The politics of “fracking”: regulating natural gas drilling practices in colorado
and texas. review of policy research, 29(2), 177-191.
Fisk, J. M. (2013), The right to know? state politics of fracking disclosure. review of policy
research, 30: 345–365. doi: 10.1111/ropr.12025
Heikkila, T., Pierce, J., Gallaher, S., Kagan, J., Crow, D., & Weible, C. (n.d.). Understanding a
period of policy change: the case of hydraulic fracturing disclosure policy in colorado.
Review of Policy Research, 65-87.
Jaspal, R., & Nerlich, B. (2014). Fracking in the UK press: Threat dynamics in an unfolding
debate. public understanding of science, 23(3), 348-363.
Jaspal, R., Turner, A., & Nerlich, B. (2014). Fracking on youtube: exploring risks, benefits and
human values. environmental values, 23(5), 501-527.

7. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 7
Malo, M., Moutenet, J. P., Bédard, K., & Raymond,(n.d) J. Public awareness and opinion on
deep geothermal energy in the context of shale gas exploration in the province of québec,
canada.
Rush, P. V. (2010). The threat from hydrofracking. Jour. AWWA, 102(9), 26.
STEP 5: Develop Adequacy in Each Relevant Discipline
Organizational leaderships can gain insights on how policy is created and who creates
those policies in order to participate in creating policy that would be beneficial to the community
and their family.
Mass Communication can help the community with the uncertainty of this new
technology. They will gain understanding by translating the process of fracking in terms the
public would easily understand. Through the education the community can gain insights and
better understand what their community needs and what policy would better benefit them.
Organizational leadership can sift through the already established policies and regulations
to establish context and analyze in-depth surveys to determine how special interest groups
communicate with in their circle an across boundaries in order to affect policy change. Also
through the use of Symbolic coping theory will analyze how the media creates and manages
social representations in order to convey the message on fracking.
STEP 6: Analyze the Problem and Evaluate Each Insight or Theory
In order to gain an understanding of fracking and the policy that are created
organizational leadership will need to examine how they are created and mass communications
will communicate to the public the findings of policy in order to create an understanding and
clear perception so that the communities and their families can receive better policies so they can
receive the benefits and cost from fracking?

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The insights of organizational leadership
Cairney, Fischer, & Ingold discipline perspective is political studies. This discipline will
help organizational leaders understand the politics of policymaking. In this article they will make
sense of the fracking process by focusing on three areas. First by, outlining the main sources of
ambiguity in the fracking debate, main issues and policy making terrain. Secondly, identifying
fracking policy and how it relates to the government and how it is implemented on the different
levels. Thirdly, they will identify the advocacy coalition and how they exchanging information
among themselves and across coalition.
Rush discipline perspective is environmental protection. This discipline will help
organizational leadership understand what policies are needed in order to protect environment. In
this article Rush discusses how there is disconnect between the city and state. He also discusses
how the city has no authority over the policies that are created. With the disconnection it causes
confusion and time is wasted if safety concerns arise. With the lack of communication the public
will not be notified quickly if disaster happens. He also discusses how the city not being a part of
the reviewing process how are they ensuring public safety.
Fisk discipline perspective is political science. This discipline perspective will help
organizational leadership to analyze political activity and the system of governments. In this
article Fisk discusses how decentralization causes regulatory strategies responsibility to often
shift from public sector to private to federal down to local. To understand the effectiveness of
information based disclosures rules for industry using Abel, Stephan & Kraft’s (ASK) 2007
performance model.

9. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 9
Bishop, Lampe, Okey, Wilber & Arnowitt discipline perspectives are biology and
environmental risk. This discipline perspective will help organizational leadership to understand
life and living organism. In this article they discuss the impacts that have already taken place.
They discuss the chemical that are used in fracking and how it has impacted the water supply and
the effects on the air. They used already documented information in order to create other avenues
for public safety and precaution. They discuss how they can use these documented findings in
order to create regulations that can be preventative and to prevent further damage.
Davis discipline study is political science. This discipline perspective will help
organizational leadership to analyze political activity and the system of governments. In this
article they examine how politics of fracking on pro-development states will impose regulatory
restriction on drilling activities.
Insights of mass communication
Boudet, Clarke, Bugden, Maibach, Roser-Renouf & Leiserowitz discipline perspectives
are public policy, communication, forestry & environmental studies. These disciplines will help
to create a clear understanding of what needs to be communicated to the public. In this article
they discuss the occurring conflicts from the debating sides of fracking and how it leaves the
general public in the middle with less understanding. With the use of opinion polling data of
public opinion they can establish how soc-demographic, risk/benefit perception and media plays
a role in the public perception. These studies will help to find a solution to create a more clear
understanding for those groups that are most affected.
Heikka, Pierce, Gallaher, Kagen, Crow & Weible disciplines perspectives are public
affairs, journalism & mass communication. These perspectives will help to understand the public

10. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 10
beliefs and values so that communication can be made to align with those beliefs so that they can
help to create policy. In this article they investigate how ones beliefs and values affect the policy
changes. They also discuss how and why policy changes occur. They also discuss how
divergence and convergence plays a role in why policy changes. They also discuss how to
explain policy changes so that they have a positive perception. They also discuss how people
engage with one another and strategize during a policy change.
Malo, Moutenet, Bedard & Raymond discipline perspectives are geothermal. These
perspectives will help to gain an understanding in the fracking process and with better
understanding it will help to better communicate with the public. In this article they will use a
survey they conducted in the fall in order to create awareness and acceptance on deep thermal
energy. They will use the results to gain an understanding on the shale gas controversy. They
will use these results in order to better communicate the “new” energy.
Jaspal & Nerlich discipline perspectives are social science & psychology. These
discipline perspective will help to gain an understanding of society and relationships and will
help mass communication gain an understanding so they can effectively reach society through
communication. In this article they use thematic Analysis and Social representation theory to
help re-construed public perception that was created from debates of fracking. They also discuss
how threat representation is created through social representation and how media plays a role in
creating perception. These studies will help to handle negatives perceptions in the future. They
also use the symbolic coping model to help the public form their own opinions and not have to
rely on the thoughts of others.

11. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 11
With constant occurring debates on fracking the public is left with uncertainty in the
fracking process and policymaking.
STEP 7: Identify Conflict Between Insights and Their Sources
The assumption conflict that I have experienced from my source literature for
organizational leadership is that my sources are naming different authorities for the regulation
policy. One discusses that states are the responsible party for regulation policy and the city has
no control over regulations and another source states that regulations get trickled down to local.
The conflict that I am experiencing from mass communication is theory. The US Health
Services defines risk communication as” a complex, multidisciplinary, multidimensional, and
evolving process of increasing importance in protecting the public's health.” Boudet is using risk
communication as a way to increase awareness and building knowledge and trust among
stakeholders to clear misperceptions. The Mass Communication discipline uses the same word to
describe different phenomena.
STEP 8: Create Common Ground
The assumption conflict that I have experienced from my source literature for
organizational leadership is that my sources are naming different authorities for the regulation
policy. One discusses that states are the responsible party for regulation policy and the city has
no control over regulations and another source states that regulations get trickled down to local.
The technique that I will use to help clarify the conflict I have encountered would be extension.
The way that I would use extension would be to gather more articles that deal with political
science to find out who is responsible for regulation policy and help clarify this conflict.
The conflict that I am experiencing from mass communication is theory. The US Health
Services defines risk communication as” a complex, multidisciplinary, multidimensional, and

12. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 12
evolving process of increasing importance in protecting the public's health.” Boudet is using risk
communication as a way to increase awareness and building knowledge and trust among
stakeholders to clear misperceptions. The Mass Communication discipline uses the same word to
describe different phenomena. The technique that I will use for this conflict is redefinition. I will
modify the concept in order to create common ground.
STEP 9: Construct a More Comprehensive Understanding
The insights I have learned for the organizational leadership discipline are who is
responsible for regulation policy and what it takes to be a part of policy making. This insight is
very helpful to address how to get the community involved in policy making.
The insights I have learned for the mass communication discipline are how perceptions
are created. I learned that perceptions are created by the unknown and by what they learn from
the media. I also learned that certain soc-demographics tend to have a lesser understanding.
These insights will help gain a better understanding on how to better communicate with the
public.
Both of these discipline will work together in order to address how to create a clear
understanding so that the communities and their families can receive better policies so they can
gain the benefits and cost from fracking? The insights gained organizational leadership will help
understand policy making and the insights gained mass communication will help communicate
what organizational leadership has found.

13. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 13
STEP 10: Communicating the Results
In order to address the issue of creating a clear understanding so that the communities and their
families can receive better policies so they can gain the benefits and cost from fracking. You
have to understand how policy making works and who is in charge of those decisions. To be able
to communicate to the community you have to understand the perception on the public. In my
research I have found that with the occurring conflict it creates a need for understanding but
before understanding can be created you have to know peoples beliefs, values and perception. I
also found that those opinions of the community play a role into creating policy and if they are
creating policy on perception are those benefits really for the community or merely
demonstration? The area that needs addressing in my research is who are the actual decision
makers? This area needs expanding in order to be able help the community in changing of
policy. Through the use of surveys research you can determine what soc-demographic are most
impacted by their perception and target those groups to create a positive perception so that they
can participate in the policy change. Future study can investigate if addressing perception creates
a clear understanding.
References
Bandura, A. (2002). Social cognitive theory of mass communication. media effects: advances in
theory and research, 2, 121-153.
Bishop, R. E., Lampe, D. J., Okey, B. W., Wilber, T., & Arnowitt, M. (2012). " Fracking:" a
roundtable. journal of appalachian studies, 31-47.

14. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 14
Boudet, H., Clarke, C., Bugden, D., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., & Leiserowitz, A. (2014).
“Fracking” controversy and communication: using national survey data to understand
public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing. Energy Policy, 65, 57-67.
Cairney, P., Fischer, M., & Ingold, K.(n.d). Hydraulic fracturing policy in the UK: coalition,
cooperation and opposition in the face of uncertainty.
Davis, C. (2012). The politics of “fracking”: Regulating natural gas drilling practices in Colorado
and Texas. Review of Policy Research, 29(2), 177-191.
Fisk, J. M. (2013), The right to know? State politics of fracking disclosure. Review of Policy
Research, 30: 345–365. doi: 10.1111/ropr.12025
Fracking 1. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/fracking
Heikkila, T., Pierce, J., Gallaher, S., Kagan, J., Crow, D., & Weible, C. (n.d.). Understanding a
period of policy change: the case of hydraulic fracturing disclosure policy in colorado.
Review of Policy Research, 65-87.
Jaspal, R., & Nerlich, B. (2014). Fracking in the UK press: Threat dynamics in an unfolding
debate. Public Understanding of Science, 23(3), 348-363.
Jaspal, R., Turner, A., & Nerlich, B. (2014). Fracking on YouTube: Exploring risks, benefits and
human values. Environmental Values, 23(5), 501-527.
King, H. (n.d.). Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil & Gas Wells Drilled in Shale. Retrieved April 26,
2015, from http://geology.com/articles/hydraulic-fracturing/

15. COMMUNICATION EFFECT ON POLICY 15
Malo, M., Moutenet, J. P., Bédard, K., & Raymond,(n.d) J. Public awareness and opinion on
deep geothermal energy in the context of shale gas exploration in the province of québec,
canada.
Risk communication:. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/prevrpt/Archives/95fm1.htm
Rush, P. V. (2010). The threat from hydrofracking. Jour. AWWA, 102(9), 26.