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."
Greenwire on Obama’s Strategy to Morally Stigmatize Conservatives Who Dismiss Climate Change
Last week I spoke with Elana Schor of Greenwire about the Obama White House and Organizing for America’s strategy to pre-empt efforts by conservatives to undermine support for the proposed […]
BC Canada’s The Tyee Magazine on Bill McKibben and Building a Broader Climate Movement
At The Tyee this week, a terrific non-profit online magazine covering news, culture and solutions as they relate to British Columbia and beyond, Geoff Dembicki profiles Bill McKibben and his work as […]
Why Google’s Support for James Inhofe Is Not Only Morally Wrong, But Bad for Business
In 2011, as a Google Science Communication fellow, I spent several days with other scientists and academics at the company’s headquarters learning about new tools and strategies for engaging the public […]
The Hill Newspaper on Obama’s Climate Change Messaging
This past week at The Hill newspaper, Ben Geman analyzed President Obama’s speech on climate change, highlighting remarks from environmentalists who welcome Obama’s apparent shift in communication strategy. In the […]
Debating Bioethics Openly: Taking Advantage of Major Events to Engage the Public
In the July issue of The Scientist magazine, my colleague Declan Fahy and I contributed a commentary discussing the need for scientists and ethicists to engage the public on major trends and […]
The Opponent: How Bill McKibben Changed Environmental Politics and Took on the Oil Patch
For the May/June issue of Canada’s Policy Options magazine, I contributed an article adapted from my Spring 2013 Shorenstein Center paper examining the career of environmental writer and activist Bill McKibben. With anticipation building over Obama’s […]
At New Scientist Magazine, Assessing the UK Government’s Goal of Changing the Conversation About Food Biotechnology
At the New Scientist magazine last week, I was asked to provide an analysis of UK environment minister Owen Paterson’s announcement that his government would seek to change the conversation about food […]
Harvard Shorenstein Paper on “Nature’s Prophet: Bill McKibben as Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist”
In a paper released today by Harvard University, I analyze the career of writer-turned-activist Bill McKibben and his impact over the past 20 years on the climate change debate. Below is […]
BMC Medical Ethics Study Evaluates the Media Impact of Rebecca Skloot’s Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
In a new study at the journal BMC Medical Ethics, my colleague Declan Fahy and I analyze the journalistic and critical reception of Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 best-selling book The Immortal Life of […]
A Reply to Time Magazine’s Michael Grunwald: Why Analysis and Critical Reflection on the XL Tar Sands Pipeline Is Needed
In a column this week at Time magazine, Michael Grunwald says he’s on the side of activists who oppose the XL Tar Sands pipeline and chides the “respectable centrist pundits” […]
Diversifying the Climate Movement
Over at The Breakthrough, I have a Public Square post up discussing the need for the environmental movement to broaden and diversify their public outreach, connecting in particular with minority […]
Earth’s Library: Estimating Book Publishing Trends Related to Climate Change
For a study I am working on this semester while on sabbatical at Harvard University, I wanted to try to estimate book publishing trends over time related to climate change, […]
Talk at Boston University on Dec. 6: Journalists as Public Intellectuals in the Climate Change Debate
For readers in the Boston area, I will be giving a talk at Boston University’s College of Communication on Thursday, December 6 The talk is a preview of the […]
Engaging the Public On the Health Threats Posed by Climate Change in a Post Sandy World
If you live in an American city, chances are this past summer and fall you have experienced the health effects of climate change. As Richard Harris reported at NPR News in September, […]
The Special Mission of Universities in a Post Sandy World
On Sunday at 7pm EST PBS Nova is airing a special on the science of mega-storm Sandy. For readers who work and teach at universities, I encourage you to watch the […]
As NYC Rations Gas, A Study On How Americans View the Risks of Gas Price Volatility And Scarcity
As New York City struggles to recover from Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg today announced that the city would start rationing gas, as long lines and scarce supplies continue to plague the […]
Perceptions of Promise: Art as a Vehicle for Science Communication
Perceptions of Promise: Biotechnology, Society and Art is an interdisciplinary project that brings together a group of internationally recognized artists and social commentators to produce a body of original art work […]
The Signal and the Noise: When Media Obsess Over Polls and Models, We All Lose
Over at the Breakthrough, my latest Public Square column takes a look at the good and the bad of Nate Silver’s cultural celebrity and oracle status. Here’s how the column […]
Why Scientists Become Involved in Public Outreach
In a new co-authored study with John Besley and Sang Wa Oh at the journal Public Understanding of Science,we expand on our recent work examining how scientists as a group perceive and understand public opinion, […]
How Obama Can Defy Debate Critics and Shift Momentum
In my latest column at The Breakthrough, I discuss what Obama can do in tonight’s second Presidential debate to reverse momentum, and it starts with defying critics who are calling […]
The Polarization Paradox and The Republicans Are the Problem Thesis
Last month, I published with Dietram Scheufele “The Polarization Paradox: Why Hyperpartisanship Promotes Conservatism and Undermines Liberalism.” We detail in the article how liberals have become more like conservatives in their political […]
NPR News on Framing Global Warming as a Public Health Threat
Effectively engaging the American public on climate change—including its causes, impacts, and solutions—remains both a major research question and a communication challenge. Effective public engagement requires understanding the cognitive, affective, […]
The Polarization Paradox: Why Hyperpartisanship Promotes Conservatism and Undermines Liberalism
Modern campaigns have rarely focused on the issues, but in the 2012 election the level of moral outrage and anger is unprecedented. Even before the campaign, America was divided, but […]
Why Few Americans View Climate Change as a Moral Problem
–Guest post by Ezra Markowitz, doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon. The moral judgment system—the set of cognitive, emotional, social and motivational mechanisms responsible for producing our perceptions of […]
Kony 2012: A Revolution in Social Campaigns?
— Guest post by Tina Cipara, George Mason University graduate student. “For the first time in history, the people of the world can see each other and want to protect […]
Philosopher Takes On the Myth of an Anti-Intellectual America
For Washington, DC readers, Politics & Prose will be hosting a book event Sunday, June 10 at 1pm relevant to many of the themes discussed at this blog. Details below. America the […]
Video, Slides & Readings for Sackler Lecture on Media & Science Policy Debates
On Tuesday, May 22, I delivered a lecture as part of the National Academies’ Sackler Colloquium on the “Science of Science Communication,” reviewing the role of the media in science […]
New Scientist: Researchers Should Join with Activists in Examining Food Biotech Regulation
In this week’s edition of the New Scientist magazine, I have a commentary article on the UK controversy over genetically modified wheat and the lobbying efforts in the U.S. to […]
Reading List for National Academies’ “Science of Science Communication” Lecture on the Media & Science Policy Debates
On Tuesday, May 22, I will be delivering a lecture as part of the National Academies’ Sackler Colloquium on the “Science of Science Communication,” reviewing the role of the media […]
On MSNBC Morning Joe, UPenn President Discusses the Need for Political Compromise
MSNBC’s Morning Joe is one of the few places on cable news where you can find genuine ideological cross-talk. It’s not surprising then that the program hosted this week University […]