Latest news with #SocietyofEnvironmentalJournalistsConference
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Debunking 3 common myths about reader engagement in environmental reporting
In a digital age, social media distracts readers by taking their attention away from climate and environmental news, Justin Worland pointed out at the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists Conference in Tempe. In the jumble of viral videos and status updates, climate reporting does not show up on people's feeds, the panelists said. Myths about polarization, optimism vs pessimism and framing have convinced journalists that they can't better engage readers. Worland, a senior correspondent for TIME magazine, recalled visiting a college to speak to a class. Afterwards, a student approached him and told him his writing was too long. Since then, he's been interested in how to keep the reader's attention for longer. According to Kirsten Reddy, a senior researcher at the Pew Research Center, attention to news in the U.S has declined from 27% to 19% in adults ages 18-29. 'We have 27 seconds now as opposed to 1200 words and so the choice we make in words and ratings matters a huge amount in the world,' said John Marshall, founder and CEO of Potential Energy Coalition, a marketing firm with a goal of educating people on climate change. Marshall identified the three myths on why readers are not engaged with climate change stories. Potential Energy Coalition has tested 1200 climate change ads and barely saw backlash, Marshall said. 'You always see backlash with things like gun control or abortion,' Marshall said. His marketing firm asked a portion of people a set of controversial questions and found a high number of individuals believe some of the rhetoric floating around the media. Except when it comes to climate change. More people were more interested in supporting climate solutions, Marshall said. 'The issue is not that there's this fervent opposition out there,' he said. 'The issue is nobody is getting the information.' Environmental journalists: face challenges in retaliatory Trump era 'We owe people the truth,' Marshall said. People are more engaged and pay attention when journalists talk about the truth, he said. While we can't create panic, when there is a justifiable reason to worry, pointing out the real human consequences works. His marketing firm found in a focus group that clearly stating bad news gets people's attention, but the writers are worried that too much bad news will drive readers away. Framing is a choice. In climate reporting, the words written can create a narrative. This frame can be reinforced and create damaging viewpoints that affect the environment. An example Marshall makes of framing in action involves the gas industry. Natural gas ranks at 72% in popularity, while methane gas is 27% in popularity. Natural gas and methane gas are the same, he said. 'You actually made that choice, and in 20 seconds the consequences of that is now everybody thinks natural gas is clean.' There are subconscious choices people make as writers and the best way to combat this is to take a step back and ask, 'what are the frames that are actually persuasive?' Marshall said. 'It's a narrative war and if we lean into frames and phrases, that causes us to lose the narrative war.' Marshall is a marketer; however, thinking about framing does not have to border activism, it's thinking about word choice in way that readers can absorb, Worland said. 'It's thinking about how people understand a clear communicator,' he said. Arilynn Hyatt a junior studying journalism at the University of Arizona and is part of a student newsroom led by The Arizona Republic. Coverage of the Society of Environmental Journalists conference is supported by Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism, the University of Arizona, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and the Arizona Media Association. These stories are published open-source for other news outlets and organizations to share and republish, with credit and links to This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: The truth of capturing reader engagement in environmental reporting
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
News about the environment abounds. What will make more people read it?
The public's main source for information about the environment and climate change comes from the news, but not enough people are reading it. That was the challenge discussed by a group of journalists on April 25 at the Society of Environmental Journalists Conference, an event in Tempe intended to improve the accuracy and quality of environmental reporting. Paige Vega, a climate editor at Vox, said making coverage appealing to a general national audience requires defining that audience, which is 'the curious and overwhelmed.' Appealing to people's emotional vulnerability is necessary to get people to listen, especially in a political climate where audiences may be desensitized. People are waiting to be surprised, she said. She said it also is 'effective to tap into that sense of disgust or sense of betrayal or something … that evokes strong emotions in your reader. I think that is the real key to unlocking the story.' Maintaining a conversational tone is another way to grab readers, especially about an issue that requires urgency. 'We just try to talk to people on the level that they're on,' Vega said. 'And part of that is we know our audience isn't always a bunch of biodiversity nerds or people who are really in the know about how ecosystems work. So we're trying to reach people who can just kind of be harmed in unexpected ways.' Readers also tend to be drawn to issues they feel strongly about. 'People are really interested in the ethical dilemma,' said Michelle Nijhuis, a contributing editor for High Country News. Eleri Mosier is a senior at Arizona State University, and is part of a student newsroom led by The Arizona Republic. Coverage of the Society of Environmental Journalists conference is supported by Arizona State University's Cronkite School of Journalism, the University of Arizona. the Arizona Media Association and the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. These stories are published open-source for other news outlets and organizations to share and republish, with credit and links to This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What's the best way to get more people to read environmental news?
