Since the 1980s, dams have become more and more controversial because of their spatial and environmental impact. Anti-dam movements are often anchored in a specific place, the site where the dam is to be built. But the stakeholders involved must also prove the general significance of the issue. During dam controversies, various perceptions of places and spaces are disseminated in the public sphere, as well as divergent perceptions of the environment. By studying newspaper articles from Le Monde (1945-2014), this presentation analyses the discur-sive making of controversies by the media. The discussion focuses on the places and spaces described in priority by the newspaper; it questions the variable importance attributed to the places (or spaces) threatened by dams. The discussion is also methodological: 1) this research illustrates how media can be an interesting source to study the evolution of perceptions of the environment; 2) the biases of the chosen source are discussed through a case study.