Matthew C. Nisbet

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Matthew C. Nisbet

Associate Professor of Communication, Northeastern University

Matthew C. Nisbet, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Public Policy, and Urban Affairs  at Northeastern University. Nisbet studies the role of communication and advocacy in policymaking and public affairs, focusing on debates over over climate change, energy, and sustainability. Among awards and recognition, Nisbet has been a Visiting Shorenstein Fellow on Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, a Health Policy Investigator at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a Google Science Communication Fellow. In 2011, the editors at the journal Nature recommended Nisbet's research as “essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in the climate change debate,” and the New Republic highlighted his work as a “fascinating dissection of the shortcomings of climate activism."

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Guest Thinkers
BEYOND THE BUZZ: Understanding Science Blogs and Their Impact; Panel Discussion Sponsored by DC Science Writers
For readers in the Beltway, I will be presenting at this upcoming panel on blogging sponsored by the DC Science Writers Association. It’s free if you don’t plan to partake […]
Matthew C. Nisbet
Guest Thinkers
SURVEY OF ENVIRO REPORTING ACROSS FOUR REGIONS: Pacific NW Most Likely to Feature Enviro Beat; Few Cover Area Full-Time; Compared to Public & All Journalists, Enviro Reporters More Likely to Be Political Independents; Local Agencies, Groups Top Sources
In the latest issue of the journal Science Communication, David Sachsman, James Simon, and JoAnn Valenti report on their findings from a census survey of environmental reporters across the Pacific […]
Matthew C. Nisbet
Guest Thinkers
POLL REVIEW ON HURRICANE-GLOBAL WARMING LINK: Roughly 65% of Public Believes Global Warming is Either a Minor or Major Cause of Severe Hurricanes
Since last fall, poll questions across surveys have tapped public belief in the link between hurricanes and global warming. In this post, I provide a round up of poll findings […]
Matthew C. Nisbet
Guest Thinkers
GORE FAVORABLE RATINGS REMAIN UNCHANGED SINCE 2002: Evidence Argues Against Speculation That ‘Truth’ Has Reinvented the VP in the Public’s Mind; Supports Hypothesis that ‘Truth’ Draws A Strongly Like-Minded Audience
Gallup has released a poll report detailing trends in Gore’s favorability ratings, indicating that despite the speculation that Inconvenient Truth has morphed the image of the VP in the public’s […]
Matthew C. Nisbet
Guest Thinkers
WARM WORDS AND CLIMATE PORN: Labour-Leaning British Think Tank Conducts Discourse Analysis of UK Climate Change News Coverage; Criticizes Media for Over-Dramatizing to Capture Audience Attention While Offering Few Meaningful Policy Options
A study released this week by the Institute for Public Policy Research, a left-leaning British think tank, criticizes the UK media for engaging in a dominant “alarmist” interpretation of global […]
Matthew C. Nisbet
Guest Thinkers
THE NEXT BIG STORM: Article Examines News Coverage of the Hurricane-Global Warming Debate; Suggests Ways Scientists and Journalists Can Work Together to Improve Coverage
With Chris Mooney, over at Skeptical Inquirer Online, we have a lengthy article evaluating coverage of the hurricane-global warming debate. We interviewed the major science writers, columnists, and political reporters […]
Matthew C. Nisbet
Guest Thinkers
RESURRECTING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST: Mel Gibson’s Recent Remarks About Jews Renew Attention to The Passion’s Possible Audience Effects
With Mel Gibson’s DWI arrest and associated comments about Jews, re-newed attention has been focused on the content and possible effects of Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The film […]
Matthew C. Nisbet
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