Throughout the history of the environmental movement, the mass media, environmentalists, governments and various power groups have interacted at various levels to affect social change.

The authors of Mass Media and Environmental Conflict emphasize these interactions using a series of case studies in environmental conflict from the United States. They explore the role of books, magazines and newspaper articles amongst other media and the ways media coverage has created both regional and national communities of environmental understanding. Cases covered include: contests over public land; the depletion of wildlife species and the evolution of hunting regulations; campaigns for clean air; and workplace hazards.