Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 4-14-2021
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Integrated Marketing Communication
First Advisor
Charles Mitchell
Second Advisor
Michael Fagans
Third Advisor
Debbie Hall
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the advantages and effectiveness of using storytelling in the form of narrative journalism to communicate the topic of climate science to a lay audience. The thesis combines personal experience with secondary research in order to support the claim that framing the issue in such a manner effectively communicates the severity and impact of climate change.
Through my research I discovered that storytelling is not only a social tool for humans, but a means to safely and efficiently pass on vital information to those unfamiliar with certain knowledge. The use of narrative has been proven to increase the ability for humans to grasp concepts quicker and easier than through the presentation of hard data alone. Additionally, by implementing local framing, journalists are able to increase awareness and belief in concepts previously disputed by or unknown to the audience. Thus, the use of narrative journalism provides the best vessel for communicating the complex topic of climate change.
Recommended Citation
Wilson, Lauren, "Theory and Practice: Selecting and Implementing Effective Framing to Present Climate Science to a Lay Audience" (2021). Honors Theses. 1834.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1834
Accessibility Status
Searchable text
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.