"Mixed Messages: Media and the Environment" is the topic of Special Session 3 at the 74th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Concurrent with three other special sessions, it will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia. Four presenters will focus on the role that traditional and new media play in the conservation community.

If asked, nearly everyone attending this Conference could give you a "horror story" about an encounter with the media?broadcast, print, Internet or maybe all three. Fewer could give you a glowing testimonial regarding a positive media encounter. What makes the difference?

It's no secret that the media plays an increasingly important role in shaping public perceptions about the environment, conservation and management issues; yet, in general, the conservation community has done a poor job of understanding how media function and how they can work together for the benefit of all.

Some state natural resources agencies have few or no staff dedicated to working with the media; others have dedicated staff, but the staff has limited or no formal training in media relations. Some have a very hierarchical communication structure; others are decentralized such that anyone can speak to the media at any time. Regardless of how an agency is structured or staffed, there are basic communications and media relations strategies that can be used to improve its relationships with media, improving coverage and reducing the number of bad experiences.

The conservation community has a host of non-governmental organizations that are doing wonderful work for conservation throughout the hinterlands. How can these groups (or any entity working for conservation, for that matter) get the word out about their successes? What makes a story newsworthy? What do reporters need? How can it be delivered it in such a way that the media can't afford NOT to cover it?

You've seen the hunting or fishing shows on television, in which ethics are forgotten or safe practices compromised in the interest of "making good TV." You also have seen episodes in which ethics are promoted and conservation elements stressed. Why the dichotomy? Television is a highly competitive market, and most of us in the conservation community know virtually nothing about what drives the decisions?good and bad?in this field. And yet, with open minds and some cooperation, good conservation can make very good TV.

If your communications programs focus on "getting the word out" or merely act as a delivery system for your messages, you are a dinosaur?and the big meteor has just hit Earth. The emergence of global communications systems is fundamentally changing how people interact in the marketplace and in governance. In the next few years, the "voice" of agency mission statements, marketing pitches and news releases will seem as contrived as the language of the 18th century French Court. Unlike a decade ago,when you depended on newspapers and television to carry your message, now you are "the media." And so is everyone else. There are now millions of "reporters" online. Increasingly, your constituents will demand not just information, but conversations. Explore the need to rethink deeply entrenched communication polices and practices that inhibit conversations.

Special Session 3, co-chaired by Phil T. Seng of D.J. Case & Associates and Tim Zink of Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, will examine the runways and pitfalls of working with the media for the benefit of conservation.

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