‘Fake news and other challenges to environmental/science journalism’

Fake news and other challenges to environmental/science journalism

Starting with a discussion of the rise of terms such as ‘fake news’ and ‘post-truth journalism’, I seek to place these within, and as current manifestations of, long standing and deep-seated concerns about the roles and challenges of journalism. With a focus specifically on environmental and science journalism, I argue that the term ‘fake news’ and the assumptions and concerns reflected in its rise to prominence in public communication and debate arise from a combination of closely interlinked changes in the media and public communications landscape: technological changes; rhetorical/discursive changes; and enhancements/changes in the strategic communication practices of resource-rich sources. Drawing on the research literature on environmental and science journalism, I aim to show how communication theory can help formulate the kinds of questions (and answers) needed for understanding the dynamics of current mediated environmental/science communication controversies and their role in political and cultural power in the public sphere.