Dec 20, 2018
World-renowned wildlife storyteller Sir David Attenborough and the BBC were criticized recently for essentially portraying a view of Nature that was too positive. According to the op-ed which appeared in The Guardian, "By downplaying our environmental crisis, the presenter's BBC films have generated complacency, confusion and ignorance" amongst the viewing public.
While the criticism goes to an unfair extreme, the author does identify a longstanding dilemma, not just for famous environmentalists and their networks, but for all zoos and aquariums and animal professionals. How best to balance the need to inspire the public about amazing wildlife and wild places versus focusing on what is currently happening to them? Regardless of the type or size of our platform, how do we accurately inform without turning the audience off by being too negative or creating a paralyzing sense of helplessness with respect to saving species in a world bursting with people?
Who better to ask about these issues than the person who has spent decades sharing wild animals and wild places with all of us through his many hours of televised content, Late Night laughs, books, and public appearances? Zoo Logic is pleased to welcome back the Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and the Emmy award winning TV host of Into the Wild, Jungle Jack Hanna!
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www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/07/david-attenborough-world-environment-bbc-films