Effective Environmental Communication: A Case Study of Environmental Non-Government Organization (ENGO) in Malaysia

Abstract

Mass media is a medium often used for information dissemination to the public. It is also seen as a tool in shaping public perception towards issues or organization. Therefore, this study looks at how mass media being used by six environmental non-government organizations (ENGO) in Malaysia in cultivating public awareness towards preserving and conserving the environment through their environmental messages. The objective of this study is also to identify the effectiveness of two-way communication between ENGO and public through mass media. Subsequently to gauge the effectiveness of environmental messages delivered by ENGO using the framework of Dialogic Communication Theory. This study uses qualitative method of face-to-face in-depth interview for data collection. Various media handler from each selected organization were interviewed. Findings indicate that, mass media assists ENGO in delivering environmental messages in various aspects, such as in projecting a formal outlook to the message delivered and in boosting the level of environmental awareness amongst the public through the message delivered by ENGO, therefore assisting each of the ENGO towards their communication outreach goal.