The environmental performance of media: From a normative concept to a research and activism strategy

Abstract

Miklos Sukosd, PhD, Associate Professor
Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen
(email: kjm518@hum.ku.dk)

This paper contributes to the debate on communicative capitalism by problematizing the links between contemporary media and the global ecological system. On the one hand, it offers critical perspectives on how commercial media, by accelerating consumerism capitalism, contribute to a deepening environmental crisis (i.e., the interrelated crises of overuse of environmental resources, multiple waste problems, global climate change, mass extinction of species, and growing environmental injustice). On the other hand, it offers an empirical research methodology to measure “the environmental performance of the media”. It also develops a related activist strategy to evaluate media organizations according to their environmental performance and promote good practices of green media that support a more just, equal and sustainable society.

The central concept of the project is the "the environmental performance of media". At the normative level, it is based on the value of “sustainability” that we propose to include as a key communicative value among other key concepts (equality, freedom, order) of democratic media performance as defined by McQuail. We argue that without “sustainability” as a key communicative value, media can hardly serve the public interest in the 21st century.

At the empirical level, "the environmental performance of media" is defined as the cumulative environmental impact caused directly or indirectly by the activities of a media organizaton within a certain time frame.

"The environmental performance of media" is operationalized in three dimensions (see below). Each dimension is further divided into several domains. The paper proposes clusters of specific indicators in each dimension. By using these indicators, it becomes possible to actually measure the environmental performance of media organizations.

1. Environmental content of media

In this dimension, the media content and its framing are quantified and evaluated from the perspective of environmental sustainability. How frequently does a certain medium cover and reflect on environmental issues? How detailed is the coverage? What are the relative proportions of environmental coverage vs. coverage of other topics? Which environmental issues does the medium cover? In case of non-environmental content, can the degree of “support of non-sustainability” and “criticism of non-sustainability” be established? In the coverage of environmentally relevant issues, what are the frames used (sustainability, ecological modernization, deep ecology, etc. vs. non-environmental frames)? Conversely, are environmental frames used for covering traditional issues (economic, social, political, cultural issues etc.)? How frequently and how (negatively or positively; with what frames) are environmental NGOs and movements covered? In case of social media, how do environmental NGOs and movements use the particular medium, or its specific communities/pages (in terms of number and frequency of users, etc.)? In case of advertising in the particular medium, to what degree are the promoted products and services sustainable or non-sustainable?

2. Environmental impacts by media audiences and users (as a result of media exposure/use)

The presentation and framing of media content (including commercial advertisements) impact media audience/users in multiple ways. Based on the media effect on behavioral changes, it is possible to establish quantitative environmental effects of media, e.g. change in consumption patterns, change in energy use etc. Examples of the effects of advertisement could be consumers’ changing preference (changing attitude towards and actual consumer behavior) regarding buying cars with high/lower fuel efficiency, percentage of local/organic food, or increased share of consumers’ budget that is used on apparel or cosmetics.

These quantified physical changes can be coupled with readily available life cycle information. We use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which quantifies all emissions and resources in the life cycle of a product or service. We have access to several databases with high quality and very detailed information on the life cycle of numerous products and services. The calculated cumulative emissions/resources will be used to calculate different metrics, such as carbon footprint, monetarised impact (which is also used in Environmental Profit and Loss accounts and Natural Capital accounting), ecological footprint, water footprint, cumulative energy demand, and complex indices of the metrics above (and other metrics).

3. The direct environmental impact of media organization

Media organizations also have a direct impact on the environment. In this dimension, a particular media organization’s direct environmental impact (including their headquarters’ energy consumption, electronic waste strategy, etc.), is measured through Life Cycle Assessment in terms or carbon footprint, monetarized impact, and cumulative energy demand, etc. and complex indices of the metrics above.

We construct a new index, the Environmental Performance of Media Index (EMPI), which is a composite index of indicators in the three dimensions above. Using EPMI it becomes possible to actually measure the environmental performance of any media organization in the three dimensions. Obviously, corporate capitalist media with heavy commercial content and advertising perform poor in this index. On the contrary, public service media and community media with rich environmental coverage, the promotion of sustainable society and lifestyle, and little commercial advertising, rank high in the index.

The measurement system utilizes concepts and indicators from critical media studies, advertising and marketing research as environmental impact analysis. A paper presents the steps of conceptualization, operationalization, and the measurement of environmental media impacts. We also propose activist projects that compare concrete media organizations’ performance in any country. In terms of applications of EPMI, ranking of European and international media organizations (television radio, press, online media and social media) become possible. Stakeholders at the respective media organizations as well as journalist, media, environmental and labour organizations are also proposed as strategic allies for related public activism projects.