The Influence of Mass Media Coverage and Representation on Environmental Justice Advocacy
COMM 394: A History of Mass Media Influence
June 6, 2022
An examination of various environmental justice case studies suggests that historically, mass media has brought attention to immediate issues and developed a shared narrative which then generates public outrage and protest that pressures local governments into resolving the issue, making mass media a key source of momentum for environmental justice movements. However, current coverage of environmental injustice is unrepresentative of the issue’s prevalence and excludes the perspective of the affected communities. To better support future environmental justice advocacy, mass media organizations must increase the amount of news about environmental injustices to elevate the issue’s importance in the public eye, frame these stories as injustices to provoke audience action, and increase newsroom and source diversity to avoid counterproductive portrayals of the victims of environmental injustice.
