Category Archives: Researcher stories

New study published on Isle Royale wolf relocations

The well-publicized relocation of wolves from the mainland U.S. and Canada to Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior has been taking place without journalists on site.

Female wolf released on Isle Royale. Photo Credit: National Park Service

A newly published study coauthored by Knight Center director Eric Freedman found that coverage in the news media relied heavily on U.S. government sources, with little attention to the views and input from other sources, such as independent experts, Native American and First Nations representatives, park visitors or nearby mainland businesses.

The other authors are University of Michigan doctoral student Alexander Killion and Professor Mark Neuzil, the chair of the Department of Emerging Media at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

“The Effects of Access Restrictions and Communication Strategies for Divisive Environmental Management” examined the strategies and techniques used by the National Park Service and other agencies to keep the press informed. It also looked at how news outlets covered the controversial relocations that began in fall 2018.

The Park Service cited concerns about the health and safety of the wolves and of personnel as the reason to preclude access for journalists. The agency, however, provided the press with a stream of news releases, photos and videos.

The relocations were designed to rebuild the population of gray wolves on Isle Royale at a time when only two wolves were left on the island. Scientists and natural resource managers said it was necessary to rebuilding the wolf population as an effective way to control the number of moose on the island.

The study appeared in the journal Environmental Science and Policy.

Knight Center part of MSU Sustainability campaign

The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism is part of MSU’s “Earth Month 2021” fundraising campaign focused on showcasing university initiatives that support sustainability.

As part of the campaign, MSU is highlighting its status as the only Big 10 school on the Princeton Review’s list of the Top 50 Green Colleges and its 2020 Tree Campus Higher Education recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation for its management of urban forests on campus.

“Donor support makes it possible to operate Great Lakes Echo, our award-winning news service in which students cover climate change, threats to the Great Lakes, biodiversity, natural resources, extreme weather and other key environmental issues in the Great Lakes region,” center director Eric Freedman said.

In addition to the Knight Center, other program partners are the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, MSU Institute of Water Research, Student Organic Farm, MSU Bikes, MSU Sustainability, Michigan Pollinator initiative and Residential Initiative on the Study of the Environment.

You can support the Knight Center and help Spartan students learn how to report on the world’s most important beat by donating at go.msu.edu/cp-knight-center.

Discovering how cells talk to each other is key to better diagnosis and treatment of disease

 

Jon Kaletka

By Jon Kaletka

There are countless apps to keep in touch with friends and family throughout the world.

But have you ever wondered how your body’s trillions of individual cells talk to each other?

That’s what I study to improve the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections.

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