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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Martin Donohoe, MD, Community Health/Internal Medicine, Portland State University/Kaiser Permanente, 3718 Rivers Edge Drive, Lake Oswego, OR 97034, 503-819-6979, martin.donohoe@verizon.net

This session will review methods of corporate media manipulation of important environmental health information. Studies show that the general public lacks awareness of the complexities of many environmental health issues, and that pseudoscientific beliefs remain surprisingly common. Corporations which contribute to environmental degradation take advantage of such public lack of awareness/ignorance through the following: • Greenwash: Public relations and advertising campaigns which present polluters as eco-friendly. • Bluewash: Associating one's company with progressive United Nations' principles and the U.N. logo. • Corporate front groups with names suggesting a concern for resource conservation. • Aggressive, well-funded public relations campaigns and both overt and covert media manipulation. • The distribution of misleading and inaccurate environmental education curricula, sponsored by a loose coalition of anti-regulatory zealots, corporate polluters, lapdog “scientists,” and misguided parents. • Funding academic research (and even whole departments) which promotes the company's agenda. • Attempting to discredit scientists whose research shows links between a company's activities and adverse health outcomes. • Silencing environmental watchdog organizations through nuisance lawsuits which deplete such organizations' personnel and financial resources. Furthermore, industry consolidation has created a situation in which most mass media organizations are owned by multinational, multi-billion dollar corporations that are involved in resource extraction and environmental degradation. Thus, stories about environmental justice, human rights, and ecosystem preservation receive little airtime, leaving the public poorly informed regarding crucial threats to environmental health. Suggestions for improving the dissemination of accurate environmental health information will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the extent of environmental ignorance and pseudoscientific beliefs among the general public
• Define and give examples of “greenwash,” “bluewash,” “astroturfing,” corporate front groups and corporate-sponsored curricula
• Explain how the corporate media ignore and manipulate scientific information regarding the consequences of environmental degradation

Keywords: Environmental Health, Media

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Handout (.ppt format, 79.5 kb)