MCCI Connect: A Strategic Nature - How Public Relations Transformed Environmental Politics

Speaker:

Melissa Aronczyk, Professor, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University

You are warmly invited to the first research event of the 2025/26 academic year of the Department of Media, Culture and the Creative Industries, MCCI Connect: Bridging Research, Innovation, Education and Professional Practice, with Professor Melissa Aronczyk, of the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University, who will be delivering the talk "A Strategic Nature: how public relations transformed environmental politics", in conversation with Dr. Raluica Moise, on Wednesday the 15th of October, at 5pm, at City St. George's University of London, in person and online. The event is moderated by Dr. Carolina Matos and supported by Dr. Devina Sarwatay. There will be light refreshments on the day. Hope to see many of you there.

Talk Overview

A Strategic Nature examines public relations as a social and political force that shapes both our understanding of the environmental crises we now face and our responses to them. In this talk, Dr. Aronczyk offers an account of the promotional consultants who have influenced public perception of the environment since the beginning of the twentieth century – with dramatic effects on our response to environmental hazards like pollution, resource depletion, and the climate crisis. More than the familiar pairing of social movement organizations and political parties, this research shows how corporations, led by their promotional agents, engage in collective action to shape the contours of politics and the terrain of public debate. Dr. Aronczyk will also reflect on how this legacy gives us new insights on sustainability communication and lessons on how to deal with climate change misinformation and denial.

Bio

Melissa Aronczyk is Professor of Media Studies in the School of Communication & Information at Rutgers University. She is the co-author, with Maria Espinoza, of A Strategic Nature: Public Relations and the Politics of American Environmentalism (Oxford University Press, 2022) and the author of Branding the Nation: The Global Business of National Identity (Oxford University Press, 2013). Her research on strategic communication and environmental politics has been featured in national and international venues, including BBC News, National Public Radio, Drilled, Grist, AdWeek, Yes Magazine , and The Nation. She is a frequent commentator on climate disinformation for venues including NPR, the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Intercept, and Rolling Stone. She has also written about PR and sustainability for The Washington Post and Foreign Policy.