Author(s)

Josiane T. M. Queiroz, Mark W. Rosenberg, Léo Heller, Andréa L. M. Zhouri, Sara R. Silva

Departament of Environmental and Sanitary Engineering, Federal University, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Departament of Environmental Technology, Federal Institute, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Departament of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada.
Departament of Sociology and Anthropology, Federal University, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The pursuit of alternative safe water has increased dramatically the world trade in bottled water. Events happened in Canada which changed the population’s perception about the quality of tap water, despite all government efforts. Media has an important role to pass on information because there is value judgment in its reports. As a result, this study aims to present recent data from two Canadian newspapers of national circulation, which refer to tap water and bottled water. It used quantitative and qualitative data for this analysis. The study concludes that the media, taken into consideration, provides its readers with important information, but the information can also be ambiguous. Nevertheless, it arouses interest in further research about this subject matter and about protecting water resources.

Tap Water; Bottled Water; News Reports; Water Protection

J. Queiroz, M. Rosenberg, L. Heller, A. Zhouri and S. Silva, "News about Tap and Bottled Water: Can This Influence People’s Choices?," Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 3 No. 4, 2012, pp. 324-333. doi: 10.4236/jep.2012.34041.