News Research:
Community activism in an absence of community right to know.
Duanrudee Meseang, Student from Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University.
Abstract
A case study of health-related, contamination issues in Parity, New Plymouth, New Zealand. Parity Community residents have expressed concern about their increased health problems which they believe are associated with dioxin-contaminated emissions. Despite this concern, government agencies could not provide a causal link between dioxin and residents’ health problems, and timely health care was not given. The residents’ difficulties suggest that the system of information disclosure on toxicity-health issues in New Zealand is unsatisfactory. This thesis employs content analysis of newspaper articles and grounded theory following a community-oriented approach. The Paritutu community made major efforts to gain recognition for local illness by involving a popular epidemiology approach. Community activism resulted in a positive change in public health policy.