How did the National Audubon Society revam p its magazine\, Audubon\, to adopt the practices of journalism to draw at tention to\, and legitimacy for\, its campaign to protect birds and habita ts in the 1960s\, and what does that tell us about journalism and the envi ronment today?
\nWe think of the ideal journalist as a neutral obser ver of our social world\, but this idea has been threatened by the growth of partisan news organizations in recent years. Yet advocacy journalism ha s existed on the margins for generations. In this talk\, I&rsquo\;ll revea l how the National Audubon \;Society redeveloped its magazine into a n ational\, award-winning outlet for environmental journalism in the 1960s. Along the way\, it challenged conventional rules about journalism and obje ctivity &ndash\; and furthered the bird conservation cause. This history l ends perspective to current debates about how journalism should function i n our society.
\nSuzannah Evans Comfort\, Ph.D.\, is an assistant pr
ofessor in the Media School at Indiana University. Her research considers
how environmental
activists use journalism and other media formats to
advance their cause. In addition\, she also examines how journalists have
covered climate change
and how audiences respond to messages about c
limate change. Prior to joining Indiana University\, Comfort worked in oce
an conservation and was
the co-author of The Perfect Protein: The Fis
h Lover&rsquo\;s Guide to Saving the Oceans and Feeding the World.