Media mum on climate issues
Major networks decrease coverage of climate change since 2009
New research suggests mainstream media outlets are shying away from the issue of climate change.
A study conducted by media watchdog website Media Matters for America found nightly news programs on NBC, ABC and CBS decreased coverage of climate change by 72 percent between 2009 and 2011 despite “a series of newsworthy stories related to climate change in 2010 and 2011,” like record-breaking extreme weather events, the rise of climate skepticism and the recent UN climate summit in Durban, South Africa, according to MediaMatters.org.
Sunday-aired shows decreased coverage of climate change by 90 percent during the same period. Furthermore, when Sunday shows did cover climate change, scientists were left out of the discussion—interviewees were 50 percent politicians, 45 percent media figures and 5 percent “other.”
In 2011, each major network (including Fox) devoted equal or more airtime to Donald Trump than to climate change.
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