Journalists and Environment News : A Study of Newspapers

Contents: Foreword. 1. Environment and Society. 2. Environment and Media: A Review of Some Studies. 3. Research Methodology. 4. Profile of the Print Journalist. 5. Environment, Print Journalists and Professional Obligations. 6. Newspaper Coverage of Environmental Issues in Kerala. 7. Case Studies. 8. Summary and Conclusions. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.

Environment has wider ramifications across the globe, if one part of the globe is affected by environmental destruction. Therefore, every citizen on this globe has the responsibility to protect the earth so as to protect him or her in the process. For this purpose, creating public awareness is one of the responsibilities of the mass media. Hence, in this respect, journalists along with media owners have to play a major role in educating the public, the government, policy makers and non-government, policy makers and non-governmental organizations. In relation to their role as mass educators, journalists have to perceive environmental issues before disseminating them to the public. Therefore the study taken by Dr. Raimole Abraham makes an attempt to capture the perceptions of print journalists with regard to coverage of environmental issues in Kerala, India. Hitherto, no systematic study has been taken up to study the perceptions of journalists on environmental issues in India, more so in Kerala. Kerala, a state known for the highest literacy coupled with high newspaper consumption needs to be studied in the context of journalists’ perceptions of their role in news coverage. Further, the case studies given in the study make an interesting reading. The study is a significant contribution to the mass communication studies. (jacket)