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Show 193 environmental issues reflected a change in the approach to reporting on the national parks. The content of these two articles also indicated a more concerted effort to cite environmental advocates as sources. Wixom's title came at the same time that many news organizations recognized the enviromncnt as a beat, a decision driven partly by the growing prominence of environmental awareness. Wixom analyzed the impact of mining on the natural landscape and quoted local and national environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and Wasatch Mountain Club. The second article, about antiquated mining laws, relied on Noel de Nevers, a University of Utah engineering professor, to explain potential environmental hazards of oil shale mining on national parks and wilderness areas. The journalist paraphrased de Nevers' concern. "Present mining Jaws allowing restriction-free exploration could cripple or destroy the national wilderness concept," the article stated.572 Recognizing the environment as a beat shows a significant change from the news coverage of earlier parks. Although some could point to the designation of an environmental editor as marking the beginning of environmental journalism, coverage of Utah's national parks shows that the process from which this title emerged was more nuanced. Modem environmental journalism has a rich history that extends well before the 1960s. Only recently have researchers begun to examine it. This dissertation contributes to the understanding of that evolution by focusing on news coverage of Utah's national m Ibid. In mid-2008, the 1872 mining law was still on the books amid debate about use of lands in Utah and Colorado for oil shale d~velopment |
