Push for Climate Headlines

Insist on louder and better climate news.

Get news outlets to report climate news in the top stories. Take this step and decide a level of commitment that works for you. Try it for a month to see how you do.

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How will you let reporters, editors and news outlets know that climate news is important?

Push for Climate Headlines

Climate change is often the untold story behind many news headlines, like extreme weather, refugees, national security, and public health. And while there is certainly more climate news than before, it still only accounts for a tiny fraction of our news stories - for example, in the US climate made up less than 1% of television news airtime in 2020.

Like, praise and share quality climate stories on social media and ask those not covering the climate crisis with the urgency it deserves, to do better. Subscribe to news outlets covering the climate crisis well, and let them know that’s why you’ve given them your support.

Push for climate change to become a daily, front page story, weaved into relevant news stories ranging from extreme weather and the energy crisis, to food, fashion, football and finance.

Tips

The best way to reach news outlets directly is through email or social media.

Like, share, and praise good climate coverage to encourage reporters and news outlets to do more of it. If you need a place to start, here’s a weekly round up. Subscribe to news organizations that promote quality climate news like AFP, Aljazeera, Channel 4, PBS News Hour, The Guardian, and Washington Post, to name a few. Check if your regular news provider is committed to covering climate. You could also follow award winning climate journalists.

Remind news outlets that climate is a big news story that people want to hear about. In fact, the majority of people globally are worried about the crisis (as high as 94% of people in some countries) and are paying more attention to climate coverage than ever before.

Ask news outlets to not only increase their climate coverage but also to mention the climate connection across all their news topics. Ask them to report on the solutions, not just the problems and if you’re concerned about the facts in a story, use fact-checking resources like Climate Feedback or DeSmogBlog. When reaching out to journalists and news outlets, here are some talking points from Covering Climate Now and Global Investigative Journalism Network that might help.

You could also support groups that promote better climate coverage such as Covering Climate Now, End Climate Silence, Climate Tracker, Earth Journalism Network, and the Media and Climate Change Observatory.

Benefits

Putting climate on the front pages and within mainstream topics like the economy, sports and crime, makes it a pressing issue for government and business to address. As noted climate journalist Bill McKibben put it “Repetition and constant reiteration are precisely what we need right now”.

Better audience ratings incentivise news outlets and journalists to cover more climate stories, and raises the bar across the board.

Plus, better quality reporting means you get access to more reliable news to make better informed choices about how you act and who you support.

Many people read local news more than global news, but local news outlets aren’t always making the climate connection. Pushing for better coverage at a local level will help people understand the impact climate change is already having on their own lives and the urgent need for action.

REFERENCES

Ask journalists to make the climate connection across all their news topics from food to fashion, football to finance, art to weather.

The Guardian - We’re all climate journalists now’: how the weather took over everything

An environmental policy reporter in Colorado tracked local news coverage of the June 2021 Colorado heatwave and found that less than 4% of the 126 local-news stories referenced climate change.

https://heated.world/p/why-wont-anyone-ask-why

Climate coverage as a whole still made up only 0.4% of overall coverage on corporate broadcast morning, nightly and Sunday morning news shows in 2020

Media Matters - How broadcast TV networks covered climate change in 2020

Climate coverage has increased 55% from 2020. The Media and Climate Change Observatory monitors climate coverage in 127 sources (across newspapers, radio and TV) in 59 countries in seven different regions around the world.

Media and Climate Change Observatory - 2021 Year End Retrospective

“Many news outlets receive advertising money from emissions-intensive industries, and claim that their readers, listeners and viewers don’t want to hear about climate change, despite public opinion polls suggesting the opposite.”

Boston Globe - Americans Want Climate Change News. Media Should Give it to Them.

“Most people are saying they rarely hear climate change news because most people pay attention to local news.”

The Guardian - The media is failing on climate change – here's how they can do better ahead of 2020

“Newsrooms are still not covering climate enough [...] more climate stories does not necessarily equate to quality coverage.” - Abby Rabinowitz from The Columbia Journalism Review

Columbia Journalism Review - War all the time? Climate reporters weigh coverage quantity against quality

“Repetition and constant reiteration are precisely what we need right now”.

Bill McKibben blog

“The media’s failure to connect the dots between climate change and extreme weather happening now in the U.S. is a key part of why Americans don’t perceive climate change to be a major, priority issue [...] A lot of people, even Americans who accept climate science, still believe climate change is something that happens far away, either in the future or in another country.” - Lisa Hymas, the climate and energy program director at Media Matters

New Republic - The Media’s Failure to Connect the Dots on Climate Change