Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Objectivity and Advocacy in Global Warming Journalism

Objectivity and Advocacy in Global Warming Journalism To isolate advocacy and objectivity in journalism as an object of study is fraught with difficulties. It may be slightly easier to get a grip on norms and values if we consider what they are about. This article explores journalistic professional values and ethics as they come to the fore in student discussions around global warming in Nicaragua, Nepal and Bangladesh. We find that their scientific knowledge and local experience must both be taken into account to explain their concern over global warming. We also find the students leaning towards advocacy positions, although they are also attracted by the research credentials of objectivity. Reflecting on the findings as journalism teachers, we propose a ‘realist-constructivist’ pedagogical approach, arguing that if scientific understandings are to prompt the kind of social change necessary to avert worst case scenarios of global warming, they must somehow be connected to the concerns of everyday life. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Asia Pacific Media Educator SAGE

Objectivity and Advocacy in Global Warming Journalism

Download PDF
14 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/sage/objectivity-and-advocacy-in-global-warming-journalism-NQrSmLVof3
Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 2012 University of Wollongong, Australia
ISSN
1326-365X
eISSN
2321-5410
DOI
10.1177/1326365X1202200103
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

To isolate advocacy and objectivity in journalism as an object of study is fraught with difficulties. It may be slightly easier to get a grip on norms and values if we consider what they are about. This article explores journalistic professional values and ethics as they come to the fore in student discussions around global warming in Nicaragua, Nepal and Bangladesh. We find that their scientific knowledge and local experience must both be taken into account to explain their concern over global warming. We also find the students leaning towards advocacy positions, although they are also attracted by the research credentials of objectivity. Reflecting on the findings as journalism teachers, we propose a ‘realist-constructivist’ pedagogical approach, arguing that if scientific understandings are to prompt the kind of social change necessary to avert worst case scenarios of global warming, they must somehow be connected to the concerns of everyday life.

Journal

Asia Pacific Media Educator – SAGE

Published: Jun 1, 2012

There are no references for this article.