Marketplace Advocacy by the U.S. Fossil Fuel Industries: Issues of Representation and Environmental Discourse

Gaither, Barbara Miller; Gaither, T. Kenn

doi:10.1080/15205436.2016.1203953

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As well as funding scientists, research, politicians, and organizations to question global warming (Antilla ; Anderson ; Shanahan ), they also publish skeptical books and films, which tend to have a significant influence on viewers’ opinions (Jacques et al ; Greitemeyer ). Miller‐Gaither and Gaither () found that the industry appropriates US cultural mores and values with the goal of moving public deliberation away from potential government regulation and toward a narrative, whether correct or not, on how policies could hurt industries, the economy, and average US citizens.…”

Section: Mainstream News Media Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

United States news media and climate change in the era of US President Trump

Park

2018

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Donald J Trump administration's strategy to disengage and downplay the Paris Climate Agreement will likely result in a slight decrease in the already low levels of US news media global warming coverage. This is because significant limitations with the news media's ability to adequately cover climate change predated the administration. First, studies indicate that advertising interests and editors have always challenged journalists' abilities to adequately report on climate change issues. Instead of climate change stories, editors often prefer more sensational topics that garner higher ratings and approval with advertisers. Second, the journalistic norm of balance and the role of sourcing give climate skeptics exceptional media exposure, which creates a "false balance" or equivalency between skeptics and scientists. Third, the massive power and influence of the fossil fuel industry's public relations arm has also had a tremendous impact on public (mis)understanding of climate change. Fourth, a trend toward declining climate change coverage and "climate silence" in US media is developing. Media corporations have substantially eliminated the number of environmental journalists that cover climate change. The overall effect of these limitations distorts public understanding of climate change and delays potential government action. Moving away from a predominantly commercial media system to one with a substantial noncommercial component can improve US journalism, whereas using advertising to increase rates for environmentally unsound products and services may also help mitigate global warming. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:202-204. © 2018 SETAC.

show abstract

Section: Mainstream News Media Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

United States news media and climate change in the era of US President Trump

Park

2018

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Monbiot (2007) charts the latter, and the industry efforts from what he terms, "Exxon-sponsored deniers, " to question the evidence for climate change and more importantly from their perspective to reinforce the sense of a lack of scientific certainty in the minds of citizens. Likewise, Gaither and Gaither (2016) have studied how industry communications mobilize specific cultural values and mores to convince others that climate policy would hurt industry operations and, in turn, the everyday finances of the US citizen. Further, the spread of skeptical voices on climate change science to reporting outside of the US, is attributed to the increasing reliance of news organizations on news material produced by public relations activities (Beder, 2002; see also Lewis et al, 2008) and the operation of newsroom practices underpinned by established journalistic norms.…”

Section: Industry Frames and Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tactics include the promoting of a perception of industry activities as environmentally friendly (Lyon and Montgomery, 2015) and a disguising of their views as those emerging either from grassroots organizations or those from other (pseudo) companies. The most disturbing outcomes from the latter activities have been the use of disguised platforms, by oil companies, to launch attacks on environmental concerns, environmentalists and most recently on climate scientists (Monbiot, 2007;Gaither and Gaither, 2016). Reaffirmed here is a view of pro-active industry representatives who wield the authority to define how the media report their views (Hall et al, 1978) or, at the least, to maintain a discursive advantage within relevant media discussions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Placing Industry in the Frame: Exploring the Mediated Performance of Industry Voices in Climate Change Reporting

Matthews

2018

Front. Commun.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is now recognized that industry representatives influence the news reporting of climate change. Still, debate continues over the form and the extent of their influence particularly in the absence of detailed analysis of their presence across time. This paper places industry in the frame by analyzing their perspectives within a period of rapid politicization of the issue in the UK (2000-2010). Mapped across elite reporting, industry presence appears to be fluid, not static, and to respond to the politicization of the issue and to the journalistic logic that shapes elite coverage. Perhaps as expected, industry is pro-active in providing a perspective on climate change as an economic problem and projecting its "green credentials" in prime positions across the reporting. Mostly, however, this reporting uses its reactions to comment on other industry or elite activities, practices and policy. The findings show that interactions between the media and the political context underpin the observed outcomes of the pro-active and the re-active public relations by industry, in addition to shaping the presence of other speakers that contribute to the complex issue of climate change.

show abstract

“…There are several studies of disinformation efforts conducted by the fossil fuel industry, focusing on the discrepancy between what was known -both by individual actors and publicly -and what was promoted through advertising and lobbying (Dunlap & McCright, 2015;Union of Concerned Scientists, 2007). There are also many studies of deceptive marketing and public relations practices by companies and governments relating to GHG emissions (Higham & Font, 2020;Marquis et al, 2016;Miller Gaither & Gaither, 2016). These studies typically focus on the disagreement between words and actions, as well as strategies for making GHG emissions disappear through "creative accounting" (Brander et al, 2018;Laville, 2019;UNEP, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The language of late fossil capital

Dahlberg

2023

Nordic Journal of Media Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This essay studies the propaganda language of contemporary – or late – fossil capital. Whereas the traditional understanding of propaganda focuses on the dissemination of information (or disinformation) in order to promote a political cause or ideology, I argue that the main form and vehicle of propaganda for late fossil capital is the massive use of terms and tropes, together with particular rhetorical devices, for example, the interpellation of the individual consumer as responsible for mitigating climate change. The essay studies the language of fossil capital based primarily on marketing material by fossil fuel companies, in the US and other Western countries, such as advertising and advertorials, current and archived websites, social media, corporate sustainability reports, as well as material produced by industry organisation such as the American Petroleum Institute and the Heartland Institute. A large part of the material is taken from two North American legal complaints, Connecticut v. Exxon Mobil Corporation (2020) and City of New York v. Exxon Mobil Corp. et al. (2021).

show abstract

Marketplace Advocacy by the U.S. Fossil Fuel Industries: Issues of Representation and Environmental Discourse

Cited by 14 publications

References 13 publications

United States news media and climate change in the era of US President Trump

United States news media and climate change in the era of US President Trump

Placing Industry in the Frame: Exploring the Mediated Performance of Industry Voices in Climate Change Reporting

The language of late fossil capital

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About