IGA-451M The Media, Energy and Environment:
Global Policy and Politics 2014
Harvard Kennedy School Spring 2014, Module 3 (Jan 28-Mar 13)
Tuesday/Thursday 11:40am-1:00pm Littauer 332
Shopping class: Jan 23, 11:40am to 12:55pm, L332
Faculty: Professor Cristine Russell
Office: Brattle Street complex,
5th floor, Room 559
Email: Cristine_Russell@hks.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Schedule with Professor
Course Assistant: Christina Marin
Email: Christina_Marin@hks14.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Posted on course website
Faculty Assistant: Tamara Tiska
Email: mailto:tamara_tiska@hks.harvard.edu
Course Description:
This course will examine media coverage of timely environment, climate and energy issues as
well as the role media play in influencing public understanding, policy and political outcomes
around the world. These issues include some of the greatest, and most controversial, global
challenges ahead: the disconnect between climate change impact and action; the anti-science &
climate skeptics movement; extreme weather and Arctic melting; the natural gas and oil
revolution in the US and its global importance; the expanding fracking debate; the Keystone XL
pipeline; renewable energy; nuclear energy in a post-Fukushima world; and the climate and
energy clash between developed and developing countries.
Rapid changes in conventional and social media mean that virtually all professionals, by choice
or necessity, need to become better communicators and commentators in the public sphere
regardless of their career paths. This course is intended to help students understand how media
coverage shapes the public conversation and how this in turn shapes the media. The class will be
participatory and discussion-intensive, providing practical strategies and skills. We will take a
multimedia approach — online, social media, video, and Skype — and bring in regular guest
journalists and other experts to discuss contemporary energy, environment and climate change
issues.
The ultimate question posed by the course is whether, in this day and age, it is possible to have
an informed public debate about the key energy and environment issues of our time, from their
scientific and technical underpinnings to possible policy options and solutions. The answer
depends in part on how and where citizens get their information among the array of choices in
the media marketplace.
We will explore a number of communication roadblocks and strategies for overcoming them,
including:
 The slow process of developing scientific “truth” and knowledge-based journalism in an
era of instant 24/7 news and science denialism.
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A political world increasingly characterized by polarization, gridlock, and competing
visions of the role of government. “Media spin” is a key weapon in these policy and
political wars.
A decline of mainstream news outlets, which are accustomed to separating fact-based
reporting and opinion, and the rise of alternative media outlets (cable television; talk
radio; online blogging and social media) that are highly opinionated, increasingly
partisan, and often lacking in editorial supervision, fact-checking, and traditional
journalism norms.
A citizenry with limited scientific education that is bombarded by a variety of different
media and a plethora of conflicting, confusing and often contradictory messages. A
perception of risks and benefits that is colored by a range of emotional, ideological, and
political reactions that go beyond the “facts.”
Competition from day-to-day news, from the serious to the silly, may easily overshadow
energy and environment topics. Crime, celebrities, sports, and stunts are far easier to sell.
This class, first taught in 2012, has been completely updated to reflect the latest energy and
environment issues and readings. It will be participatory and discussion-intensive. We will take a
multimedia approach to study the power of imagery as well as words in influencing
contemporary energy, environment, and climate change issues. This includes video clips,
political cartoons, television, and film (even an interactive oil sands documentary game),
complemented by print, online news, and social media.
A final role-play exercise will provide an opportunity to analyze how media has impacted the
divisive “boom or ban” debate about natural gas fracking in the US and abroad, using Colorado
as a “bellwether” state to highlight local concerns.
General Topics:
 The changing media landscape in the US and globally.
 The explosive growth of the Internet and social media: the Twitterverse, the blogosphere.
 Understanding the players in science/research and policy; business; non-profit think
tanks; advocacy groups; government; media; and the public.
 How the game is played: practical strategies for dealing with the media.
 Public opinion on environment, energy, climate change.
 Political leadership/non-leadership in local, national and international energy,
environment and climate efforts.
 The role of controversy, uncertainty, “false balance,” and visual symbols in influencing
public opinion.
Guest Speakers:
 SEMINAR: Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment reporter for The Guardian.
 Other leading energy/environment journalists and experts will be invited to join class
conversations, in person or by Skype. They include Andrew Revkin, New York Times
DotEarth; Curtis Brainard, Columbia Journalism Review; Professor Matthew Bunn,
HKS; Elana Schor, E&E Publishing; Amy Harder, National Journal; and Rosalia
Omungo, Kenya Broadcasting system. We will also try an online Google Hang-Out to
bring in global voices.
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Prerequisites:
This course is open to graduate students from any Harvard school or department, to affiliate
schools and to qualified undergraduates with the permission of the instructor. The diversity of
backgrounds enriches the course. Cross registration by students from other universities is
encouraged. Check with HKS Registrar and the instructor for procedures. Auditors are welcome
if space is available and should contact the instructor.
Expectations:
The Kennedy School is a professional school. As such, students are expected to:
 Read assignments before coming to class
 Attend all classes
 Be on time
 Participate actively in class discussions
 Submit assignments on time
 Be respectful of each other and of the instructor
 Do their best to prepare professional products for their assignments.
Class discussions are a large part of the learning in this class. In-class laptop use is discouraged.
Class participation:
In-Class Discussion – Participation in class discussions is expected. Throughout the class,
students will be asked to discuss readings and debate media strategies and the positions of
various media actors. The class will culminate in a role-play exercise involving all students that
brings the media and communication lessons to life.
Class Blog – Our class blog will encourage out-of-class dialogue and further analysis of class
readings, current events, and other relevant information/media, etc. Since this is a module, the
blog provides an added opportunity for students to get to know one another. Each student will be
given access to the blog and instructions on how to use it. The blog will count toward class
participation. Class members are expected to be regular blog participants, posting their own
entries and comments on other posts. The instructor, teaching assistant, and students will pose
questions to the group. Requirements for blog posts and comments will be provided on the
Course Page.
Blog posts might include one thing you learned in the week’s readings or a short critique of one
readings focused on a communication question such as: How well did journalists/media cover
the topic?; how well did stakeholders communicate their message?; how did language and
buzzwords change the tone of the article and readers’ understanding?; or how did stories and
imagery (think polar bears) convey additional information?
Blog URL: http://meeharvard.wordpress.com/wp-admin/
We will offer basic tutorials on how to blog and tweet to bring all members of the class up to
speed on social media.
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Students are expected to follow the daily news, including a newspaper or mainstream media
publication in the US or abroad. A list of relevant aggregators and blogs will also be provided on
the class blog (e.g. “The Daily Climate,” “Dot Earth”).
Assignments:
 Assignment one: Extreme weather events and climate change. Write a short critical
review of the media coverage of an extreme weather event of your choosing (such as
Typhoon Haiyan, droughts, wildfires, Hurricane Sandy, etc.), focusing on the language
used and people quoted. Explain how journalists communicated to the public about the
role of climate change in this extreme weather event: Where did they fall short in their
coverage? What did they do well? What could they have done better? Was the reporting
accurate? What sources did they use? Do you trust those sources? Did they overplay the
role of climate change or understate it? Cite at least two news articles in your piece.
o 750-1,000 words
o Due on 2/12 at 5pm

Assignment two: Nuclear or wind energy. Write a short news article, op-ed, or blog post
on the benefits and/or risks of either nuclear power or wind farms. Localize the
technology in a particular place or region in which there is debate or controversy; this can
be a region where an installation currently exists, or a region where new operations have
been proposed. You must use (and cite) three news or technical articles as background for
your piece. If you want to take a point of view, argue your case in an op-ed or blog
format. The best papers present both technical and human-interest background and
discuss technical information in a clear and accurate manner.
o 750 words.
o Due on 2/28 at 5pm

Assignment three. Fracking role-play exercise. This assignment includes an in-class
exercise (March 11) and an analytical paper (due March 14). In the class exercise, each
student will play the role of a character in the fracking debate and work in small assigned
teams: media (journalist; newspaper editor; bloggers/commentators); researchers/experts;
company/trade association officials; environmental activists (“fractivists”); government
policy makers/politicians, etc. Using Colorado as a “bellwether” state (strong oil & gas
industry; anti-fracking activists pushing local bans), we will bring in local, national, and
international perspectives. A guest journalist “live” blog and tweet the presentations.
Following the exercise, students must submit a paper analyzing lessons learned in playing
their characters; the influence of the various players in the game; and the broader role
played by the media in its coverage of fracking. In this paper, you should go beyond a
summary of the in-class events; apply lessons learned from the in-class exercise to the
broader media landscape and policy debate.
o 1,000-1,500 words
o Due on 3/14 at 5pm
Late assignments will be penalized one grade level per 24-hours late unless advance permission
granted by instructor.
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***Assignments are intended to provide an opportunity for students to hone their analytical,
research, and writing skills. Please talk to Prof. Russell or Christina if you would like to adapt
assignments to make them more meaningful for your particular academic/professional interests.
Grading:
Class participation: In class discussion
Class participation: Class blog posts/comments
Assignment one: Extreme weather paper
Assignment two: Nuclear or wind energy article/op-ed/blog
Assignment three: Fracking in-class exercise & analytical paper
10%
15%
20%
20%
35%
Citation Practices:
Students must be familiar with and must observe Kennedy School and Harvard University rules
regarding the citation of sources. See HKS student handbook for details.
Instructor:
Cristine Russell, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, is an award-winning freelance journalist who
has written about science, environment and health for more than three decades. She is a Senior
Fellow in the Environment and Natural Resources Program at the HKS Belfer Center for Science
and International Affairs and a former HKS Shorenstein Center fellow. Russell is a contributing
editor at Columbia Journalism Review, a correspondent for The Atlantic, and a former national
science reporter for The Washington Post. She is the immediate past-president of the Council for
the Advancement of Science Writing and a former president of the National Association of
Science Writers. She has worked with the World Federation of Science Journalists, organizing
sessions for biennial conferences in Helsinki; Doha, Qatar; and London. Russell served on the
boards of the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and the Reporters
Committee for Freedom of the Press. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science; an honorary member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society; and
a Mills College graduate with a degree in biology.
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Outline of Classes and Discussion Questions - 2014
Class
Date
1/23
Topic/Questions
Assignment
Shopping 11:40-12:55: Introduction and Overview of Course and
Requirements
SECTION I:
 How is the changing face of the media—the decline in mainstream news and
Overview of
rapid rise of online and social media outlets—influencing public
the Changing
understanding of policy issues?
Global Media  How does the growth in mobile technology affect news consumption?
Landscape
 How big is the media generation gap between millennials and their elders?
 How well do the media cover environment, energy and climate topics?
 How well do journalists cover complex stories on a 24/7 news cycle?
 Why do stories favor politics over policy and controversy over consensus?
 How do decision makers and advocacy groups use the media to ‘spin’ the
public conversation about energy and environment issues?
1
1/28 Rapid Changes in Global Media and Impact on Controversial
Energy/Environment issues
SECTION II:  How has the media covered climate change science and policy over time?
Global Trends  Why has the scientific and policy case for action to reduce the global threat of
in Media and
climate change become increasingly politicized in recent years?
Public
 What fuels climate change denialism in countries like the US and Australia?
Opinion on
 How do blogs and special interests influence the public debate?
Climate
 What are the trends in public opinion on climate change science and action in
Change
the US and internationally?
2
1/30 Climate Change Coverage, Language, and the Public Opinion
Divide from America to Australia
3
2/04 Covering Catastrophe: Extreme Weather Brings Urgency to
Climate Change
4
2/06 The Big Disconnect: Scientific Consensus & Political Paralysis
Media Lessons from the IPCC and UN Climate Negotiations
SECTION
III:
Energy, New
Technology
and Risk
Reporting
5
2/11
6
2/13
7
2/18
8
2/20
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 How have new sources of natural gas and oil changed the energy discussion in
the media?
 Winners and losers: The see-saw coverage of energy
 Techno-optimism: How does faith in new technologies affect coverage of
energy?
 What has been the role of the media?
The Global Game Changer: Media Coverage of the Natural Gas
Assignment
Revolution and the Resurgence of the Fossil Fuel Industry
1 Due by
2/12 at 5pm
SEMINAR. Suzanne Goldenberg, US Environment
Correspondent, The Guardian. Based in Wash. DC + Travels in
America
KEYSTONE XL: Media Coverage of the Divisive Pipeline
Debate. GUEST: Elana Schor, E&E Publishing (Skype)*
The Fractious Public Debate over Fracking
GUEST: Curtis Brainard, Founding Editor, Columbia
Journalism Review Science Section*
 David and Goliath: How are renewable energies pitted against fossil fuels?
 By the numbers: How well do journalists understand the economics and scale
of renewable and conventional energy sources?
 How has coverage of solar power companies in the US turned renewable
energy into a political football?
 What are the challenges of communicating uncertain, complex, technical
information during a global disaster like Fukushima?
 How has coverage of Germany’s national commitment to phase-out nuclear
power and pump up renewables been played?
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2/25 Green or Clean: The Seesaw Coverage of Renewable Energy in
the US and Germany
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2/27 Perils & Promise of Nuclear Energy: A Media Challenge
Assignment
GUEST SPEAKER: HKS Professor Matthew Bunn, Project on
2 Due by
Managing the Atom, Belfer Center*
2/28 at 5pm
SECTION V:  With the Internet opening up a global conversation, how does media coverage
Global
of environment and energy vary around the world?
Gridlock: It’s  “It’s not my problem.” Who is covering the “other” issues in developing
not my
countries: drought, food insecurity, environmental migration, national
problem
security?
 How are the problems of the most vulnerable countries—poor, low-lying
island nations covered?
 Overcoming the media divide between developed and developing countries
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3/4
Out of Sight: How News Media Cover (or Don’t Cover) Larger
Energy/Environment Issues in the Developing World
GOOGLE HANGOUT: Andrew Revkin, NYT DotEarth & Rosalia
Omungo, Kenya Broadcasting System
SECTION VI:  How do key stakeholders engage in effective communication with the press
Role Play
and the public on energy, the environment and climate?
Exercise:
 What is the role of public affairs and communication strategists in the public
Boon or Bane:
and private sector?
The Public
 How would you design effective media strategies from a corporate or
Faces of
government perspective?
Fracking
 How to catch attention: environmental protests and the media
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3/6
The Fracking Game & the Players: Policy Makers, Business,
Environmental Activists, Politicians, Celebrities, Communities &
the Media. GUEST SPEAKER: Amy Harder, National
Environment Reporter, National Journal, Washington, DC
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3/11 In Character: Class Role-Play Exercise on the Global Fracking
Debate—From Colorado “Fractivist” to the US President
SECTION VII: Conclusion
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3/13 Lessons Learned: Applying Media/Communication Knowledge & Assignment
Skills to your own Professional Life
3 Due by
3/14 at 5pm
TBD
OPTIONAL: Class Lunch
SECTION IV:
It’s not easy
being green:
The seesaw
coverage of
renewable
and clean
energy
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COURSE READINGS
Readings include a diverse range of media stories in the US and abroad; analysis of energy and
environmental issues; and communications research and commentary. Some classes include
multiple news articles from different media outlets about the same energy/environmental story.
You should read these articles both for the content of the story but also to understand the
different ways that stories can be communicated. You are encouraged to seek out other media
outlets that are not included on the reading list to get more diverse points of view.
The readings below will be available on the Course Page, with links and PDF files. While the
reading list appears long, most media articles are relatively short and quick to read. Students
will receive additional guidance on reading requirements.
Section I: Overview of the Changing Global Media Landscape
Class 1. January 28. Rapid Changes in the Media and Impact on Controversial
Energy/Environment issues
Required Reading
Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. “The State of the News Media 2013:Annual
Report on American Journalism.” Mar. 2013. (Read Overview; Skim Key Findings & Exec. Summary)
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. RISJ Digital Report 2013 (survey of online news consumers
in Europe; read Executive Summary).
Holcomb, Jesse. “News Use across Social Media Platforms.” Pew Research Journalism Project. Nov. 14,
2013.
Wihbey, John. “The Rise of Mobile News and the Implications For Climate Change Coverage” The Yale
Forum on Climate Change and the Media, Nov.15, 2012.
Nisbet, Matthew. “The Science Journalist Online: Shifting Roles and Emerging Practices,” Climate Shift.
September. 28, 2011.
Brossard, Dominique; Scheufele, Dietram. “Science, New Media, and the Public.” Science 339, 40, Jan.
4, 2013.
Brossard, Dominque; Scheufele, Dietram. “This Story Stinks.” New York Times Opinion. March 2, 2013.
Economist. “Press Criticism: The Balance Trap.” Aug. 8, 2012.
Kovach, Bill, Rosenstiel. Tom. Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload. New
York: Bloomsbury, 2011. Chapter 1, "How to Know What to Believe Anymore." (Course Page)
Russell, Cristine. “Covering Controversial Science.” In Science and the Media. Donald Kennedy &
Geneva Overholser, ed. American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 2010. Ch. 3, pp 25-30; pp 37-43.
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Optional Reading
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. “Definitions of Journalism” (around the world).
Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. “YouTube and News.” July 16, 2012.
Rosen, Jay. “The People Formerly Known as the Audience.” Press Think. June 27, 2006.
Fahy, Declan. “Skeptical of Science.” Columbia Journalism Review, Sept. 28, 2011.
University of California Berkeley, “Understanding Science.” (Tutorials: how the media cover science).
“Beware of false balance: Are the views of the scientific community accurately portrayed?”
“Too tentative: Is the scientific community's confidence in the ideas accurately portrayed?”
“What controversy: Is a controversy misrepresented or blown out of proportion?”
Multimedia
Blodget, Henry; Danova, Tony. “The Future of Digital.” Business Insider. Nov.12, 2013.
SECTION II: Global Trends in Media and Public Opinion on Climate
Change
Class 2. January 30. Overview of Climate Change Coverage, Language, and the Public
Opinion Divide from America to Australia
Required Reading
Boykoff, Maxwell. “World Newspaper Coverage of Climate Change or Global Warming, 2004-2013.”
Center for Science and Technology Policy Research. November 2012.
Tommey, Diane. “Finding a Better Message on the Risks of Climate Change.” Yale Environment 360.
Sept. 12, 2013.
Brainard, Curtis. “What Drives Public Opinion About Climate Change.” Columbia Journalism Review.
Feb. 8, 2012.
US
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. “Americans’ Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in
September 2012.” October 18, 2012. Skim.
Goldenberg, Suzanne. “Study suggests far-reaching acceptance of climate change in traditionally
Republican states such as Texas and Oklahoma.” The Guardian. November 13, 2013.
Russell Cristine. “Attack of the Climate Denial Books.” Columbia Journalism Review, March 12, 2013.
Grandia, Kevin. “Why the media is right to toss climate change deniers’ opinions.” DESMOGBLOG. Oct.
21, 2013.
“Unreliable Sources: How the News Media Help the Koch Brothers and ExxonMobil Spread Climate
Disinformation.” Union of Concerned Scientists. May 13, 2013.
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Australia/UK
Milman, Oliver. “One-third of Australia’s media coverage rejects climate science, study finds.” The
Guardian. Oct. 30, 2013.
McKewon, Elaine. “Think tank a false climate prophet.” The Sydney Morning Herald. June 20, 2013.
Salleh, Anna. “(Australian) “Public ‘Misread’ on Climate Change.” ABC Science. October 7, 2013.
Black, Richard. “Across the skeptical divide: Language and lobbying.” BBC News. Nov. 10, 2011.
Hulme, Mike. Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and
Opportunity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Chapter 7, “The Communication of Risk.”
Read Hulme and/or Boykoff. (Course Page: Read Hulme or Boykoff)
Boykoff, Maxwell. Who Speaks for the Climate? Making Sense of Mass Media Reporting on Climate
Change. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Chapter 1, “The World Stage:
Cultural Politics and Climate Change.” (Course Page)
Optional Reading
LaBarre, Suzanne. “Why We’re Shutting Off Our Comments.” Popular Science. Sept. 24, 2013.
Dryzek, John S.; Norgaard, Richard B.; Schlosberg, David, ed. Oxfam Handbook of Climate Change and
Society. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Chapter 10, “Organized Climate Denial” by Riley
Dunlap and Aaron McCright (Course page).
Ropeik, David. “Climate Change Literacy Won’t Be Enough.” Climate Central. Oct. 20, 2010.
Dawson, Bill. “‘Climate change’ and ‘Global Warming’: The New Dirty Words.” Yale Forum on Climate
Change and the Media. Aug. 10, 2011.
Wihbey, John. “’Denier,’ ‘Alarmist,’….” Yale Forum on Climate Change & the Media. Aug. 16, 2012.
Multimedia
Public Broadcasting System: “Politics of Doubt.” Frontline, WGBH. Oct. 23, 2012. Recommended:
“Timeline: The Politics of Climate Change” & “Beyond US, Climate Politics Stir Parallel Battles.”
Moyers & Company. “Ending the Silence on Climate Change.” Public Broadcasting System, Jan. 4, 2013.
YouTube. “Andrew Revkin: “The Language of Climate Change.” Aug. 29, 2011.
Class 3. February 4. Covering Catastrophe: Extreme Weather Brings Urgency to
Climate Change
Required Reading
Typhoon Haiyan
Vaughan, Adam; Vidal, John. “Philippines urges action to resolve climate talks deadlock after Typhoon
Haiyan.” The Guardian. Nov. 12, 2013.
Walsh, Bryan. “Climate change didn’t cause supertyphoon Haiyan. But the storm is still a reason to fight
warming.” Time. Nov.11, 2013.
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Borenstein, Seth. “Experts man, nature share typhoon tragedy blame.” Associated Press. Nov.11, 2013.
Hurricane Sandy
Kahn, Brian. “Hurricane Sandy hasn’t shifted climate change narrative.” Climate Central. Oct. 29, 2013.
Barrett, Paul M. “It’s Global Warming, Stupid.” Bloomberg Business Week. Nov.1, 2012.
General
Goldenberg, Suzanne. “Study says climate change exacerbated half of recent extreme weather events.”
The Guardian. Sept. 5 2013.
Levin, Kelly. “Timeline: A look at extreme weather and climate events in 2013.” WRI Insights. July 26,
2013.
Swanson, Emily. “Americans Are Convinced Climate Change is Connected to Stronger Storms, Poll
Says.” Huffington Post. Nov. 22, 2013.
Gillis, Justin. “Panel says Global Warming Carries Risk of Sudden Deep Changes.” New York Times.
Dec. 4, 2013.
Griffiths, Sarah. “The cost of extreme weather events has soared by 60% in just 30 years.” The Daily Mail
Online. Dec. 3, 2013.
Washington Post editorial board. “Not So Fast on Blaming Global Warming.” Washington Post. July 18,
2012.
Optional Reading
“IPCC The Special Report for Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate
Change Adaptation (SREX), Extreme weather and climate change.” Slide Deck report summary
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. “Extreme Weather & Climate Change in the American
Mind.” Oct. 9, 2012.
Roberts, David. “The moral logic of climate communication.” Grist.org, Nov. 15, 2012.
Brainard, Curtis. “Bad Hippie!” Columbia Journalism Review. Nov. 1, 2012.
Dean, Tim. “A Question of Ethics: Journalists and Climate Change.” SBS. Sept. 28, 2013.
Multimedia
Video: Freedman, Andrew. “Science Made Simple: Take the Dog for a Walk.” Climate Central. Nov. 28,
2013.
Class 4. February 6. The Big Disconnect: Scientific Consensus and Political Paralysis
Media lessons from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change & UN Climate Negotiations
Required Reading
Russell, Cristine. “To tell a complicated climate science story: simplify, shorten, list: Reporting on the
latest findings from the IPCC.” Columbia Journalism Review (cjr.org). Sept. 30, 2013.
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Benestad, Rasmus. “A failure in communicating the impact of new findings.” RealClimate. Dec. 6, 2013.
Borenstein, Seth. “What it means to be 95 percent certain about climate change.” Huffington Post. Sept.
24, 2013.
Painter, James. “Climate Change in the Media: Reporting Risk and Uncertainty.” Reuters Institute for
the Study of Journalism. 2013. Read Exec. Summary; Chapter 1.
Goodell, Jeff. “Global warming is very real: Scientists are fighting deniers with irrefutable proof the
planet is headed for catastrophe.” Rolling Stone, Sept. 26, 2013.
Beilinson, Jerry. “Climate Scientists: IPCC is Wrong—We Need a 1-degree Limit on Warming.” Popular
Mechanics. Dec. 3, 2013.
Childress, Sarah. “What Climate Skeptics Think about the UN Report.” Frontline. Oct., 1, 2013.
Annan, Kofi. “Climate Crisis: Who Will Act?” New York Times Opinion Pages. Nov. 24, 2013.
Reuters. “Climate talks limp toward Paris pact.” The Sydney Morning Herald. Nov. 24, 2013.
Upton, John. “The India Problem: Why is it thwarting every international climate agreement?” Slate
Magazine. Nov. 27, 2013.
Aulakh, Raveena. “UN Climate Talks: Japan, Australia join Canada as ‘villains.’” The Toronto Star.
thestar.com Nov. 22, 2013. (See Storify social media roundup at end)
Optional Reading
IPCC. Working Group I, Climate Change 2013, The Physical Science Basis, Sept. 27, 2013.
“Human Influence on climate clear, IPCC report says.” Press Release.
“Headline Statements from Summary for Policymakers.”
“Summary for Policymakers.” Updated version, Nov. 11, 2013.
Burrell, Andrew. “IPCC This Century’s ‘Chicken Little’.” The Australian. Nov. 4, 2013.
(pdf on course page)
Bojanowski, Axel. “UN Conference: European Trick Delivers Climate Compromise.” Spiegel Online
International. Nov. 25, 2013.
Lean, Geoffrey. “If you think global warming’s a con, you should spend a night at a summit.” The
Telegraph (UK). Nov. 29, 2013.
Multimedia
Video. BBC. “The IPCC climate change report- in 90 seconds.” Sept. 23, 2013.
Video IPCC. “The IPCC has produced a video on its fifth assessment report” Nano Werk. Nov. 27, 2013.
Video. International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme. “Climate Change: The state of the science (data
visualization”). 2013.
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SECTION III: Energy, New Technology and Risk Reporting
Class 5. February 11. The Global Game Changer: Media Coverage of the Natural Gas
Revolution and the Resurgence of the Fossil Fuel Industry
Required Reading
Brainard, Curtis; Russell, Cristine. “The New Energy Beat.” Columbia Journalism Review. Sept/Oct,
2009.
International Energy Agency. World Energy Outlook 2013. Executive Summary, Nov. 2013.
Press Release. Chart presentation.
Bousso, Ron; Lawler, Alex’ Mackey, Peg. “U.S. to surpass Saudi as top oil producer by 2016 - IEA.”
Reuters. Nov. 12, 2013.
Grose, Thomas K. “IEA World Outlook: Six Key Trends Shape the Energy Future.” National
Geographic. Nov. 12, 2013.
Crooks, Ed. “Revolution in shale transforms market.” Financial Times. Dec. 2, 2013.
Task, Aaron. “Drill, Baby, Drill: US Energy Revolution Being Heard ‘Round the World,’Yergin says.”
The Daily Ticker. Yahoo Finance. Nov. 19, 2013 (Yergin Video “Will the US become energy
independent?”)
Lee, Mike. “Gas Boom Means U.S. Exports Grow Fastest Rate Since ’70s,” Bloomberg. Oct. 31, 2012.
Economist. “Europe’s Dirty Secret: The Unwelcome Renaissance.” Jan. 5, 2013.
Galuszka, Peter. “With China and India Ravenous for Energy, Coal’s Future Seems Assured.” New York
Times/International Herald Tribune. Nov. 12, 2012.
“Energy investment needs in the Asia Pacific: 12 things to know.” Asian Development Bank. May 17,
2013.
Hance, Jeremy. “World’s most vulnerable nation to climate change turns to coal power.” Mongabay.com,
Nov. 18, 2013
Leopold, Wendy. “Energizing media coverage of energy issues.” Northwestern News Center. April 30,
2013.
Optional Reading
Global Carbon Project. “Global Carbon Budget (2012).” (CO2 emission globally, regionally, source).
Davenport, Coral. “Large Companies prepared to pay price on carbon.” New York Times, Dec. 5, 2013.
Chen, Kathy and Reklev, Stian. “Beijing carbon trading starts as China acts on climate.” Reuters. Nov. 28,
2013.
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Multimedia
Krzysztofiak, Jasiek et al. “Awash in Carbon.” Graphics on world energy. Nature, vol. 491, Nov. 29,
2012.
Woody, Todd. “The old energy economy in 3 maps.” The Atlantic.com Nov. 20, 2013.
Infographics. Christian Science Monitor. US Energy in 5 maps. 2013.
Quiz. “Wait-what is ‘fracking’? An energy vocabulary quiz.” 2013.
Video. WSJ.com. "US set to be Largest Oil Producer by 2020.” Wall Street Journal. Nov. 12, 2012.
Class 6. February 13. SEMINAR. Suzanne Goldenberg, US Environment
Correspondent, The Guardian, Washington DC
Goldenberg, Suzanne. Profile and Environment Articles. The Guardian. Other suggested readings will be
provided before the class.
Class 7: February 18. Keystone XL: Media Coverage of the Divisive Pipeline Debate
Required Reading
Harder, Amy. “Keystone Pipeline Saga Still Has Several More Chapters.” NationalJournal.com. Nov. 26,
2013.
Assis, Claudia. “Americans Favor Keystone, Reject Fracking: Pew Research.” MarketWatch.com. Sept.
27, 2013.
Feldman, Stacy; Gallucci, Maria. “Artful and Delphic: Obama on Keystone Pipeline is all things at once.”
Inside Climate News. June 27, 2013.
Wente, Margaret; Reguly, Eric. “Debate: Should Keystone Pipeline go ahead?” Globe and Mail. Dec. 6,
2013.
McGregor, Richard & Crooks, Ed. “Keystone pipeline stranded between warring lobbies.” Financial
Times. Nov. 13, 2013.
Editorial. “Wrong battle for the climate. US should approve Keystone XL.” Financial Times. Nov. 17,
2013.
Snyder, Jim. “Keystone backers await report vital to pipeline’s fate.” Bloomberg. Dec. 6, 2013.
Schor, Elana. “Steyer: I’m in oil sands fight for the long haul.” E&E Daily. Dec. 3, 2012.
Schor, Elana.“Are environmentalists getting it wrong on Keystone XL pipeline?” Atlantic.com. Feb. 14,
2013.
Hoeven, John. “Why we need the Keystone oil pipeline.” CNN (Opinion), Feb. 23, 2012.
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Unger, David. “Keystone XL: the ‘Kim Kardashian of energy’?” Christian Science Monitor, June 12,
2013.
Optional Reading
Kessler, Glenn + Rebuttal. “The Fact Checker: Keystone XL pipeline ad” Washington Post. Nov. 20,
2013.
Schoenberg, Shira. “Anti-Keystone pipeline group launches social media attack ads against Gabriel
Gomez.” The Republican. June 5, 2013.
Multimedia
Documentary game. DuFresne, David. “Fort McMoney, heart of the oil industry.” Globe and Mail. 2013.
Video. “Keystone XL spoof features celebrities against controversial pipeline.” Huffington Post. Nov. 6,
2013.
Petition. “I support the Keystone XL Pipeline.” Institute of 21st Century Energy (Chamber of Commerce).
2013.
Class 8. February 20. The Fractious Public Debate over Fracking
Required Reading
Blum, Deborah; Knudson, Mary; Henig, Robin Marantz. Field Guide to Science Writing. Oxford
University Press, USA: 2005. Chapter 36 “Risk Reporting” by Cristine Russell (Course Page)
US
Cockerham, Sean. “Obama position on fracking leaves both sides grumbling.” McClatchy
Washington Bureau. Aug. 13, 2013.
“EPA fracking study could hurt energy boom—U.S. business leader.” Reuters. Dec. 3, 2013.
Editorial Board. “Call for fracking moratorium is sheer nonsense.” The Fresno Bee CA. Dec. 3, 2013.
Warren, Jennifer. “Fracking at the corner of energy abundance and water scarcity.” Christian Science
Monitor. July 15, 2013.
Galbraith, Kate. “Strong (Wyoming) Rules on Fracking Seen as Model.” New York Times. Nov. 22, 2013.
Magill, Bobby. “Most Americans Uninformed” about Fracking Says New Study.” Climate Central, Nov.
21, 2013. (Background: Boudet, H., et al., “Fracking” controversy and communication: Using national
survey data to understand public perceptions of hydraulic fracturing.” Energy Policy 2013.).
“From sunset to new dawn: Capitalists, not just greens, are now questioning how significant the benefits
of shale gas and oil will be for America. The new sceptics are missing the big picture.” The Economist.
Nov. 16, 2013.
Europe
Dominiczak, Peter. “No room for wind farms but plenty for fracking, says PM.” The Telegraph. Aug. 8,
2013.
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Galbraith, Kate. “Some in Europe are rethinking opposition to fracking.” New York Times. May 29, 2013.
Kanter, James. “Europe votes to tighten rules on drilling method.” New York Times. Oct. 9, 2013.
“Frack to the Future.” The Economist. February 2, 2013.
Ames, Paul. “Will Europe keep on fracking?” GlobalPost. April 22, 2013.
Other International
Cropley, Ed. “Water, wealth and whites – South Africa’s potent anti-fracking mix.” Reuters. October 28,
2013. Stoddard, Ed. “South Africa proposes rules for fracking shale gas.” Reuters. October 20, 2013.
Lee, Jaeah. “China planning 'huge fracking industry'.” The Guardian. Nov. 27, 2012.
Optional Reading
Agence France Presse. “Chevron suspends Romania activities amid anti-fracking protests.” Dec. 7, 2013.
O’Connor, Lydia. “Protesters slam Jerry Brown: Claim climate change pact is undermined by profracking stance.” Huffington Post. Oct. 30, 2013.
.Lichter,
Robert. “The Media’s Gas Problem.” STATS. Oct. 18, 2011.
Multimedia
Film. “Fracking films reflect twists in drilling debate.” Wall Street Journal. July 21, 2013. (See trailers.)
Video. O’Connor, Lydia. “Celebrities demand Obama, state officials ban fracking now.” Huffington Post.
Nov. 19, 2013.
FracTracker. “Exploring data, sharing perspectives, & mapping impacts of oil & gas industry.”
Newman, Jesse. “Collectively photographing fracking.” New York Times Lens Blog. Oct. 11, 2012.
SECTION IV: It’s not easy being green: The seesaw coverage of
renewable and clean energy
Class 9. February 25. Green or Clean: The Seesaw Coverage of Renewable Energy in
the US and Germany
Required Reading
Europe
Nicola, Stefan. “Merkel takes Germany from nuclear energy to green.” Bloomberg. Nov. 14, 2013.
Overdorf, Jason. “Green fatigue threatens clean-energy leader Germany.” GlobalPost.. Nov. 20, 2013.
Massey, Nathanael. “Political turbulence threatens long-term investment in renewable energy.”
ClimateWire. Nov. 25, 2013.
Clark, Pilita. “Cost Burden is big issue in Germany’s transformation to renewables.” Financial Times.
Oct.14, 2013.
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Shwagerl, Shristian. “Germany’s Unlikely Champion of a Radical Green Energy Path.” Yale Environment
360. May 9, 2011.
Jenkins Jr., Holman W. “Germany Reinvents the Energy Crisis.” Wall Street Journal .Editorial. Nov. 8,
2013.
Ertel, Manfred and Traufetter, Gerald.“Embracing the Wind: Denmark's Recipe for a Model
Democracy.” Spiegel Online, August 24, 2012.
“A World with a Climate You Like.” European Commisson Directorate-General for Climate Action.
US
Self, Dan; Bryn Baker. “Clean energy in big business: How to make it happen.” CS Monitor. Nov. 8,
2013.
Harris, Richard. “Slashing fossil fuel consumption comes with a price.” National Public Radio. December
2, 2013. (Features Colorado)
Apuzzo, Matt and Cappiello, Dina. “The secret, dirty cost of Obama’s green power push.” Associated
Press. November 12, 2013. Biofuels.
“Will Congress Take the Wind out of our Sails.” Catalyst, Union of Concerned Scientists. Fall 2012.
China
Coy, Peter. “Green China? It leads the World in Adding Renewable Electricity.” Bloomberg
BusinessWeek.
Nov. 21, 2013.
Optional Reading
US Energy Information Agency (skim):
http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/
http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/pecss_diagram.cfm
http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/annual/diagram1.cfm
http://www.eia.gov/renewable/
Bryant, Chris. “Soaring renewable energy costs set to stoke German energy debate.” Financial Times.
Oct. 15, 2013.
Vasagar, Jeevan. “German farmers reap benefits of harvesting renewable energy.” Financial Times. Dec.
3, 2013.
Restuccia, Andrew. “All about Solyndra.” The Hill. November 26, 2011. Solar.
Class 10. February 27. Perils and Promise of Nuclear Energy: A Media Challenge
Required Reading
PRIS. “The database on nuclear power reactors.” International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Nuclear Power―The Dream that Failed.” The Economist. March 10, 2012.
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Agence France-Presse. “World Bank says no money for nuclear power.” GlobalPost. Nov. 27, 2013.
Japan
“Japan slashes climate reduction goal.” BBC, November 15, 2013.
Reynolds, Isabel, and Hirokawa, Takashi. “Abe Mentor Koizumi Reignites Post-Fukushima Nuclear
Debate.” Bloomberg. Nov. 12, 2013.
Russell, Cristine. “Pessimism reigns a year after Fukushima.” Columbia Journalism Review. Mar, 2012.
Russell, Cristine. “The Importance of Energy Reporters.” Columbia Journalism Review. April 8, 2011.
Silverman, Craig. “Misinformation Clouds Much Japan Coverage.” Columbia Journalism Review, March
25, 2011.
US
Revkin, Andrew C. “To Those Influencing Environmental Policy But Opposed to Nuclear Power.” The
New York Times Dot Earth Blog. Nov. 3, 2013.
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. “Nuclear Power in the American Mind.” March 11,
2012.
Optional Reading
Room for Debate. “Is Nuclear Power the Answer to Climate Change?” NYTimes.com, Nov. 14, 2013.
Reread Kovach (Class 1), Chapter 1, Introduction on covering nuclear power accidents, 1979 (Three Mile
Island) and today. (Course page)
Think Progress: “The Nukes of Hazard: One Year After Fukushima, Nuclear Power Remains Too Costly
To Be A Major Climate Solution” Joe Romm. March 11 2012.
Lipscy, Phillip; Kushida Kenji; Incerti; Trevor. “Protecting nuclear plants from nature’s worst.”
Washington Post (opinion), Oct. 31, 2012.
Multimedia
Pandora’s Promise documentary, Trailer (2013)
Section V: Global Gridlock—It’s not my problem
Class 11. March 4. Out of Sight: How News Media Cover (or Don’t Cover) Larger
Energy/Environment Issues in the Developing World
Required Reading
Barboza, Tony. “Report on climate change depicts a planet in peril.” Los Angeles Times. Nov.11, 2013.
Jackson, Janine. “Climate Change is not the Future: Reporting needed on present day impacts.” FAIR
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. Dec. 2, 2013.
Goldberg, Jeffrey. “Drowning Kiribati.” Bloomberg Businessweek. November, 25. 2013.
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Biello, David. “Can the World Save Lives and Combat Climate Change?” Scientific American. October 1,
2012.
Bhatta, Archita. “Why don’t Indian media write more on climate change?” Reuters. October 21, 2013.
Palmer, Lisa. “Environmental Reporters Receiving Training, To Cover Climate Change In Developing
World.” Yale Climate Change Forum on Climate Change and the Media. July 8, 2010.
“Climate Change: Tackling the information void.” IRIN: humanitarian news and analysis.
October 9 2012.
Kemboi, Caleb. “Young farmers turn to social media to adapt to climate change.” AllAfrica. July 16,
2013.
McConnell, Tristan, and Loomis, Nick. “How climate change (Africa) is helping Al Queda.” GlobalPost.
December 2, 2013. (plus video).
Grumbine, R. Edward. “China at Crossroads: Balancing the Economy and Environment.” Yale
environment 360. November 14, 2013.
Reuters. “China says poorly prepared to fight impact of climate change.” Chicago Tribune. Dec. 8, 2013.
Steiner, Achim.“Climate migration will not wait for scientific certainty on global warming,” The
Guardian, May 11, 2011.
Optional Reading
Mucha, Thomas. “Calamity Calling: A GlobalPost investigation into global climate change.” A yearlong
series from around the world, plus video. GlobalPost. October 28, 2013.
Pearce, Fred. “Climate migration is a solution, not desperation.” New Scientist. April 3, 2012.
The Economist. “A new (under) class of travelers.” June 25, 2009.
SECTION VI: Boon or Bane? The Public Faces of Fracking
Class Role Play Exercise
Class 12. March 6. The Fracking Game & the Players: Policy Makers, Business,
Environmental Activists, Politicians, Celebrities, Communities & the Media
Required Reading
Going Local: Colorado as a Bell-Weather State
Harder, Amy. “New Energy Paradigm Series.” National Journal
“Colorado’s Elections Were Fracked.” Nov. 6, 2013.
“Fracking Foes Fight One Battle at a Time.” Nov. 17, 2013.
“On Colorado’s Front Range, Fracking Questions Loom Large.” Nov. 18, 2013
“Fracking Boom Fractures the Environmental Movement.” Nov. 20, 2013
“Hickenlooper on Colorado’s Fracking State.” Nov. 21, 2013.
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Cockerham, Sean. “Colorado cities’ fracking bans could be canary in a coalmine.” McClatchy
Washington Bureau. Nov. 7, 2013.
Unger, David. “Coloradans weigh fracking bans. A litmus test for oil and gas?” CS Monitor. Nov. 4,
2013.
Handy, Ryan. “Most Colorado voters support fracking, new voter poll shows.” Coloradoan. Dec. 2, 2013.
Boston Globe Editorial. “Fracking & the Environment: Cooling Tensions Out West.” Dec. 8, 2013.
Denver Post Editorial Board. “A disconnect on fracking among some in Colorado.” Denver Post,
December 7, 2013.
Noon, Alison. “Colorado Oil and Gas Assn spends $604,583 to defend fracking.” Denver Post. Oct. 16,
2013.
Institute for 21st Century Energy. “Shale works for us: Colorado.” US Chamber of Commerce. 2013.
National/International
Selected Readings from Class 8 & Student Research.
Optional Reading
Handy, Ryan. “State oil, gas assn. sues Fort Collins over fracking moratorium.” Coloradoan. Dec. 3,
2013.
You Tube. “Jared Polis On Fracking Lawsuits: 'Stop Suing Our Communities'” Huffington Post, Dec. 6,
2013.
Class 13. March 11. In Character: Role-Play Exercise on the Fracking Debate, from
Colorado “Fractivist” to the US President


Read a variety of articles to get familiar with your character and the other characters in the roleplay.
Prepare for your in-class role-play presentation with your team.
SECTION VII: Conclusion
Class 14. March 13. Lessons Learned: Applying Media/Communication Knowledge
and Skills to your own Professional Life
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