Food Sustainability and the Media

Food Sustainability and the Media in Linking Awareness, Knowledge and Action is the first book to explore the role that media play in raising awareness, spurring action and increasing understanding about food security and global sustainability issues, with climate change playing a prominent role. The complexity and multi-faceted dimension of food and sustainability science has been recognized as a challenge both for media reporting and coverage as well as for public understanding and engagement. It is thus pivotal to analyze the way media frames and communicate food-related and sustainability challenges to foster its role in achieving sustainable development. Building on this challenge, the book addresses means of leveraging both traditional and new media to advance the food and sustainability discourse by linking awareness, knowledge, and action, in line with the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations. Public perceptions are affected by shifts in media coverage and framing, with implications in political polarization on these topics. Media communication can exert a strong influence on environmental and sustainability-related processes, including policy, public awareness and corporate behavior. It is fundamental to understand how we can leverage on different media – from entertainment to news media, spanning "traditional media" such as television, films, books, newspapers, magazines, as well as "new media" including the Internet and social media – to advance the climate change discourse on today’s climate and food-related issues and unlock its potential to provide critical inputs to all actors. To address this, Food Sustainability and the Media in Linking Awareness, Knowledge and Action links sustainability and food security in media communication to address different topics, including the way climate change is framed by the media; key factors of success and failure in NGOs, public and corporate communication, climate change denial and fake news, the role of health communication campaigns in shaping new dietary patterns, the impact of social media and gamification, and others. Ideal for those seeking to understand the impact of today’s communication tools and practices, and their potential for addressing these urgent needs. Addresses both conceptual and theoretical issues Presents a diversified set of methodological perspectives, theoretical backgrounds and issues Provides a conclusion that ties the content together, exploring the role of the media and food sustainability in Europe and the US