@article{oai:hue.repo.nii.ac.jp:00000336, author = {Forrest, Richard A. and Forrest, Richard A.}, issue = {1}, journal = {広島経済大学研究論集, HUE Journal of Humanities, Social and Natural Science}, month = {Jul}, note = {application/pdf, This study investigates the state of online English-language video content related to Minamata Disease available prior to the 2020 release of the Hollywood film “Minamata” starring popular actor Johnny Depp (in the role of photojournalist W. Eugene Smith). It is intended to serve as a case study of depictions of historic environmental incidents and as a baseline for future comparative research. Utilizing a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach, the study inventoried relevant uploads to YouTube, analyzing in detail the 27 most-viewed videos. Findings include that uploads encompass a wide range of durations, viewcounts, and approaches chosen for portraying the topic. Most had evidently been uploaded by non-specialists (notably as the sole channel upload in 7 cases). Many were produced through excerpting previously existing source materials – mainly a small number of historic documentary films (most notably a 1971 film by Tsuchimoto Noriaki). Uploads often present low-resolution, deteriorated source content, with varying degrees of alterations and additions having been made, and generally lack explanations of the context or the significance of visual material presented. The most-viewed item was a 2017 upload by popular YouTube channel SciShow, which was highly unusual in that it focused on biochemistry and included no depictions of symptoms in diseased humans or cats. Additional findings and observations are presented, and relevant implications are discussed; future research directions are also identified.}, pages = {41--61}, title = {An Analysis of English-language YouTube Videos Related to Minamata Disease: Prior to the Release of the Hollywood Film “Minamata”}, volume = {42}, year = {2019} }