Product Description

Arguably the greatest challenges facing humanity are environmental. However, they are routinely under-reported in the media. Pressure groups and governments trying to get information through to the public often blame the media, but the picture is not necessarily this simple. This text presents the state of knowledge about media treatment and public understanding of key environmental issues, above all, climate change and biodiversity loss, which have enormous implications for economic, social and environmental security, yet mean little to the person in the street. The concept of sustainable development, which underpins responses to these problems is also shown to be unknown by most people.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #932276 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 263 pages

Review
"Why are the long-term consequences of environmental despoilment, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, ozone depletion, and groundwater contamination, not deemed newsworthy on a sustained basis among the communication media? As a result of this laxity, the general public fails to understand how everyday human activity is undermining ecosystems everywhere with dire outcomes for the future welfare of people. Smith has compiled papers that address how the media fail repeatedly to explain (1) the nature of global environmental change, and (2) the complex interactions among scientists, policy makers, and government officials grappling with the problem of predicting future changes in natural systems that are nonlinear and chaotic. Complicating the poor reportage of environmental news is the fact that academic and government officials are reluctant to change their methods of communicating their views and understanding of the environment to the news media. The book's 16 papers, which address this impasse, are organized into four sections: "Global Environmental Change, the Public and the Media," "Reporting Global Environmental Change," "Understanding Environment, the Public and the Media," and "Making the Environment News." The perspectives in this book are dominated by British views. All levels of readers." --- P. R. Pinet, Colgate University in CHOICE

From the Publisher
'At a time when far too many people are still starry-eyed about the media’s interest in covering the environment, The Daily Globe is a dose of harsh reality.'
ALEX KIRBY, Presenter, BBC Radio Four’s Costing the Earth and former BBC News environment correspondent

'...a valuable insight into the fast-moving world of a broadcast newsroom.’
GREEN FUTURES, Sept/Oct 2000

'The book does raise enough questions to make even those closest to the environment take a step back, and think twice...’
GREEN FUTURES

About the Author
Joe Smith
Joe Smith has worked as Lecturer in Environmental Policy at the Open University since October 2000. He is also Co-Director of the Cambridge Media and Environment Programme, UK.