Call for manuscripts for special issue of the
International Communication Gazette
Communicating the Environment
Guest editors: Anders Hansen (University of
Leicester, UK) and Julie Doyle (University of Brighton, UK)
Manuscript deadline: 1 October 2009
2009 represents a significant year for
International political negotiations on the
environment, marked by the December meeting of
the United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Copenhagen, where a new global treaty on
climate, to replace the Kyoto Protocol, will be
established. As international governments seek
political responses to global environmental
problems, how environmental issues are
communicated and given meaning is of equal
importance, helping to shape public and
political perceptions, and thus the kinds of
responses/actions advocated to address environmental issues.
This special issue focuses upon the role of the
media, and mediation, in the construction and
communication of contemporary environmental
issues. As social actors, the mass media play a
crucial role in defining and communicating about
the environment. Yet their status and efficacy
as environmental actors differs according to
social, political, economic, national and local
contexts. As environmental issues are also
issues of justice and human rights, and as
alternative forms of mediated communication seek
to empower citizens as environmental
communicators and activists, the question of
democracy and power is central to how
environmental issues are understood and
addressed at the local, national and global
level. Indeed, as global environmental change
affects countries both differently and
disproportionately, how the media frame and
debate these issues is of crucial importance.
With this special issue we invite contributions
that examine the role of media in the
definition, construction and communication of
environmental issues. We welcome work from a
variety of theoretical and methodological
approaches. We particularly welcome papers
offering a global and/or international
comparative perspective, and we are keen that
the issue should include contributions from
Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Topics may include, but are not restricted to, the following:
· Environmental justice, human rights and the media
· Media, governance and environmental citizenship
· Media representations of global environmental protest/activism
· Alternative media and (local/national/global) activism
· The politics of media coverage of
environmental issues/environmental disasters
· Environmental journalism, sources, PR and political spin
· Environmental pressure groups and the media
· Cultural constructions of nature and the environment
Manuscripts should be prepared in English in
Microsoft Word, and should not exceed 8,000
words including notes and references.
Manuscripts should be accompanied by an abstract
of 100-150 words and up to 10 keywords. The
manuscript must contain a separate title page
that should include: the title of the
manuscript; the name(s) and affiliation(s) of
the author(s); full contact details of the
author(s); the author?s brief biographical
information. Please send the manuscript as an
email-attachment to Anders Hansen
<mailto:(ash /at/ le.ac.uk)>(ash /at/ le.ac.uk) and Julie
Doyle
<mailto:(j.doyle /at/ brighton.ac.uk)>(j.doyle /at/ brighton.ac.uk)
by no later than 1 October 2009.
