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“Collaboration, not fighting, is what the rural West is really about”
This perspective on rural communicating in the contemporary American West came to our attention recently. University of Oregon faculty member Steven Beda shared it in a 2018 commentary published by The Conversation news service. He explained that he studies the rural Northwest and has “spent a fair amount of time talking with loggers, miners, fishermen and ranchers…”
This is the sentiment he reported hearing often: “Whatever hardships contemporary rural life may pose – and there are many – it’s their love of the land and desire to protect it that keeps them put.” He acknowledged that many ranchers, loggers, and miners have problems with federal bureaucrats and environmental organizations. But “most rural people are committed to bringing about a more amicable future.”
You can read the commentary here.
How free press in nations fits with environment-friendly policy
An international analysis recently addressed this relationship. Researchers Inma Martinez-Zarzoso and Jennifer Phillips investigated it with a sample of OECD and BRHCS countries, plus a global sample of 82 countries. They used data across the period 1994-2015.
Results indicated that lack of press freedom is negatively correlated with stringency of environmental policies.
You can read this 2020 research report in Environment and Development Economics via Cambridge University Press here.
Acceptance of cultured meat in 10 countries
The journal, Appetite, recently published an article that described results of research about acceptance of cultured meat in 10 countries (Australia, China, England, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States). Swiss researchers Michael Siegrist and Christina Hartmann found that trust in the food industry, food neophobia, and food disgust sensitivity influenced the acceptance in almost all countries. However, one-way analysis of variance identified significant differences across countries. For example:
• The lowest level of acceptance was observed in France
• Acceptance was also relatively low in Germany and the United States
• Relatively high levels of acceptance were observed in Mexico, South Africa, England and Spain
You can read the article by open access here.
When authoritarian regimes crack down on media coverage of rural social movements
We recently added an article in the Journal of Peasant Studies which explored an ongoing transformation of authoritarian populism that has reduced the space for rural collective action. Authors interviewed Cambodian journalists who lost their jobs regarding a crackdown on the press, civil society, and opposition in the lead-up to the 2018 national election.
Researchers noted from their findings that “democratization is not a predetermined linear pathway, but a process of shifting of openings and closings that can just as easily slide deeper into authoritarianism.”
You can read the article by open access here.
Labeling to help reduce excess intake of energy, sugars, salt, and saturated fat
We have added to the ACDC collection a 2021 article about proposals being advanced in Europe for front-of-pack labeling to help consumers side-step obesity and related non-communicable diseases. It appeared in the journal, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, and was written by the Scientific Board of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition.
Authors examined strengths and weaknesses of two proposals for adding a front-of-page label to the mandatory nutrition information on the back of the package. Both would be intended to “fight malnutrition by excess.”
You can read the article here.
Communicator events approaching
Uncertainties of the COVID-19 health issue continue to prompt flexible event planning. Here are plans of which we are aware, with contact information you can use for details.
October 21-25, 2022
“ScienceWriters 2022.” Meeting of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) in Memphis, Tennessee.
Information: https://www.nasw.org/events/sciencewriters-2022-memphis/
November 2-3, 2022
“Level Up: Investing in Yourself and your Career.” Fall virtual conference of the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences (ACE). Two afternoon zoom sessions feature some leading experts in navigating the job market in the digital age, developing your personal brand, and improving your executive presence.
Information: https://aceweb.org
November 16-18, 2022
“Providing Choice Information for Agriculture.” National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Information: https://nafb.com/events/nafb-convention
Happiness to you
We close this issue of ACDC News with an Irish blessing:
May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus, too –
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you.
Best regards and wishes
ACDC is a deep and open resource for you, so please feel free to invite our help as you search for information, local to global. You are welcomed to follow us on Twitter @ACDCUIUC. And please suggest (or send) agricultural communications documents we might add to this unique and valued international collection. We welcome them in hard copy (sent to Ag Comm Documentation Center, 510 ACES Library, 1101 S. Goodwin Avenue, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801) – or in electronic format sent to acdc@library.illinois.edu