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Birdwatcher or Jounalist?

Audubon Magazine and the Connections between Environmentalism and Journalism

How did the National Audubon Society revamp its magazine, Audubon, to adopt the practices of journalism to draw attention to, and legitimacy for, its campaign to protect birds and habitats in the 1960s, and what does that tell us about journalism and the environment today?

We think of the ideal journalist as a neutral observer of our social world, but this idea has been threatened by the growth of partisan news organizations in recent years. Yet advocacy journalism has existed on the margins for generations. In this talk, I’ll reveal how the National Audubon Society redeveloped its magazine into a national, award-winning outlet for environmental journalism in the 1960s. Along the way, it challenged conventional rules about journalism and objectivity – and furthered the bird conservation cause. This history lends perspective to current debates about how journalism should function in our society.

Suzannah Evans Comfort, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Media School at Indiana University. Her research considers how environmental
activists use journalism and other media formats to advance their cause. In addition, she also examines how journalists have covered climate change
and how audiences respond to messages about climate change. Prior to joining Indiana University, Comfort worked in ocean conservation and was
the co-author of The Perfect Protein: The Fish Lover’s Guide to Saving the Oceans and Feeding the World.

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