Science and environmental journalism is entering a new era defined by urgency, the politicization of science itself, and increasing political and social polarization across the globe. The evolution of the journalism industry has placed increasing demands on news organizations to do more with less in a rapidly evolving news environment, and we are only just now beginning to understand what this means for in-depth scientific and environmental reporting.
Parallel to the shift to online news consumption, several news organizations have been forced to reassign specialty science reporters to a general assignment or eliminate the science desk completely, in an effort to stay competitive on smaller budgets. It is critical to understand what effects these dramatic shifts in the news industry have had on journalists’ science writing, journalism education, and audiences’ consumption of science news.
This Research Topic posits key questions for scholars and practitioners in the 21st Century and intends to create a rich discussion useful for educators, researchers, and journalists. Contributors are asked to submit research and essays that documents and asks critical questions about trends, opportunities, and possibilities in environmental and science journalism, the effects of new media environments on science reporting and journalism education, and/or audiences’ interactions with science journalism. Practitioners are strongly encouraged to submit reflective essays about their experiences in the field. The guest editors welcome submissions that employ diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.
Science and environmental journalism is entering a new era defined by urgency, the politicization of science itself, and increasing political and social polarization across the globe. The evolution of the journalism industry has placed increasing demands on news organizations to do more with less in a rapidly evolving news environment, and we are only just now beginning to understand what this means for in-depth scientific and environmental reporting.
Parallel to the shift to online news consumption, several news organizations have been forced to reassign specialty science reporters to a general assignment or eliminate the science desk completely, in an effort to stay competitive on smaller budgets. It is critical to understand what effects these dramatic shifts in the news industry have had on journalists’ science writing, journalism education, and audiences’ consumption of science news.
This Research Topic posits key questions for scholars and practitioners in the 21st Century and intends to create a rich discussion useful for educators, researchers, and journalists. Contributors are asked to submit research and essays that documents and asks critical questions about trends, opportunities, and possibilities in environmental and science journalism, the effects of new media environments on science reporting and journalism education, and/or audiences’ interactions with science journalism. Practitioners are strongly encouraged to submit reflective essays about their experiences in the field. The guest editors welcome submissions that employ diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.
