Save the Government: Take Back the Media Essay Example

The media has taken a back seat in informing the masses of the important information, and when it does, it does not take any seriousness to the information at hand. Mass media has gone so far as being tagged the "fourth branch of the government" as it has failed to stand as an independent body and take its place as the people's advocate. The environment is facing a serious crisis with changes in the climate happening at a rapid rate. The media identifies nonsense celebrity news and other news and information that cannot impact the society in whatever way giving it more leverage and publicity that the serious news happening around us. More importantly, though, mass media is a tool of the conservative right and run stories and report news according to what the master desires. Indeed, there is a lot of information that environmentalists have always presented to the media that is given less attention yet it has the hallmarks of changing the world and how we perceive of it. It is crucial that legislation is enacted that will ensure that the media should be accountable to the public interests rather than public corporations as is the case today. However, such legislation could take a lifetime to be enacted which means that the problem will persist for a while (Benjamin & David Suzuki Foundation, 2008).

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Indeed, the environmental activists of today are facing serious challenges in reaching their information to the populace as it is the best way to have a change in the society. Mass media have failed in their mandate to be the middlemen who are able to reach the required audience which will bring a change to the society and how we do things. As it stands, the environmental advocates may want to advance a cause; however, the mass media is turning this into an expression of feelings. It is important that these aspects are looked into as they have a huge impact on the environment (Benjamin & David Suzuki Foundation, 2008).

There are three aspects of information that need to be taken seriously for the society to understand their impacts on the environment. The first is "going green." Going green is a practice that is aimed at sustaining the environment by engaging in activities that are ecological and environmental friendly. Mass media should be in the forefront of this crusade and should understand that it is a phenomenon that needs to be continuous if change is to be seen. Global warming is a particular climate change issue that has seen tremendous changes in ecologies and ecosystems such as melting glaciers and increased ocean areas. Global warming is a rise in the earth's temperature. There has been an increased interest in this issue even though other environmental issues are still being under reported by the media. "Death of Environmentalism" is an essay authored by Michael Shellenberger who accuses environmentalists of failing to stand true to their duties towards the environment and rather have been swallowed up by political interests. It is wrong to put all the blame on the media as the environmentalists have also slackened on their work and bear much of the blame for the death of environmentalism. All these are environmental concerns that are causing a strain to the earth's ecosystem.

Making a inferenceThere has been a reduced interest in learning and teaching science subjects in schools. Australia particularly has seen a reduced interest and desire in learning science from the young generation in schools. There was a need to change the outlook of science to make it more appealing to the young ones and ensure that the interests grow as they grow older. The education stakeholders particularly the Department of Education, Science and Training conducted a survey and proposed solutions that would better present science interestingly and excitingly to the students at the primary level. The program was widely accepted and received financial backing from the Australian government. It has had an impact not only on the children but the teachers as well. Primary connections have enhanced science education in Australia thus making environmental studies more appealing (Benjamin & David Suzuki Foundation, 2008).

The issues presented in this chapter are advancing a cause. Indeed, there was a problem in getting the young interested in science as well as environmental studies and there needed a change in the way things were done. Primary Connections proves to be a worthy cause that is going to change how things are done because it is getting young people excited about science as well as their teachers. This will go a long way in affecting the environment in the future as more people will learn about the need of safeguarding the environment (Benjamin & David Suzuki Foundation, 2008).

Science is the study of the world and living things. The environment and science have an important relationship that must be explored. Schools are major centers for promoting the relationships. Australia has been able to promote the education of science which has gained interest from the students who initially shunned it. Literacy is the ability to read, write and understand. Science is more of an experimental subject that relies on experiments and findings. It was important to ensure that the science is created in a way that appeals to the level of primary education. It needed to be understandable and cover all the areas of importance. The 5-Es approach of learning that involve engaging, exploring, explaining, elaborating and evaluating were identified as important tools that were already present in the school learning. Activities were meant to engage students and help them explore ideas. The teacher then brings in the scientific explanation and elaborates the same to the students. The students then apply the science in an elaborate scientific investigation which ends with an evaluation to ensure that the learning process was understood as required (Benjamin & David Suzuki Foundation, 2008).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the environment requires a cooperative undertaking from all areas of society to achieve results. For instance, it is clear that mass media plays a huge role in informing the public about the world. It has, however, failed miserably to put environmental advocacy message to the public for scrutiny. On the other hand, looking at Australia's education system, the new implementation through the Primary Connections program has changed the outlook of science which will have a great impact on environmental awareness and education. It is clear that there exist major relationships in different aspects of the society and it is important to align these to ensure environmental awareness and education reaches the masses which might have an impact in future environmental undertaking.

References

Benjamin, M., & David Suzuki Foundation. (2008). A passion for this Earth : inspired by David Suzuki : writers, scientists and activists explore our relationship with nature and the environment. Vancouver ; Toronto ; Berkeley, Canada: Greystone Books, Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group.