<center>https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2014/10/12/12/38/google-485611_1280.jpg</center>
Long before there was ever any official announcement made, that something was wrong with the water in Flint, the residents had suspected that something was wrong and they took to their search engines to try  and find out what was going on. 

## According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, Google search data shows that there were many residents in the city who were sifting through the web, looking for some information that might tell them what was going on. 
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This was before the local media or the government had recognized the problem, prior to the escalation of the media coverage surrounding the event. 

<center> https://cdn.cjr.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/PJ_2017.04.27_Google-Flint_lede_2014-circle.png</center> 

The study gives some insight into real-time mining of digital data, with regards to media coverage during a crisis like that water one which was experienced in Flint. 

When it comes to the time prior to any official announcements made, researchers say that there was something around 2,700 different search phrases that were associated with the concern for contaminated drinking water. 

Researchers say that this search data serves as a proxy for public interest when it comes to the development of a crisis; offering some insight as to how the public consumes major news events. 

## Some residents were googling “why is my water brown” before they had their suspicions confirmed that there really was a problem going on.
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The data they assessed is from Jan 5th 2014 to July 2nd 2016. They saw that search terms would evolve as the crisis and conversations surrounding it continued to develop. The most frequent searches are said to have come in mid-July of 2014, followed by the second highest peak of searches in August, which is interesting because that is said to be several weeks before any official government issued a water advisory notice. 

<b>Media coverage didn't always increase search activity,</b> but they did find that there were a lot of searches that came after there was a major development or there was a lot of news coverage. They did see that searches would uptick after a public health emergency warning would be issued, or after the President declared a federal emergency, indicating that public search interest closely follows major events and an increase in news coverage. 

As of right now, officials have told residents in Flint that the issue has been resolved, that the water has been deemed safe to drink. Yet there still seems to be some confusion, with mixed messages about possible contamination issues remaining or the need for residents to still be using a filter. It's no surprise that many residents in the area continue to hold a deep distrust for government officials after the water crisis occurred. 

Pics:
Pixabay
Pew Research Center

Sources:
https://www.cjr.org/analysis/flint_water_study_pew.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/01/water-flint-now-officially-safe-drink
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2017/01/unfiltered_flint_water_is_safe.html

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https://steemit.com/news/@doitvoluntarily/flint-water-lawsuit-gets-dismissed-by-judge

## Flint Water Crisis: Deep Distrust Remains of Government And Water Supply
https://steemit.com/government/@doitvoluntarily/flint-water-crisis-deep-distrust-remains-of-government-and-water-supply

## Michigan Residents Pursue Class Action Lawsuit Against EPA Over Flint Water Crisis
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