Communication and Access to Public Information

Two Central Elements in the Construction of the Political-Environmental Debate

Abstract

The historical health, social and environmental crisis that we are currently experiencing as a result of the pandemic is undoubtedly the result of a civilizational crisis. This socio-environmental crisis t is not merely ecological but social, that is, an anthropic and not a natural fact. Added to this situation is the crisis of the hegemonic discourse in the mass media, which exposes the lack of problematization and coverage of environmental issues. Despite this scenario, since the last decade the environmental issue has had an extremely favorable turn with the expansion of spaces for reflection, the voices of young people and the use of social networks to put the discussion of the environment on the public agenda. In this framework, this research arises, in which we seek to retrace a path that has communication and the environment as main protagonists, emphasizing three axes: 1. To recognize and investigate the historical environmental problems that make the world a scenario of social vulnerability and the spread of Covid-19. 2. Analyze access to public information as a fundamental right to promote the knowledge of society and encourage public debate to build more democracy. 3. To question the media's social construction of environmental debates and reflect on the need to put them on the public agenda. This implies proposing communication and dissemination policies that guarantee access to public information.