Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Quantity over quality: According to Research Assistant at the University of Gothenburg Aine Kelly-Costello, climate reporting is no longer available to those who have made the effort to understand the topic.
Why climate change must be on the news agenda beyond global summits
December 9, 2021 6:21 a.m. AEDT
Aine Kelly-Costello
University of GothenburgDuring last month’s COP26 summit, climate change was a common story. The news abounds, from the mass release of non-binding commitments to coverage of the failure of wealthy nations to respect the demands of frontline states, criticism of the association. summit is “Most Excluding COP Ever“.
Even in today’s crowded information landscape, the mainstream media continues to play an important role in shaping how we understand and actclimate change.
Based on research interviews with climate reporters, I’d argue that the main stories are about climate disruption and climate justice, and newsrooms as a whole, not just science and technology experts. environment, need reinforcement to demonstrate that understanding.
This needs to be reflected in the quantity and quality of the climate range, which goes beyond the brief window frames of the COP summits.
…
While the expertise of experts is important, the lion’s share of climate coverage can no longer be left to a handful of science and environmental reporters.
…
What can I say – it’s hard to imagine how much worse coverage of the already dismal mainstream media environment could get, but if newsrooms follow AineMy advice, I’m sure they will manage somehow.
Related
