Popular Environmental Media in Australia: Reflections on Audience Engagement and Impact

Abstract

Proliferating media content is key to public understanding and discussions about the environment and climate change. While scholarly interest in mediated environmental communication has been ample and multi-directional, the questions around media's impacts remain pressing and largely under-theorised. This paper uses an example of popular environmental media in Australia – i.e. media aimed at attracting wide audiences – to discuss how impact is perceived and pursued in the distinctive Australian context, and what can be inferred from this study about environmental media and its impact more generally. Drawing on 28 interviews with media-makers and practitioners, conducted between 2022 and 2023, we catalogue common creative/narratives strategies used to engage audiences, noting a diversity of views and approaches for creating and measuring impact. The paper contributes to theoretical debates on media impact and encourages active academic research-media industry collaborations as part of initiatives aimed at meeting the challenges of climate change.