From Distant to Devastating: The Newsworthiness of Environmental Controversies at the New York Times, 1950s–1970s

ABSTRACT While environmental degradation has long been a fact of American life, the environment did not become an integral part of American newsmaking until the late 1960s. Then, news organizations began assigning reporters to the environmental beat in the wake of increased public interest in environmental issues. This study examines the emergence of environmental journalism at the New York Times through analysis of the newspaper’s organizational archives, to reveal internal discussions about the newsworthiness of the environment, and a comparative analysis of coverage of two similar environmental controversies: first, a 1950s struggle over dam construction in a protected area, and second, a 1960s–70s effort to build a Disney ski resort in a national forest. It demonstrates how the newsworthiness of the environment changed as later stories were reported with more prominence, reporting depth, and narrative emphasis on ecology compared to recreation. Important figures within the Times who advocated for coverage of environmental issues, including publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger and editorial page editor John B. Oakes, were less influential in promoting environmental news than the broader societal changes that gave rise to the American environmental movement in the 1960s.