My Role in Globalized Society - Essay Example

My Role in Globalized Society Name Institution Course Date Introduction Do media play any role in influencing personal, state and global action to tackle climate change? What drives the media into covering climate change and how much has the media covered? Throughout, media coverage is a key contributor alongside other factors that have affected policy communication together with the general public understanding plus action. Media coverage practices have widely affected the manner in which the translation between policy and science occurs. In additional, it has fashioned awareness of different environment, risk and technology issues (Weingart et al. 2000, p. 266). The media is a major factor in the classification and interpretation of global environmental issues. Scientific research findings compromise a focused mode of information which is wrapped up in professional dialect (Zehr 2000, p. 88). Scientist usually uses a language which is not smoothly interpreted by the general public. Therefore, these findings by the scientists have to be translated into a more conversational language which can be comprehended (Weingart et al. 2000, p. 268). This paper explains the norms of journalism and how they have shaped coverage of media into climate change and the contribution of humans and the role of the media in addressing this global issue of climate change. Issue: Climate Change as a Global Issue During the 19th century, it became evident that the carbon dioxide which had accumulated into the Earth’s atmosphere could have an effect known as “greenhouse effect” that would aggravate the globe’s temperature. There was already an observable process that had begun in that direction, the side effects of the industrial revolution and the production of carbon dioxide in addition to other greenhouse gases. During the mid 20th century, it was evident that there was increased production of the above gases and there was an increased progression of global warming due to human action. Almost all scientists have agreed that there is need to stop and turn around the process or otherwise there will be a series of natural catastrophes which will alter life on earth from what everyone is used to (McCarthy et al. 2001, p. 89). Climate change is still a major global issue facing the worldwide community. However, climate change is poorly covered by the media and therefore the general public is short of understanding of mutually the science plus the policy repercussion of climate change. The rural societies are less informed yet they are the ones who are more vulnerable to the effects of global climate change. There have been propaganda, special interests and media spins that accompany the fear of global warming and climate change (Boykoff & Roberts 2007, p. 20). For quite a long time, some nations environmental groups and scientists who have raised their concerns regarding global climate change encountered severe resistance and at times mockery. At first, quite a number of large organizations and nations like the United States frankly challenged the fears of climate change. Organization partnerships and interest groups are blamed for misleading the general public and forcing the media into force balancing. Organizations, the media, public and policy makers are becoming more interested in this issue. This creates a large amount of opinions and information about global climate change, thus presenting a massive challenge to communicate the issue accurately and effectively (McCarthy et al. 2001, p. 89). Even though the statistics and information about the climate change are always available rom international agencies, NGOs and the governments, most media personalities are short of the special skills to collect, analze crirically and inform the public on the impacts of global climate change. A number of reporters have a mentality that the issues of climate change are complicated and probably wont exicite the audience. Due to the absence of the analytical skills from the reporters on climate change, a number of them either simplify their reports or completely ignore them (Hamilton 2005, p. 322). The issue of climate change is intertwined with two other terms that need clarification and review that is climate change adaptation and mitigation. The reduction of greenhouse gases discharged to the atmosphere is mitigation of emissions. For quite a long time, mitigation activities in developing countries for global climate change has been the only aid (Hamilton 2005, p. 322). Climate change adaptation can be defined as adjustment in human or natural systems to respond to expected or actual climatic stimulus or their consequence which reduces the harm or makes use of advantageous activities (McCarthy et al. 2001, p. 89). The adjustment can either be defensive or reactive, private or public, spontaneous or planned. The foundation of disaster management is preparation and relief or prevention, rehabilitation and recovery or reconstruction (Muller and Hepburn 2006). Climate change an issue of culture To tackle the issue of climate change, it’s mandatory we change the organizational structures and the way we reason as individuals. It calls for the shifting of the general public values and reflecting on what the scientist have advocated for a long time. The confidence of global climate change has to move from scientific fact to being a social fact (BoykoV & BoykoV 2007, p. 1196). Australia and the rest of the globe are coming to familiarity with the increased climate change. Everyday, people see the images, prediction and statistics that draw attention to the ever changing climate and the changing globe. This makes it difficult for people to figure out the physical environment that will be inherited by their children and the grandchildren. The rivers are almost drying up and people are designing their farms to accommodate more drought resistant plant. The general public gets warned that the planet heritages that are part of our culture are under threat with the distribution of wet tropical rainforests under threat from the climate changes. Climate change is most likely to affect our way of life and hence it turns out to be a cultural issue (BoykoV & BoykoV 2007, p. 1196). Few columnists have professional or academic preparation in the field. This means that the nature of data assembling, reporting and composing is insufficient. Media rights groups revealed that, albeit accommodated in the constitution, press opportunity is not generally regarded. Opportunities for writers for expert preparing and advancement are constrained; college news coverage employees keep on offering a Soviet-style curriculum. This curriculum is overwhelming on hypothesis and artistic style, and short on aptitudes courses in addition to technical preparing. Due to the above conditions, still the finest and mainly accomplished writers fail to offer the learning and aptitudes they have to report inside and out on particular subjects like the worldwide environmental change (Zehr 1999, p. 12). How do address the issue: Media relevance Most of the people understand reasonably small amount of information about climate change and global warming. A considerable section of the society has inconsistent perception of the climate change, as it is mainly interrelated with general pollution and in some way connected to atmospheric ozone layer exhaustion. , most of the reporters/journalists are less informed about climate change (Boykoff & Roberts 2007, p. 20). Media scholars and scientists who express their dissatisfaction with insufficient reporting that is done on science, argue that this can lead to not less than three basic misconceptions. First, correspondents misrepresent reality by creating scientific errors. Second, they misrepresent by emphasizing on stories of human interest instead of scientific content. Lastly, they misrepresent by firm devotion to come up with balanced coverage. According to Bord, O’Connor, & Fisher (2000, p. 211), a responsible journalist provides undisputed information of the cause up to when, for instance, the community comprehends the causes of climate change. The interactions involving policy, public, climate science and media are dynamic and complex. It is evident that science and policy shape the media reporting in addition to public appreciation; nevertheless, it is no doubt that public concern and journalism shape the current climate science plus policy judgment and activities. At the same time, journalists have over and over again observe their mandate as that of disseminating information rather than public education, the difference between these functions become unclear in practice. These factors all play a role in the way the news are presented in the media (Zehr 1999, p. 12) Media professionals produce their news within an economic, social, institutional, cultural and political landscape. However, the coverage of climate change news whether mitigation or adaptation is done within the journalism values and norms. In news production, stories are partially created from the unbalanced power relationship in additional to being developed partially through journalism professionalism history (Hamilton 2005, p. 322). Economic and social-political factors have lead to growth of distinct values and norms (Lee 2006, p. 413). During the framing, the journalists have the challenges of time, space and financial constraints when reporting on climate change. This has a major effect on the information that reaches the general public and how well the journalist interprets the scientific language used by the scientists in explaining various issues of climate change (Lee 2006, p. 413). Regarding the media coverage and reporting on the adaptation of climate change in the developing countries, it has been established that journalists have little or no interests in covering adaptation issues related with climate change (Cottle 2014, np). There was little coverage of issues like using air conditioning, recycling schemes, renewable energy, irrigation, tree planting developments and migration to the cities. The following reasons are believed to have an effect on the information journalist report: 1) Low level or lack of knowledge about the issues which is caused by lack of access to clear, understandable and timely information about climate change as well as the mode of communication that the scientists use when communicating about the issue. 2) Lack of financial resources which results in constrained first hand reporting. 3) Contrasting priorities and habits, this refers to the fondness of covering stories of violence and crime because they will sell more is what the journalists prefer (Boykoff & Roberts 2007, 14). Media reporting on climate change face multiple challenges and sometimes the pressures are externally forced or internally generated (Lee 2006, p. 413). My Role in addressing Issue: Role as a media professional and how they can use their knowledge to address the issue Research into the media scope of environmental change has exhibited the critical part of the media in deciding atmosphere approach arrangement. The media has an impressive bearing on general supposition, and the path in which issues are accounted for, or encircled, build a specific talk. Talk, extensively characterized, is a semantic or informative consistency, which makes specific standards and decides the way we comprehend an issue, and "help[s] shape institutional contemplations of arrangement (BoykoV & BoykoV 2007, p. 1196) Late research recommends that through the very dialect the the media personalities use to express the assurance of their decisions befuddling terms. For example, "likely" and "exceptionally likely"climate researchers, themselves, plantdoubts in the thinking of general society about their discoveries. The new study, then, as a result discovers a twofold whammy. Reporters then happen to enhance that feeling of instability through their utilization of supporting dialect (Hamilton 2005, p. 322). Besides, the media scope of environmental change is thought around amazing climate occasions and projections of calamity, making "a dialect of up and coming terror" which a few observers contend has ingrained arrangement loss of motion and hindered our reaction. Moser et al. propose that, utilizing result orientated edges will help move the activity to fathom environmental change. The prevalence of calamity edges over result casings may help clarify the obvious worth activity hole with environmental change; the current rambling setting has produced concern over environmental change yet not roused activity (BoykoV & BoykoV 2007, p. 1192). The three theoretical structure of Social representation, social amplification and the social construction processes describe the composite factors that mediate and most importantly affect the people’s evaluation of environmental threat, world wide climate change and risks. The above perpectives try to clarify the differences in appreciating of and reactions to climatic change across regions, communities, cultures and through policy and environmental experts , scientists, laymen and journalists (Hamilton 2005, p. 322). Conclusion In conclusion, making a move to minimize the harming impacts of environmental change is the obligation of numerous stakeholders; governments, researchers, media associations, improvement accomplices, and undoubtedly the overall population. Given the force of advanced media, it is vital that media outlets are urged and engaged to educate individual stories regarding the impacts of atmosphere change. The media's backing in instructing the general population about environmental change will guarantee that the individuals who are most powerless against its effects, completely comprehend the consequences for their lives and their fates, which will thus help to sow the seeds of grass-roots active. References Bord, R. J. & O'Connor, et al. (2000). "In What Sense Does the Public Need to Understand Global Climate Change?" Public Understanding of Science, 9: 205-218. Boykoff, M., & Boykoff, J. (2007). Climate change and journalistic norms: A case-study of US mass-media coverage. Geoforum, 38(6), 1190--1204.. Boykoff, M., & Roberts, J. (2007). Media coverage of climate change: Current trends, strengths, weaknesses. Human Development Report, 2008, 3. Cottle, S. (2014). Media, War & Conflict matters, Rethinking media and disasters in a global age: What's changed and why it. accessed on August 25, 2014 Lee, R. (2006). "The ordinary economy Tangled up in values and geography." Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 31, p. 413. McCarthy, J. J. & Canziani, F. (2001). Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Geneva, Switzerland, IPCC: 89. Muller, B., and Hepburn, C. (2006). IATAL—an outline proposal for an International Air Travel Adaptation Levy. Oxford, UK, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies EV 36, October, 2006. Hamilton, J. (2005). The Creation of the Media: Political Origins of Modern Communications by Paul Starr. Political Science Quarterly, 120(2), 322--324 Weingart, P., A. Engels, et al. (2000). "Risks of Communication: Discourses on Climate Change in Science, Politics, and the Mass Media." Public Understanding of Science, 9: 261-283. Zehr, S. (1999). Scientists' Representations of Uncertainty. Communicating Uncertainty: Media Coverage of New and Controversial Science. S. M. Friedman, S. Dunwoody and C. L. Rogers. Mahwah, New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Publishers, p. 3-22. Zehr, S. C. (2000). "Public Representations of Scientific Uncertainty about Global Climate Change." Public Understanding of Science, 9: 85-103. Read More

Even though the statistics and information about the climate change are always available rom international agencies, NGOs and the governments, most media personalities are short of the special skills to collect, analze crirically and inform the public on the impacts of global climate change. A number of reporters have a mentality that the issues of climate change are complicated and probably wont exicite the audience. Due to the absence of the analytical skills from the reporters on climate change, a number of them either simplify their reports or completely ignore them (Hamilton 2005, p. 322). The issue of climate change is intertwined with two other terms that need clarification and review that is climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The reduction of greenhouse gases discharged to the atmosphere is mitigation of emissions. For quite a long time, mitigation activities in developing countries for global climate change has been the only aid (Hamilton 2005, p. 322). Climate change adaptation can be defined as adjustment in human or natural systems to respond to expected or actual climatic stimulus or their consequence which reduces the harm or makes use of advantageous activities (McCarthy et al. 2001, p. 89). The adjustment can either be defensive or reactive, private or public, spontaneous or planned.

The foundation of disaster management is preparation and relief or prevention, rehabilitation and recovery or reconstruction (Muller and Hepburn 2006). Climate change an issue of culture To tackle the issue of climate change, it’s mandatory we change the organizational structures and the way we reason as individuals. It calls for the shifting of the general public values and reflecting on what the scientist have advocated for a long time. The confidence of global climate change has to move from scientific fact to being a social fact (BoykoV & BoykoV 2007, p. 1196). Australia and the rest of the globe are coming to familiarity with the increased climate change.

Everyday, people see the images, prediction and statistics that draw attention to the ever changing climate and the changing globe. This makes it difficult for people to figure out the physical environment that will be inherited by their children and the grandchildren. The rivers are almost drying up and people are designing their farms to accommodate more drought resistant plant. The general public gets warned that the planet heritages that are part of our culture are under threat with the distribution of wet tropical rainforests under threat from the climate changes.

Climate change is most likely to affect our way of life and hence it turns out to be a cultural issue (BoykoV & BoykoV 2007, p. 1196). Few columnists have professional or academic preparation in the field. This means that the nature of data assembling, reporting and composing is insufficient. Media rights groups revealed that, albeit accommodated in the constitution, press opportunity is not generally regarded. Opportunities for writers for expert preparing and advancement are constrained; college news coverage employees keep on offering a Soviet-style curriculum.

This curriculum is overwhelming on hypothesis and artistic style, and short on aptitudes courses in addition to technical preparing. Due to the above conditions, still the finest and mainly accomplished writers fail to offer the learning and aptitudes they have to report inside and out on particular subjects like the worldwide environmental change (Zehr 1999, p. 12). How do address the issue: Media relevance Most of the people understand reasonably small amount of information about climate change and global warming.

A considerable section of the society has inconsistent perception of the climate change, as it is mainly interrelated with general pollution and in some way connected to atmospheric ozone layer exhaustion. , most of the reporters/journalists are less informed about climate change (Boykoff & Roberts 2007, p. 20). Media scholars and scientists who express their dissatisfaction with insufficient reporting that is done on science, argue that this can lead to not less than three basic misconceptions.

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