Abstract
This chapter is meant to help the communicator understand how the news media work, and to give advice on interacting with reporters and producers so that fair and acurate information is reported to the public. There are many misconceptions about the news media and the role they serve in society. It is often assumed that the news media give a complete picture of current events or situations. While news reporters do aspire for completeness, the news process has many limitations that restrict how much news can be reported and how detailed such reporting can be. Dealing with the news media is an increasingly important aspect of environmental communication. News coverage can be extremely effective in transferring messages about resource management issues, but it can also be damaging. The environmental communicator must understand that the news process is dynamic, and the quality and quantity of coverage can be influenced. Positive interactions with the news media are most often the result of careful communication planning and a keen understanding of the news process.
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Jurin, R.R., Roush, D., Danter, J. (2010). Dealing with the News Media. In: Environmental Communication. Second Edition. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3987-3_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3987-3_16
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