16 pages, This article focuses on the processes of sense-making of forest fires in a Mediterranean context. The authors use a textual approach to compare media framing with activist organizational storytelling. The authors conducted a frame analysis in two major daily newspapers in Catalonia (La Vanguardia and El Periódico de Catalunya) during three summers and compared the results with the stories from four leading activist and volunteering organizations that came out of in-depth interviews with their members, one focus group and published materials. The results identified up to five major mainstream media frames, among which were stories focusing on agricultural risk, climate change and weather conditions; imprudent and negligent attitudes; inappropriate fuel management and woodland conditions; and arson. The natural self-regulatory frame was present as part of the discourse of resilience but almost residual. Some journalism focused on the spectacular nature of the events and their dramatic impact, which led to some degree of mediatization of wildfires. The organizations problematized these frames and discussed about the appropriateness of human intervention to prevent forest fires. The results also revealed that activists observed the issue from a broader complexity, replicating frames on “structural responsibility” instead of “individual responsibility” allocation. The authors point out that if wildfires are to be better understood and dealt with more in-depth knowledge is required of different stakeholders’ approaches to preventing forest fires.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D02236
Notes:
Pages 79-92 in Jane M. Perkins and Nancy Blyler (eds.), Narrative and profssional communication, Ablex Publishing Corporation, Stamford, Connecticut. 224 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 182 Document Number: C36924
Notes:
3 pages., Representative of TVE Asia Pacific speaks about his comments at the 8th Annual Symposium on Poverty Research in Sri Lanka. His session title: "Taking it off the page: alternative mediums of communication to influence change." Comments on inept media coverage of the poor and offers some basic rules of engagement in "telling media stories from the Bottom of the Pyramid."
11 pages., Authors focus on the Australian perspective and draw on a detailed global context to better understand how research might inform the use of creative non-fiction storytelling to aid new technology development.
1 page., Online from March 6, 2020, issue of the periodical., Tribute to a long-time agricultural journalist, written by an editorial associate at the Delta Farm Press magazine.
