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November News and Research from the ACDC– Issue 23-11

Posted on by Nikki Gross

Click here for a printer-friendly PDF of this issue

Visiting agricultural journalist from Ireland

How pleased we were in ACDC to help host an agricultural journalist and media researcher from Ireland last month. Claire Mc Cormack joined us during October 16-27. She was the first visiting agricultural journalist in a new, global agricultural communications initiative at the University of Illinois. A news release about her visit explained:

“Mc Cormack is a researcher in media work and agriculture at the School of Agriculture and Food Science at University College Dublin. She is currently completing her Ph.D., having received a 2021 Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Award from the Irish Research Council.”

You can learn more about her career interests and activities here.

“SEIZED … but not silenced”

A feisty community newspaper in east-central Kansas used that headline in response to being raided on August 11 by local police. Officers carried computers, phones and other reporting materials from the offices of the Marion County Record in the town of about 2,000 residents. They also raided the homes of the editor-publisher and one of the city council members. This raid – and subsequent return of seized property – got international attention. It touched on the sensitive issue of press freedom and protection under the First Amendment.

You can read a variety of news reports about the raid by entering “Marion County Record” in your favorite search engine.

Gaps in Arctic media reporting about mercury

We are adding to the ACDC collection a 2019 article in Polar Research about media coverage of mercury contamination in the Canadian Arctic. Authors analyzed 14 newspapers in the Canadian North and South.

Results indicated:

  • Few indigenous residents were cited as information sources
  • Articles often failed to describe mercury to the reader
  • Many did not provide direction to support self-efficacy

You can read the article by open access here.

How national cultures align with climate change policies

Results of a new international study suggest that “individualistic countries are characterized by greater climate change policy performance.” Also, researcher Trung V. Vu reported in the Journal of Economics and Development that such cultures involve relatively greater female political representation.

You can read the article here.

Views and use of vitamin D supplementation among community-dwelling adults in the UK

A 2023 article in PLOS ONE revealed need and desire of more information about use of vitamin D among community-dwelling adults in the United Kingdom. Results showed:
• Three-fourths of the respondents were aware of vitamin D
• About one-half were taking supplements
• They were willing to pay for supplements, supporting a self-care agenda
• Intake of vitamin D supplements declined significantly with advancing age
• They accepted food fortification, but were uncertain about how to balance food intake with supplementation

You can read the article by open access here.

Communicator events approaching

Here are event plans you may find helpful, with contact information you can use for details. We welcome suggestions or revisions for this calendar.

November 17, 2023
Agricultural Writers SA Awards, Capetown, South Africa.
Information: https://www.agriculturalwriterssa.co.za/event/agricultural-writers-sa-awards-evening/

January 24-25, 2024
Professional Development Workshop of the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) in Montgomery, Alabama.
Information: https://communicators.coop/professional-development/workshops

April 22-25, 2024
Conference of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE) at the University of Florida, Gainesville.
Information: https://www.aiaee.org/2024-Conference

April 24-26, 2024
“Bright Horizons.” Conference of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) in Kansas City, Missouri. Information: https://www.nama.org/2024_amc.html

April 29-May 1, 2024
Annual meeting of the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Information: https://www.toca.org/toca-events

An insight about speaking

We close this November issue of ACDC News with a German proverb:

“Speaking comes by nature, silence by understanding”

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 welcome 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

October News and Research from the ACDC– Issue 23-10

Posted on by Nikki Gross

Click here for a printer-friendly PDF of this issue

Update on ag-gag laws

An October 2022 posting from Sentient Media provided an update we are adding to the ACDC collection. Author Hemi Kim briefly described “state and federal laws that make it a crime for people to take photos or videos inside animal agriculture operations.” The description included:

  • features and origins of the laws
  • free speech issues and risks they involve
  • S. states that currently have them in place

You can read the commentary here.

Unique ethical issues for rural and remote communities in the COVID-19 pandemic

“Rural healthcare must overcome misinformation and fear among residents,” a team of Canadian and U.S. medical specialists emphasized in a 2020 issue of The American Journal of Bioethics.

“Reliance on larger clinical and academic institutions can be both valuable and ethically challenging. While policies and processes during a pandemic can be shared across institutions, often the smaller rural clinical sites and agencies that are treating the most vulnerable of populations are note well-informed, typically do not have a collaborative presence during deliberations about best practices and shared policies, and the socio-cultural aspects of rural populations are often ignored.”

You can read this article by open access here.

Edible insects – Some sampling in Portugal

A recent study published in Food investigated the knowledge, attitudes, consumption habits, and degree of acceptability of edible insects among a sample of 213 Portuguese consumers. Investigators found:

  • Surveyed consumers tended to have correct perceptions about the sustainability issues associated with insects as alternative sources of protein
  • Level of knowledge and overall perception of the nutritive value of insects was low
  • Few of the surveyed consumers had already eaten them
  • Most consumers were reluctant to consume whole insects
  • Potentials exist for starting with foods that incorporate edible insects

You can read this article here.

Drought information falling short on the ranch

We are adding to the ACDC collection a 2018 Climate Risk Management article in which researchers highlighted existence and penalties of inadequate, unreliable climate information for ranch management.

Authors reviewed related literature to draw out the drought management options as well as the tools and products for drought monitoring and early warning. They found a large gap between the information needs of ranchers and the information that is available.

You can read the article here.

Addressing ethical relations in a rural Japanese hospital

Researchers Ryuichi Ohta and Chiaki Sano used a planned approach to help a rural hospital address an ethical dilemma often encountered in medicine. It involved the relationship between resident physicians and pharmaceutical company representatives. As reported in Cureus, the researchers used evidence-based learning to overcome challenges presented by conflicts of interest.

You can read the article here.

Communicator events approaching

Here are event plans you may find helpful, with contact information you can use for details. We welcome suggestions or revisions for this calendar.

November 1-2, 2023
“Level up: Reaching all communities” Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) virtual conference. Information: https://aceweb.org/event-5367868

November 14-16, 2023
“Looking to the future” Australasia Pacific Extension Network (APEN) international conference in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
Information: https://www.apen.org.au/events/conference

November 15-17, 2023
“Homecoming.”  80th Annual Convention of the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) in Kansas City, Missouri.
Information: https://nafb.com/events/nafb-convention

November 17, 2023
Agricultural Writers SA Awards, Capetown, South Africa
Information: https://www.agriculturalwriterssa.co.za/event/agricultural-writers-sa-awards-evening/

How we learn

We close this issue of ACDC News with a Norwegian proverb about how we learn:

“What mother and father don’t teach, the world teaches”

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 welcome 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