Call for chapter proposals: Climate Change Communication in the Age of Trump - Countering greed and ignorance through storytelling and strategic communications

Proposal submission deadline: May 1st, 2017

Extended deadlne: July 1st, 2017

Vernon Press invites chapter proposals for an upcoming book, Climate Change Communication in the Age of Trump - Countering greed and ignorance through storytelling and strategic communications. The book will be edited by Jasper Fessmann and Dr. Lauren Griffin.

Introduction

Climate change communication has been a crucial topic in the communications field even before the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. However, Trump’s own statements and placement of prominent climate change deniers at the head of key federal agencies mark the beginning of a new phase in deliberate climate change denial at the federal level.

In the United States, the clear scientific consensus that human-made climate change is occurring has been deliberately attacked and its credibility undermined by vested interests. The promotion of misinformation has been exacerbated by the U.S. news media’s inability to adequately portrait this issue. To overcome these efforts, it is essential that communicators and advocates utilize empirically-based tactics for informing and mobilizing the public.

Objective of the Book

Our ambition is to create a book that combines rigorous theoretical and investigations of climate change communication with practical implications that can be immediately put into action by professional communicators and journalists as they seek to counter industry-funded and political misinformation. We hope this book will be the first in a series of four, to be published annually moving forward.

The book will be divided into two separate sections. The first section features peer-reviewed work from scholars studying climate change communications (5,000 - 8,000 words). The second section features essays from journalists working on the front lines of climate change communications (2,000 - 4,000 words). We are seeking submissions from both scholars and journalists.

Target Audience

The series aspires to be a cutting-edge resource for academics exploring the burgeoning field of climate communication as well as for journalists and others seeking to incorporate empirically-based practices in their work.

We are particularly interested in submissions that focus on how current communications and psychological research can inform climate change communication practice. For instance, it will explore what type of terminology and approach is best for overcoming confirmation bias to achieve attitude and behavior change in climate change deniers. Because the book will also include reflective essays from climate and environmental journalists using storytelling and strategic communications to discuss climate change, we are seeking submissions that explore the utility of and best practices for using narratives and storytelling to communicate on the climate issue.

Recommended topics for scholarly works include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Psychology of climate change communication
• Role of messengers, media, and messages in engaging audiences on climate change
• Utility and best practices for utilizing storytelling and narrative in climate change communication
• Using messaging to move from engagement to mobilization on climate change
• Strategic communications strategies for climate change communicators
• Practical suggestions for journalists working on climate change coverage

Recommended topics for journalistic essays include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Engaging with the public on climate change through journalism
• Best practices for covering climate change current events
• The balance between politics and science in climate change journalism
• What to do about climate deniers when working in the field of climate change journalism

Submission Procedure

Potential contributors are invited to submit a brief (1 - 2 pages) chapter proposal outlining the proposed topic and/or issue to be discussed on or before March 15th, 2017.

Authors of accepted chapter proposals will be notified on a rolling basis about the status of their proposals.

Full book chapters are expected by May 15th, 2017.

All chapters will undergo double blind review and returned to authors with suggestions for improvement.

Submissions and Inquiries can be forwarded electronically (Word document) to:

Jasper Fessmann, University of Florida

E-mail: fessmann@ufl.edu

or

Lauren Griffin, University of Florida

E-mail: lngriffin@ufl.edu

About the Editors

Jasper Fessmann is the frank (scholar) Research Director at the College of Journalism and Communication at the University of Florida. His work focuses on developing the theoretical foundation of the emerging academic field of Public Interest Communications (PIC). His special interest lies in applying strategic communications (and his 15 PR agency work experience) to one of humanity’s biggest challenges: containing climate change.

Dr. Lauren Griffin is the Director of External Research for frank, a public interest communications organization housed in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. She is the editor-in-chief of the frankology project, which “translates” relevant peer-reviewed research articles for easy consumption by practitioners and activists. She is also the Journal Manager of the Journal of Public Interest Communications (JPIC). Dr. Griffin has a Ph.D. in sociology with an emphasis on environmental and science communication. Her dissertation, “No Ordinary Storm: Disaster Films and the Media Culture of Climate Change,” focused on climate change representations in disaster movies.

About the publisher

Vernon Press is an independent publisher of scholarly books in the social sciences and humanities. Our mission is to serve the community of academic and professional scholars by providing a visible, quality platform for the dissemination of emergent ideas. We work closely with authors, academic associations, distributors and library information specialists to identify and develop high quality, high impact titles.

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