Enviro/Science Reporting
nisbetmc | December 17, 2008Over at the Columbia Journalism Review, Curtis Brainard offers a must-read interview with the NY Times Andrew Revkin, the environment beat's most influential reporter. Revkin has been covering the environment for a quarter century and was recently awarded by Columbia University the prestigious Chancellor Award for sustained career achievement.
At the award ceremony, Revkin asserted again his view that climate change is not the dominant story of our time. Rather, as he puts it, climate change is a symptom of the much bigger challenge of sustainability: coming to terms with explosive…
nisbetmc | December 12, 2008On January 8, NSF will be hosting a very important panel discussion on climate change and journalism. Details are below.
NSF to Host Panel Discussion on Communicating Climate Change
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
January 8, 2009
Leading journalists and climate scientists will headline a January 8, 2009, program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Va., to discuss a newly released book on climate change science and journalism.
Andrew C. Revkin of The New York Times and John Carey, senior correspondent for Business Week, will participate on the panel along with climate scientists Michael…
nisbetmc | December 8, 2008This summer I will be heading to Denmark to speak at a June 11 conference of the Danish Science Journalists' Association. A major focus of this year's conference will be the framing of science debates and the connection to policy making and research funding.
Held in Copenhagen, about 250 attendees are expected. The conference is open to the public, but main participants will include science journalists, communication professionals, scientists, and other academics. For Scienceblogs readers in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, I will be posting more details when they are available. Check back here…
nisbetmc | December 8, 2008On last week's announcement that CNN is shifting the focus and form of its science coverage, I am going to be posting what is a very different interpretation than the predictable laments from various bloggers. But, for now, the CNN announcement also directs attention towards what I believe is the future of science and environmental journalism. As I wrote last February and have discussed at various venues:
The future will be online, in film, and/or multi-media, merging reporting with synthesis, analysis, personal narrative, and opinion. The goals will be to inform but also to persuade and to…
nisbetmc | September 26, 2008
Given the complexities of pressing science-related issues such as climate change or biomedical research, we need a new breed of specialist journalist who covers the intersections of science and policy. Rick Weiss, recently retired from the Washington Post, or Andrew Revkin at the NY Times, are probably leading prototypes of this desperately needed specialist. There are few other major outlets for this type of journalism, The Economist or Dave Goldston's column at Nature the exceptions.
News organizations and editors, despite budget tightening, have to prioritize the hiring and cultivation of…
nisbetmc | September 23, 2008Andrew Revkin at DotEarth has the scoop on "Green Inc." a new NY Times blog covering energy and business. If it comes close to having the impact as DotEarth, it will definitely be a welcome resource for coverage of major energy issues.
nisbetmc | September 10, 2008
Last month Pew released a comprehensive analysis of news audience trends over time and across demographics. One of the key findings (depicted at left) was the continued decline in public attention to news about science and technology, with only 13% of Americans saying they follow the topic "very closely."
News about the environment and health fair better, with roughly 1 out of 5 Americans answering that they follow these issues "very closely." Yet even for health, there has been a significant decline in news attention, dropping from 26% in 2002.
Far more troubling, however, is the massive…
nisbetmc | September 6, 2008That's the argument of Curtis Brainard at the Columbia Journalism Review. As he concludes:
Palin might not have the longest political track record to scrutinize, but the environment is clearly one area in which there is plenty of room to dig. It's time for the national media to take a cue from the Anchorage Daily News and explore the myriad ways in which Palin's environmental record might affect all manner of federal governance, from Bush's midnight regulations to McCain's less conservative, but potentially mutable, positions.
nisbetmc | August 18, 2008The Metcalfe Institute at the University of Rhode Island has announced its 2008 Grantham Prize winners for environmental reporting. The series "Choking on Growth" by The NY Times on China and its problems with environmental sustainability takes first prize. Details below the fold. For DC readers, they are holding a very interesting panel event and reception at the Newseum on Monday, Sept. 8 that is well worth attending. Details also below the fold.
Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting
University of Rhode Island
Graduate School of Oceanography
Narragansett, Rhode Island…
nisbetmc | August 11, 2008
Along with scientific journals, Americans rate public broadcasting as one of the most credible sources for information about biotechnology.
Yesterday I noted data that reveals the PBS NOVA audience to be unique in its nature. Indeed, if a company or organization wants to reach a core audience of science enthusiasts and influentials, this might be the best outlet to be featured at or to sponsor.
What makes PBS an ideal outlet is not just the nature of its audience, but also the public's trust in public broadcasting as an information source about science.
Consider the findings from a 2005…
nisbetmc | August 10, 2008
In today's fragmented media environment, how do we actually reach "mass" audiences with science-related content? Or similarly, if you are a company or organization trying to promote your science credentials to a diverse audience, what is the best outlet for doing so?
Well it appears that the Discovery Channel and its affiliated sister channels might be an optimal choice. Consider the findings from a recent analysis I ran on data collected by Pew in 2006.
Roughly half of Americans say they regularly watch either the Discovery or Learning Channels. In comparison, roughly 10% say they regularly…
nisbetmc | July 24, 2008
Is ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson a PR juggernaut who takes advantage of the ideological innocence of general assignment and TV reporters?
In his regular column at Portfolio magazine, former NY Times editor Howell Raines observes that market ideology and the absence of an energy beat (see this post), are combining to give the oil companies a free pass when it comes to news coverage of gas prices.
Raines was interviewed last week by NPR's On the Media about his column (transcript, audio above). As Raines defines the problem, general assignment reporters--lacking a specialization with the…
nisbetmc | July 13, 2008
Energy. Climate change. The food crisis. These are pressing and complex problems that span science, economics, politics, and culture. Yet when it comes to news coverage of these issues, attention tends be event-driven and sporadic. Perhaps worse there's often a policy vacuum in coverage.
At the science beat, there's coverage of the science. At the business beat, there's a focus on industry trends, trade regulation, and the occasional consumer profile. At the political beat, there's a heavy accent on strategy and conflict, with a narrow emphasis on just the Democrats' or Republicans' plan to…
nisbetmc | July 10, 2008
In the latest issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, Harvard University's Cristine Russell contributes an important analysis on the next stage in climate change media coverage. She spotlights reporters such as the NY Times' Andrew Revkin who are among an "advanced guard" of journalists who are figuring out how to strategically frame coverage of climate change in ways that resonate with new audiences and across a diversity of media platforms.
"Climate change will require thoughtful leadership and coordination at news organizations," asserts Russell. "Editors will need to integrate the…
nisbetmc | May 1, 2008A round up of recent news coverage where I have provided analysis...
1. USA Today ran this profile of actor Ed Begley, focusing on his commitment to environmental issues and a green lifestyle. Here's what I said about the impact that citizens can have on their peers when they become advocates for a cause such as environmental conservation:
Early adopters of such practices "definitely make a difference," says Matthew Nisbet, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C., who studies public affairs.
"Citizens who eagerly adopt environmentally friendly behaviors are what marketers call…
At the NYTimes and the WSJ, Just 2% of Front Page Stories Focus on Either Science or the Environment
nisbetmc | April 28, 2008
In an analysis released last week, Pew reports that during a three month period (Dec. 13-March 13, 2008), only 2% of front page stories at the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal focused either on the environment or science/technology. The finding is troubling on a number of fronts.
First, the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal are the papers of record for the country. The stories that they run on the front page are typically the lead stories across other news organizations including public radio, weekly magazines, regional newspapers and TV and cable news. If our highest quality…
nisbetmc | April 24, 2008
Following the AAAS meetings in February, I had this to say about the future of science and environmental journalism:
The future will be online, in film, and/or multi-media, merging reporting with synthesis, analysis, personal narrative, and opinion. The goals will be to inform but also to persuade and to mobilize...However, the new forms, modes, style, and sponsors for science coverage will mean that journalists will have to rethink their standard orientations and definitions of objectivity and balance. The future is already here, it's time to talk about what it all means.
This week's Time…
nisbetmc | March 25, 2008
Last week Pew released an in depth survey of national and local print and TV reporters, editors, and producers. Among the findings, Pew describes that journalists at national news organizations have become considerably more pessimistic about the state of their profession since 2004. By roughly two-to-one (62%-32%), more national journalists say that journalism is going in the wrong direction rather than the right direction.
In terms of what journalists, editors, and producers see as problems, there has been an increased focus on the financial pressures of doing business. As Pew describes,…
nisbetmc | March 17, 2008Pew has released its annual "State of the Media" report with detailed summaries of their content analysis on each sector of the news media. I will be blogging about this report over the next couple of weeks, but for now, consider one of the more interesting findings from the analysis of cable news coverage, a finding that underscores the problem of choice for news audiences I have detailed on this blog before. Based on their analysis of the combined year long content at the cable news outlets, Pew concludes:
Collectively, the broad range of domestic issues including the environment,…
nisbetmc | February 19, 2008One of the reporters I spotted at AAAS was Curtis Brainard of the Columbia Journalism Review. Curtis is CJR's science correspondent and creator of CJR's Observatory, a great new online source for analysis of how the media is covering science.
At AAAS, I also saw Bud Ward who runs the Yale Forum on Climate Change & the Media. The site is designed to foster dialogue on climate change among scientists, journalists, policymakers, and the public. And as I mentioned in an earlier post, I appeared on an amazing panel with Andy Revkin of the NY Times, who has launched the ultra-successful Dot…