Deaths, disasters and tasty treats: Challenging public perceptions of home economics

The purpose of this chapter is to propose ways the Home Economics profession can harness the power of existing and emerging Internet technology to reinforce positive public perceptions, mitigate the effects of negative media and legitimize the role of Home Economics now and in the future. Three strategies are suggested 1) citizen and participatory journalism; 2) creating content with public appeal; and 3) consistent use of key terms when tagging articles on the Internet. Supporting these strategies is a snapshot of online news headlines to benchmark current patterns of reporting on global Home Economics events available for public access on the worldwide web.