Climate Change Risks and the Mass Media: A Theoretical Conceptualization (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Mass Media and the Risk Communication of Climate Change: A Theoretical Observation
The mass media and its mechanisms of production and selection play a crucial rule in the definition of the risks of climate change. Different codings and logics in the political and the scientific system as well as in media are vital aspects in the misunderstandings of climate change and its public debate. Based on various empirical studies, the aim of this paper is to theoretically work out a theoretical framefounded on Luhmanns theory of functionally differentiated societieswhy some climate issues get a good deal of news coverage while other issues linger in the back. This paper proved the following: Climate change became an interesting topic, not until it was located in the decision-making-process of the political system. Furthermore, climate issues become interesting for the media, when they are clear, conflictual and can be linked to Elite-Persons. In contrast to scientific communication, the news media make great efforts to be clear and definite in its communications.
International Journal of Research (IJR), 2014
This paper focuses on the issue of Climate Change as an emerging area of concern among citizens, governments and policy makers globally. Since anthropogenic factors play an important role in contributing to climate change, it is imperative that attitudinal and behavioral changes among people concerning the environment could play an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change. Communication plays an important role in this regard as it creates awareness that could lead to positive action. The mass media, therefore, has an important role to play in this regard. This paper discusses the anthropogenic factors leading to climate change, and argues how a change in behavior of people could be a positive intervention in climate change mitigation. It explores the positive role that mass media could play in this regard.
The media play a central role in informing the public about what happens in the world, particularly in those areas in which audiences do not possess direct knowledge or experience. This article examines the impact the media has in the construction of public belief and attitudes and its relationship to social change. Drawing on findings from a range of empirical studies, we look at the impact of media coverage in areas such as disability, climate change and economic development. Findings across these areas show the way in which the media shape public debate in terms of setting agendas and focusing public interest on particular subjects. For example, in our work on disability we showed the relationship between negative media coverage of people on disability benefit and a hardening of attitudes towards them. Further, we found that the media also severely limit the information with which audiences understand these issues and that alternative solutions to political problems are effectively removed from public debate. We found other evidence of the way in which media coverage can operate to limit understanding of possibilities of social change. In our study of news reporting of climate change, we traced the way that the media have constructed uncertainty around the issue and how this has led to disengagement in relation to possible changes in personal behaviours. Finally, we discuss the implications for communications and policy and how both the traditional and new media might help in the development of better informed public debate.
On the Use of the Mass Media for Important Things
American Sociological Review, 1973
The mass media are ranked with respect to their perceived helpfulness in satisfying clusters of needs arising from social roles and individual dispositions. For example, integration into the sociopolitical order is best served by newspaper; while "knowing oneself" is best served by books. Cinema and books are more helpful as means of "escape" than is television. Primary relations, holidays and other cultural activities are often more important than the mass media in satisfying needs. Television is the least specialized medium, serving many different personal and political needs. The "interchangeability" of the media over a variety of functions orders televisions, radio, newspapers, books, and cinema in a circumplex. We speculate about which attributes of the media explain the social and psychological needs they serve best. The data, drawn from an Israeli survey, are presented as a basis for cross-cultural comparison.
Socio-Philosophical Analysis of Mass Media as a Factor in the Formation of Public Opinion
WISDOM, 2021
Computer and telecommunication technologies have led to the development of modern mass media and have made significant competition with the print edition (newspapers, magazines, and books), the dominance of telecracy, etc. The media have gone a significant path of development from a channel of information and entertainment to a political institution, significantly increasing their capabilities as an in- strument of influencing public consciousness. The study?s main purpose is to conduct a socio-philoso- phical analysis of mass media as a factor in the formation of public consciousness. In this article, the pro- cess of cognition of mass media and socio-philosophical analysis of its impact on society were used: gen- eral scientific methods; logical methods of theoretical analysis; technical analysis, clarification.
Climate Change and how the media sensitizes the public on the issue
This paper studies the important role which media plays in educating the public on the issue of climate change. The media is a very important player in climate change com¬mu¬nic¬a¬tion – most people do not read sci¬entific reports, spe¬cialist web¬sites and blogs, or the dry reports of the IPCC ( Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Although in theory, the ‘facts’ of climate change sci¬ence should be reported in a straight¬for¬ward way by news¬pa¬pers and tele¬vi¬sion net¬works, con-sid¬er¬able dif¬fer¬ences exist between the edit¬orial lines taken by dif¬ferent media organ¬isa¬tions about the reality and ser¬i¬ous¬ness of climate change. Through time, mass media coverage has proven to be a key contributor – among a number of factors – that have shaped and affected science and policy discourse as well as public understanding and action. Mass media representational practices have broadly affected translations between science and policy and have shaped perceptions of various issues of environment, technology and risk Adaptation to climate change has been defined by Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as “adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial activities”
Does mass media shape or reflect public opinion
From the traditional newspapers to the Internet surpassing television, media operate as "epistemological devices" by which individuals understand or try to understand the social and political world, providing the raw material for individuals to understand the opinion climate around them, ultimately influencing what we know and the manner in which we learn new things 1 . It is fair to say that media has greatly influenced the way society thinks of religions, morality and ethics. Media, in other words, can be perceived as a normal support, giving inevitably insights of what is wrong and of what is right 2 .
Media communication—and the coverage of mass media in particular—is an important source for people’s awareness of, and knowledge about, anthropogenic climate change. Accordingly, many scholars have analyzed the emergence, characteristics, uses and effects of mediated communication about climate change in recent years. This article reviews the respective field, presents its major findings and outlines future directions for research. in Wright, James D. (Ed.): International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edition, Vol 3. Oxford: Elsevier. 853–859.