Environmental journalism and environmental communication education: Identifying an educational model

摘要

News coverage of the environment has been the subject of intense scrutiny for some 25 years. Content analyses have suggested that environmental coverage is plagued by omission of important information in areas of economics, health, safety, and consumer concerns. Surveys of reporters show high levels of frustration and dissatisfaction with their output. And universities are being blamed by editors, publishers, and corporate giants for providing irrelevant education and delivering incompetent products.;Few journalists are trained in the philosophy, history, economics, and natural sciences necessary to fully comprehend the subject. New solutions for the teaching of environmental communication are needed. The problem is that an educational construct for environmental journalism and communication has not yet been identified.;This research identifies such an educational model via a comprehensive evaluation of the literature and an in-depth analysis of the few undergraduate programs nationwide currently offering specializations in the environmental communication fields.