{"id":16837,"date":"2018-04-11T13:13:11","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T21:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=16837"},"modified":"2023-09-19T13:34:24","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T20:34:24","slug":"pollution-environmental-public-service-announcements-look-back","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/pollution-environmental-public-service-announcements-look-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Pollution (and Other Environmental) Public Service Announcements: A Look Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

In conjunction with the Independent Lens<\/em> film What Lies Upstream<\/em><\/a>, which is an expos\u00e9 about what led to a major source of water becoming poisoned after a disastrous chemical spill and the government’s response thereto, take a trip down memory lane to look at how we used to warn people about pollution, chemicals,\u00a0and other environmental hazards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ever wonder where the messages we call PSAs (public service announcements) come from? It\u2019s a curious piece of broadcasting arcana. An agency called the <\/span>War Advertising Council<\/b> was created as a means to influence American society during World War II. Its name was later shortened to “Ad Council,” with all of its funding coming from government and nonprofits.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

My digging showed that some of the funding behind the sponsorships of these PSAs exposes a little dirt. When the <\/span>Clean Water Act<\/span> (which helps protect drinking water for one-third of Americans) passed in 1972, we began to see an uptick in anti-pollution PSAs, particularly about water pollution. During this time, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, which is in the news again these days) released a series of ads to encourage consumers to take advantage of consumer confidence reports and other information about their drinking water.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is during this era, alongside classic 1970s anti-drug campaigns (stay away from those creepy magicians, kids) and \u201c<\/span>Mr Yuk Is Mean<\/span>\u201d poison-prevention PSAs, we also find a surge in EPA-sponsored ads warning us not to get \u201cduped\u201d by \u201cgas guzzlers.\u201d We begin to hear the repetition of the following phrases: \u201cKeeping America beautiful is your job\u201d; \u201cStash your trash\u201d; \u201cBit by bit, every <\/span>litter<\/span><\/i> bit hurts.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps the best word to describe the tone of early environmental messaging is earnest. Stern voice-of-authority narration adds an especially vintage flavor. <\/span><\/p>\n

Given what we now know about the current state of affairs at agencies that sponsor these PSAs, such as the EPA and the CDC, perspective on the messaging may feel different at the moment.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>We are going to end the EPA intrusion into your lives<\/span>,\u201d said President Trump last February,\u00a0<\/span>signing an executive order calling for the EPA to review and roll back the <\/span>Clean Water Rule<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But for now, let’s step back into the 1970s when\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026 \u201cCLEAN WATER IS EVERYONE\u2019S NATURAL RIGHT\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n