ABSTRACT
In moving environmental problems from conditions to issues to policy concerns, media visibility is crucial. Without media coverage the odds are low that an erstwhile problem will either enter into the arena of public discourse or become part of the political process. For example, it is unlikely that many of the lay public would have become aware of ‘mad cow disease’ or the purported dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods if it were not for media reportage (Lupton 2004: 187). Indeed, most of us depend on the media to help make sense of the bewildering daily deluge of information about environmental risks, technologies and initiatives.
