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Agricultural Communications Research 2003-2004

Agricultural Scientists’ Perceptions of
Science and Agriculture Coverage in the News Media

Abstract
This study examined Southern agricultural scientists’ perceptions of the fairness
and accuracy of news media reports on agricultural and scientific topics. A stratified
random sample of 300 Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists was drawn from
the association’s online member directory. Sixty-two agricultural scientists responded to
the online, Web-based survey, for a response rate of 20.6%. Agricultural scientists’
responses tended to fall in the middle of the five-point Likert-type scale on most of the
descriptor sets provided to them (fair/unfair, biased/unbiased, trustworthy/untrustworthy,
accurate/inaccurate, and balanced/unbalanced). However, the tendency was to be more
negative than positive. Respondents were more negative of national news coverage of
general scientific topics and topics from their agricultural disciplines, but more positive
about local news and agricultural news coverage of science and agricultural stories.
Agricultural scientists were also more favorable in their perceptions of coverage of
general science topics than of stories in their agricultural discipline.

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Assessing Internet Use in Florida Newsrooms
Abstract
The Internet has become a major factor in the mass media industry. As a
consequence, information sources, including agricultural communicators, are considering
the decision to move to Web-based publications and publicity dissemination tools. Rural
and agricultural audiences, however, have favored traditional media as a source of news
and information, creating something of a “rural-urban digital divide.” In an attempt to
assess how mass media news operations are utilizing the Web as a newsgathering and
information source, a statewide descriptive survey was conducted of a random sample
(N=300) of local and regional media outlets. Results showed that television, radio, and
newspaper newsrooms in the sample were using computers and the Internet extensively
not only for receiving information and research but also for disseminating news.
Respondents indicated that 88.9% of reporters used the Internet on a daily basis, while
72.2% of news units maintain an online presence. These findings indicate that as media
outlets increase their utilization of the Web, agricultural industries and institutions may
need to move more to electronic dissemination of information if they want to stay abreast
of trends in the newsroom.

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Media Relations Skills and Training Needs of Southern Agricultural Scientists
Abstract
This study examined the media relations skills and media training needs of
Southern agricultural scientists. A stratified random sample of 300 Southern Association
of Agricultural Scientists was drawn from the association’s online member directory.
Sixty-two agricultural scientists responded to the online, Web-based survey, for a
response rate of 20.6%. Respondents were more representative of the physical and
biological sciences than the social sciences and were predominantly male. Most
respondents had been interviewed by a reporter at least once during the previous year and
had positive experiences in the interview process. Respondents were confident in their
media relations capabilities. Approximately two-thirds had taken some type of media
relations training and were positive about what they had learned. Respondents also would
be likely to take media relations training, even on topics which they had taken training in
previously. Areas in which respondents said they would be most likely to take training
were communicating effectively in crisis situations and writing newspaper columns. The
media relations training that respondents had undertaken was seen as valuable; SAAS
members said the training was beneficial, satisfying, and positive. This finding indicates
that current media relations training efforts at universities or agriculture-related
institutions are making a direct and positive impact on agricultural scientists, and that
scientists are using what they have learned.

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Firefighter Public Information Officers'
Communication Effectiveness with the Media
During the 1998 Florida Wildfires
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess how firefighter public information officers
perceived their effectiveness as they communicated with the media during the 1998
Florida wildfires. A questionnaire was mailed to every member (99) of the Florida Fire
Chiefs’ Association's Public Information Officer Section in spring 1999; 49 responded. A
separate survey was sent to 50 newswire agencies, newspapers, and television and radio
stations that were in areas impacted by the Florida wildfires to find out reporters’
perceptions of public information officers’ communication effectiveness. A 24 percent
response rate was achieved in the media survey. Results from the study include the
following: public information officers (PIOs) said having reporters present at a wildfire
scene did not affect how command centers fought the fires; most PIOs believed they did
an above-average job communicating effectively with the media; reporters gave PIOs
good marks for communication effectiveness; and PIOs noted that although most had
considerable communication training and/or experience, they would have liked more
comprehensive training before the wildfire outbreak.

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Integrating Critical Thinking into Agricultural Communication Curricula
Abstract
This qualitative study examined agricultural communication instructors’
comments and recommendations regarding integrating critical thinking into agricultural
communication curricula. The instructors were provided with summary findings from a
previous study on agricultural communication undergraduate majors’ level of critical
thinking skills and were asked to respond to the findings by determining reasons why
students’ skills were low, identifying ways to enhance critical thinking in courses, and
stating the benefits for students to have strong critical thinking skills. Respondents
identified these factors that contribute to agricultural communication students’ lack of
critical thinking skills: an inability to read critically or to read well, a lack of analytical
skills, and a lack of curiosity. The instructors identified four major areas to better utilize
critical thinking in their courses: using real-world projects and situations, emphasizing
research, demanding more and richer writing assignments, and exposing students to
differing viewpoints. The benefits of students having strong critical thinking skills
include students becoming “conscientious consumers” of information, mature leaders,
and better employees. Recommendations for implementing critical thinking into
agricultural communication curricula include providing opportunities for real-world,
practical projects; incorporating case studies into courses; incorporating varying
viewpoints, not just a “pro-agriculture” attitude; and emphasizing analysis of information,
not just “finding” information.

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“ How To Do Things”: A Content Analysis of Gender Roles within Farm Journal Articles
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify and record how gender was depicted
within a small sector of the media: agricultural journalism. It focused on Farm Journal, a
national, general agriculture magazine first published in the late 1800s and one of the few
still in circulation, and its female insert Farmer’s Wife. Content analysis looking for gender
depiction in both visual and written communication was conducted on the January issues
of 1945, 1951, 1957, 1960, 1965, 1975, and 2002. The researcher analyzed which gender
an article was written to, which gender was quoted in an article, and which gender was
present within the images of an article. Over 76% of the Farm Journal articles and over 60% of the combined Farm Journal and Farmer’s Wife articles were written to men. The articles within Farm Journal were about machinery and crops and livestock, while the articles within Farmer’s Wife contained
recipes, tips on flowers, weight loss advice, and etiquette questions. Of the Farm Journal
articles that contained quotes (64.8%) around 92% of the quotes were by men. Only five
of the Farm Journal articles in the entire time period studied had quotes given by women.
Out of a total of 98 images, only six showed women alone, this is a mere 6% of all the
images within the magazine articles. A significant finding is that there was not a change
from this pattern of depiction of genders in the January 2002 issue, as was expected with
the change in society and time. There were more quotes by women and articles directed to women in the 1975 issue than in 2002.

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Communication Preferences of Politically Active Agricultural Leaders
Abstract
Agricultural associations and advocacy organizations have begun to use the
Internet to establish more effective online grassroots help for lobbying efforts, yet little
research has been conducted to ascertain communications technology preferences and
willingness of members to use the Internet as a communications tool. To address this
issue, a descriptive survey was mailed to a purposive sample (N=814) of members
holding leadership positions in the Florida Farm Bureau. 268 members responded to the
survey, for an overall response rate of 33%. Findings showed that respondents used
communication technologies frequently, expressed competence in basic technology
procedures, and actively communicated with elected officials at the local, state, and
federal levels. Respondents indicated that they preferred to receive and send information
through the mail, and that they were most inclined to take a strong role in communicating
with officials when policies negatively impacting agriculture were being considered.
Respondents felt that e-mail would be an adequate substitute for some forms of
communication, but were less likely to say that e-mail would be a good substitute for
more personal methods of communication, such as telephone conversations or face-toface
meetings. These findings suggest that where it is important to communicate en
masse rapidly, the online method may have advantages. However, a “one-way-fits-all”
online method of communicating with elected officials may not always be the most
effective communication method; more personal ways of communicating, especially at
the local and state levels, may still be best for some issues.

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Are We On the Right Road?
A Formative Evaluation of the Roadmap to Effective Distance Education Instructional Design
Abstract
Offering support for technology-based faculty training and development efforts is a key
issue facing many institutions of higher learning. However, few institutions have
invested in the training and development of instructional designers or educational
technologists assigned to assist faculty develop distance education courses (Telg, 1995).
In response to this need, six universities – University of Florida, Texas A&M University,
Texas Tech University, the University of Idaho, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and
Iowa State University – are collaborating on a project titled Roadmap to Effective
Distance Education Instructional Design. This project is funded by a USDA Challenge
Grant and seeks to develop effective materials and innovative approaches to better
prepare instructional designers at land-grant universities and other universities with
agricultural academic programs to support their universities’ distance education teaching
programs. The purpose of this formative evaluation study was to conduct several
formative evaluations of a distance education project, Roadmap to Effective Distance
Education Instructional Design. The study included an initial assessment of program
participants, a series of focus groups, and a mid-term assessment of the program. This
paper includes findings from the various facets of the formative evaluation, as well as
recommendations for providers of similar distance education programs.

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Reaching Florida Urban Opinion Leaders: Uncovering Preferred Communication
Channels
Abstract
Opinion leadership is a common concept in communication theory and research.
However, the practical use of this concept in industry has not been widely accepted. This study
examines the use of opinion leaders in agricultural campaigns by uncovering the communication
sources often accessed by this audience, as well as the preferred communication sources for
accessing agricultural information. Opinion leaders’ pre-existing knowledge, attitudes, and
perceptions toward agriculture were measured as well as their concern with several agricultural
issues to construct a foundation for an agricultural campaign in the state of Florida. By
understanding the important issues that could make effective agricultural messages, as well as
means of disseminating that message, agricultural communicators can implement successful
public relations campaigns to garner support for their industry.
Through mailed survey assessment and quantitative evaluation, the findings suggest that
opinion leaders, a valid sample proven through self-indication method, do not have high
knowledge levels regarding agriculture; however, they feel it is an important industry and
therefore have an interest in knowing more. The results indicate that an agricultural campaign to
reach Florida urban opinion leaders should consist of a message dealing with agriculture’s role in
water quality and the primary means of message dissemination should be through print media,
primarily newspaper. The results from this study provide valuable concepts for communicating
to a very important, yet unrecognized, audience.

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A New Direction for Agricultural Media Relations:
Meeting Journalists Information Needs Through the Web
Abstract
Agricultural public relations practitioners and communicators face a challenge in
following the current trend in web-based media information dissemination. Most agricultural
organizations serve a traditional clientele that prefer conventional media as a source of news and
information (Bisdorf, Irani, & Telg, 2003). The issue that results is the tendency of many
agricultural communicators to overlook the information needs of the media, which in turn could
be a reason the media are inclined to neglect agricultural news. This study takes the first step
toward a better understanding of the ways in which the agricultural industry in Florida conducts
media relations on the Internet by analyzing web sites created and maintained by Florida
agricultural commodity organizations.
A content analysis was conducted of web sites created and maintained by all major
Florida agricultural commodity organizations to determine the percentages of Florida
Agricultural web sites have media information, if these web sites have media information where
is this information located, and the type of media information is included within these web sites.
Results indicate that the primary objective of these agricultural commodity web sites appears to
be to provide an internal communication mechanism for members. It was evident that the
agricultural sites are not created with the needs of journalists or members of the media as a
priority. Certainly, it is positive that there are press releases, feature stories and logo graphics
available; however, many releases were out of date and many elements of a good pressroom
were absent.

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Reporting Mad News: Framing of the Mad Cow Media Coverage
Abstract
The announcement of the discovery of BSE had different impacts on the Canadian and
United States news coverage addressing the issue. While most food supply and contamination
issues are newsworthy, BSE has gained increased press attention because of the major impact it
has had economically, socially, culturally and geographically. This study seeks to examine the
framing of BSE coverage between Canada and the United States. By examining what the major
newspapers emphasized in their coverage of mad cow disease, what sources they used for
information on the disease, and the frames utilized in reporting the outbreak, this study may be
able to identify how and why key decisions were made regarding the disease by all players
involved in the issue.
This study examined the framing of the most recent outbreak of mad cow disease in
national newspapers in both Canada and the United States. Due to the location of this outbreak -
Alberta, Canada - newspapers were chosen from geographic regions that represented areas that
were both geographically close and geographically isolated from the outbreak. Newspapers from
different regions of Canada and the United States may cover mad cow disease from varying
perspectives, based on the perception that the risks associated with mad cow disease are regionspecific.
Results indicated a significant difference between the print media coverage from the
United States and Canada surrounding the mad cow outbreak.

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Organizational Structures and Strategies
For the Hard Clam Aquaculture Industry in Florida
Currently, the hard clam aquaculture industry in Florida is not a unified industry in terms
of having an organization to represent the entire industry at the state and federal levels. Many
commodity groups in the state of Florida, for example the strawberry growers and the tropical
fish farmers, have effective organizations that provide support to their industry through
marketing and promotion, research and education, and lobbying. In Florida, where clam farming
has become a multi-million dollar industry, an infrastructure is being sought to support the
number of grow-out and ancillary businesses. An appropriate organizational structure would
allow growers to become supportive of each other and help to ensure a greater chance of success
in the sustainability of the Florida hard clam aquaculture industry.
The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey assessment of successful agricultural
and aquacultural organizations, characterizing their structures, and identifying strategies that
provide the resources needed to solve industry problems. The information gathered from this
study was used to develop a report that provides suggestions and options for organizational
development, which is believed to help resolve problems within the hard clam aquaculture
industry.

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Communication Strategies for Achieving the Land-Grant Mission
Abstract
The land-grant institution is charged with providing an education to all of society with an
emphasis on agricultural knowledge. This study involved two separate reviews of relevant
literature and research related to Extension communications. Subsequently, the researchers made
several general characterizations of and recommendations for Extension communications based
on the literature for organizational public relations.
Two main alternatives for Extension communications are presented within the context of
this paper: 1) continue with a marketing approach of communications but instead focus on
marketing relationships rather than the strong emphasis on marketing the organization and its
programs, or 2) employ a public relations model where the primary goal of public relations for
Extension would be to build and enhance on-going or long-term relationships with key
stakeholders.

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