Cairns Institute Seminar Series

Media Eco-systems and the Reef

Presented by Dr Maxine Newlands, Dr Tracey Mahony & Dr Erin Bohensky

Thursday 11 August 2022 | 11.30am
Cairns D3‐063 & Zoom: https://jcu.zoom.us/j/83528930055?pwd=UDZ0MzBhaHRJWWN5SHl3NWhMYngwQT09

There is limited knowledge about how the many actors involved in Great Barrier Reef (Reef) water quality communications shape mainstream media narratives. To date, the role of traditional mainstream and social media in building awareness of important environmental issues facing our society is underexplored, including in the context of the Reef. Moreover, existing research is mainly on case studies reported in the media (bleaching, science communication, policy). In this project, we take a step back and propose a conceptual framework for how and why existing media narratives influence our understanding of Reef water quality issues. We interviewed more than 60 people from numerous sectors, including agriculture, the media, government, peak bodies, industry experts, and others, supplemented with a set of media communication labs.

This seminar outlines the  Reef water quality media narratives that contain an overarching narrative driven by meta-narratives and media processes. We are calling this concept ‘the Reef media ecosystem’. Meta-narratives are the main media characteristics of the Reef stories, and this presentation will discuss the five meta-narratives related to the eight media industry processes and practices that makes up the Reef media eco-system.

Funding for this project is through the Queensland Government’s Reef Water Quality Program as part of a suite of projects addressing the prioritised human dimension knowledge needs identified in the Reef 2050 Water Quality Research, Development and Innovation Strategy (2017-2022). The projects contribute to the emerging human dimension of science and knowledge base to better address the social, cultural and economic factors underpinning water quality improvements in the Great Barrier Reef catchments.

Image: pixabay.com/2102425/xxun012