Grey nurse shark human interactions and portrayals: a study of newspaper portrayals of the grey nurse shark from 1969-2003

The general lack of knowledge in dominant society pertaining to the different shark species has led to the depletion of the more placid species such as the grey nurse shark ( Carcharias taurus ). This study consisted of a content analysis of 41 Australian newspaper articles pertaining specifically to the grey nurse shark and serves to deconstruct the explicit messages that they attempt to convey to their readers. The data generated by this study exemplify the perceptions of C. taurus as represented by major Australian newspapers between the years 1969 and 2003. The majority of the opinion or editorial pieces concerning the grey nurse shark examined in this study were positive, whereas the majority of the news articles examined fell within a more neutral range. The findings of this study imply that the level of interest in the plight of C. taurus has increased as C. taurus’ circumstances have become more critical.