Context is Key: The Media Role in Shaping Public Perceptions about Environmental Issues
- ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Kristan Cockerill Ph.D., Associate Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- Appalachian State University (ASU )
- Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
Abstract: Many environmental professionals are reluctant to interact with
the media, often because of a negative experience and the perception
that poor coverage can affect environmental programs and
policies. Usinga case study of media coverage related to the Albuquerque,
New Mexico, water supply, this research documents
that indeed, the media can influence public opinion and this can
have policy and program implications. This research compared
media coverage about various water customers (residential, commercial,
institutional, industry) to public perceptions about who
uses the most water and to actual use levels reported by the city.
The resultsshow that coverage in terms of numbers of articles, article
content and language, as well as page placement, correlates
with public perceptions about which customers use the most water,
and that these perceptions do not well match actual use levels.
A key point for this work is that although the information presented
within the individual articles was largely accurate, it was
the pool of coverage assessed as a whole that misrepresented water
use levels. This report also provides key steps that environmental
professionals can take to help improve overall coverage
and help raise the potential for public perception to better match
actual data.
Context is Key: The Media Role in Shaping Public Perceptions about Environmental Issues
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Cockerill, K. (2002). Context is Key: The Media Role in Shaping Public Perceptions about Environmental Issues. Environmental Practice 4(2): 107-113. (June 2002) Published by Cambridge University Press (ISSN: 1466-0474). DOI:10.1017/S1466046602021117 Publisher’s version available from Cambridge Journals Online at: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ENP
- Language: English
- Date: 2002