What's the word on monk seals? How the endangered Hawaiian monk seal is portrayed in the media

The Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) is one of only two endemic mammals in Hawai’i and one of the most endangered species in the world. While some celebrate and support monk seal conservation, others view monk seals as competition for fish or a symbol of the federal government and conservationists restricting activities. Communication scholars have shown repeatedly that the media sets the public agenda. Thus, how monk seals are portrayed in popular media can have significant effects on conservation efforts. NOAA Fisheries, the agency responsible for Hawaiian monk seal management, is interested in how media portrayal of monk seals may affect management efforts. This project reviews public interest in monk seals, reflected in traditional news and social media stories from 2007 to 2017. We used content analysis to identify common themes, language, and attitudes associated with monk seals and their management. Changes in sentiment were tracked against major events and changes in monk seal management. During this span, 60.1% of statements about monk seals were positive, 38.9% were neutral, and 1.0% were negative. In comparison, 33.7% of statements about NOAA were positive, 54.9% were neutral, and 11.5% were negative. Differences in sentiment were found by month, NOAA activity, and island of publication. For example, the most positive months were generally associated with stories about pups or NOAA interventions while the most negative were generally associated with stories about NOAA policy changes. Based on these trends, we suggest communication strategies that include improving distributed information about NOAA actions and policies, developing targeted outreach strategies beyond Oahu, and capitalizing on positive monk seal events.