Here is the abstract of one of my three papers to be presented at the International Communication Association conference in London in June. This paper, co-authored with Dr. Bruno Takahashi of the Michigan State University’s School of Journalism, won top faculty paper from the Environmental Communication Interest Group.

THE CHANGING NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISCOURSE

An exploratory comparison of environmental journalists and bloggers

By Edson C. Tandoc Jr. & Bruno Takahashi

       In this study we present an exploratory comparison of environmental journalists and environmental bloggers. No study has investigated environmental bloggers as a source of environmental reporting. Using a web survey, we compared environmental journalists and bloggers across a range of different variables that the literature shows matter in understanding the environmental discussions that they produce. This study offers important insights about the people behind the mediated messages we get about the environment. We found that environmental journalists and environmental bloggers are similar and different at the same time. They have the same level of concern and perceived knowledge about the environment. But they also conceive different roles in society and source their information differently. We discuss the implications of these findings on the evolving nature of environmental reporting and discourse.