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The Role of The Media

The Role of The Media. RD300 3 October 2001. Environmental Conflict & the Media. Media generate more stories than they can use. Editors - trim or discard articles Environmental stories compete with other types of stories. There are good and there are sloppy reporters and editors.

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The Role of The Media

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  1. The Role of The Media RD300 3 October 2001

  2. Environmental Conflict & the Media • Media generate more stories than they can use. Editors - trim or discard articles • Environmental stories compete with other types of stories. There are good and there are sloppy reporters and editors. • Media interest in the environment fluctuates. • Specialist reporters (e.g. environment).

  3. Role of the Reporter • Objective approach - reporter as chronicler of events; describe each side, let reader decide the relative value of each position. • Interpretive stories - Analysis pieces. Reporter decides some facts are more relevant than others. • Advocacy journalism - editorials, magazines. Facts are used to support a certain viewpoint.

  4. Aim of Environmental Journalism • “One’s prime aim is to report the truth…if one goes into this job with a fixed view of particular issues and you try & bend people to your view, you’re not being a journalist, you ought to be a campaigner with Friends of the Earth..” (Geoffrey Lean, the Observer).

  5. Complexity of issues can make it difficult to describe as black-white issues. (e.g. economic well-being vs environment) • In terms of journalistic timeframes, environmental issues can be very slow moving. E.g. global warming. • TV wants dramatic pictures. “If something is not picturable then we wouldn’t cover it”.

  6. Effective groups know how to use the media. • “Events” are staged to attract the media. Greenpeace. • The issue has to be newsworthy. • Fear and emotions have human interest. • Identifiable goodies and baddies. An element of conflict.

  7. The cost of covering a story is an issue. Reuters. • Environmental stories in developing countries. Cultural factors and cost. • Reporters have deadlines. • The 90-Second Rule for TV news stories.

  8. The 10-Second Rule for TV. Exception: PBS. • Our greatest fear: looking stupid and incompetent in front of a lot of people. • How can you say anything intelligent about a complicated, controversial subject in 10 seconds or less? • Sound bites. Focus on your message.

  9. Newspapers • Newspapers are dying. • The percentage of Americans who buy and/or read a daily newspaper is steadily dropping. • In 1997 only 51% of Americans read a weekday paper.

  10. A Pew Research Center report (1998) found that the average American spends: • 31 minutes/day watching news on TV. • 18 minutes reading a newspaper. • 17 minutes listening to radio news. • A quarter of 18-24 year olds get no news of any kind.

  11. Reasons for the drop in readership: • illiteracy • a mobile population • expanding options • women working

  12. Ten Commandments of Media Relations • Be open and cooperative. Never lie. • Personalize the organization. • Develop media contacts. • Take good stories to the media. • Respond quickly. • Never say, “No comment.” Source: Jones, C. 1999. Winning with the News Media.

  13. It’s OK to say, “I don’t know” (But I’ll find out). • If you screw up, confess and repent. • Use the “big dump”. • Prepare, prepare, prepare.

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