Toland, Alexandra R. (author), Wessolek, Gerd (author), and Institute for Ecology, Dept. of Soil Protection, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
2010-08
Published:
Austria: International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), c/o Institut fur Bodenforschung, Universitat fur Bodenkultur; Wien; Austria
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 162 Document Number: D08056
Journal Title Details:
pp. 8-12
Notes:
Proceedings of the 19th World Congress of Soil Science: Soil solutions for a changing world, Brisbane, Australia, 1-6 August 2010. Symposium 4.5.2 Soil and human culture
18 pages., via online journal., This essay explores the different meanings of the 1960s’ pesticide controversy
as conveyed by the multiple representations of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
(1962). I argue that to understand the impact of Carson’s work on a heterogeneous audience in the early ’60s, we must move beyond an examination
of the book, Silent Spring, to consider its other media manifestations, as a
serialization for The New Yorker and as a television expose for “CBS Reports.” ´
Each conveyed a unique message stylized for the audience of that particular
media. This analysis demonstrates the problems and opportunities for scholars
attempting to gauge the influence of a book on the public understanding of
science. This argument also suggests that to understand the transition of
environmentalism from a grass-roots movement to near universal consensus,
we need to examine carefully the role of media in shaping divergent messages
for different audiences—a phenomenon that assisted in transforming local
environmental issues into a matter of national concern.
