Media Coverage and Environmental Issues

Newspapers, news websites and magazines are a rich source of information about current environmental issues.  They frequently provide valuable insights into how such issues are being understood and addressed in wider social and political contexts. Your task is to choose an environmental issue from the list below. You then need to search current and recent news sources (newspapers, news websites, magazines and webzines, etc.) to analyse how that issue is reported in the media.  As a guide, you should find a minimum of six articles and a maximum of 15 articles related to the chosen issue in your assignment. If there are more articles than this available, select those that give a good indication of the complexity of the issue and the range of coverage it has received in the news Your next task is to analyse the coverage that your environmental issue has received in the news. DO NOT simply summarize the articles.  You should introduce the issue at hand, explain its history, the broader context for the issue and its wider significance.  Indicate the key matters that are under debate in relation to that issue and who is involved, their environmental perspectives, and give an assessment of their role.  Develop your own opinion as to how the environmental issue has developed over time, why it is of concern, and what could/should be done in future.   Back up your opinions and arguments with evidence drawn from wider literature (i.e. academic articles and sources beyond media articles) Assignment objectives:

To present an assessment of a current environmental issue within its social and political context.

To reveal an insightful understanding of the key actors involved and their environmental standpoints

To offer a critical review of the particular environmental issue, how it has developed over time, and develop suggestions for future action