Telling Stories: Exogenous Influences on Media, Presidential, and Congressional Framing of Biofuels

This article examines how key political actors-the media, the president, and Congress-framed biofuels from 1999 through 2008, and what factors had the most pronounced influence on their storytelling. Special attention is paid to how their stories concerning biofuels changed in response to shifts in the broader political milieu and whether these actors influenced one another's storytelling. The findings indicate that these actors most commonly told stories concerning biofuels' impacts on the environment (good and bad), the economy (good and bad), and energy security. The results also suggest that while these actors had little if any influence on one another's storytelling, media, presidential, and congressional framing was heavily shaped by the economic climate in the country, and by key events such as 9/11, which elevated the issue of energy security. These events and conditions were vital because they established which storylines would resonate in the public sphere.