Abstract
Educators writing about gardening and environmental risk can be more successful by writing text readable at the ninth grade level, choosing topics that reflect readers' concerns, and using risk communication methods. Such newspaper articles offer an overview of the plant or pest problem, its solutions, and include factors for the reader to consider in reaching a decision. These methods increase the effectiveness of mass media to disseminate information. They do not usually generate questions on the topic of the article for the Extension professional, and may increase credibility for the Cooperative Extension office.