Seeing the Trees, Missing the Forest: Analyzing Photographs in Solutions-Oriented Environmental Journalism Stories

Ivy Ashe & Kyser Lough. “Seeing the Trees, Missing the Forest: Analyzing Photographs in Solutions-Oriented Environmental Journalism Stories,” paper accepted for presentation to the Visual Communication Studies division at the International Communication Association 2024 conference, Gold Coast.

Abstract: Environmental journalism helps readers better understand the relationship between humanity and humanity’s home. The visual aspects of this type of reporting often focus more on conflict, and on humans either as distant sufferers or absent entirely (Manzo, 2010; Rebich-Hespanha et al, 2016). Though this is somewhat changing in print media, there remains a lack of focus on the action-forward type of reporting that might mobilize and educate readers toward what can be done about environmental problems. This study looks at environmental journalism visuals through a solutions journalism perspective, which compels journalists to ask and show what people are doing about problems rather than just showing the problems in isolation (McIntyre, 2019; Midberry & Dahmen, 2020). Through a content analysis of news stories about the environment from a database of solution-oriented journalism, we explore environmental solutions visual journalism to see if it carries any meaning beyond what a problem-focused report can provide.