According to Ereaut and Segnit (2006), climate change is one of the greatest challenges during this century. Its consequences concern the global population. It stands to reason that newspapers regularly cover it. In the United Kingdom, there is now more coverage of climate science and governance than ever before (Ereaut & Segnit, 2006, p.7). But there have always been considerable fluctuations in the coverage of climate change in the newspapers that lead to peaks and troughs. Ungar argues, that the public relies on the media for information about scientific issues (Ungar, 2010). That shows the high importance of media coverage on certain topics. This essay attempts to give some explanations why there are peaks and troughs in the coverage and tries to investigate the factors that cause this volatility.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Climate change coverage in the UK
- Journalistic norms and climate change coverage
- Editorial stances and climate change coverage
- Key actors influencing climate change coverage
- Wider social, political, and economic factors
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to investigate the reasons behind the peaks and troughs observed in newspapers' coverage of climate change. It analyzes factors contributing to the volatility in media reporting on this crucial topic. Here are the key themes explored in this essay:- Journalistic norms and their impact on climate change coverage
- The role of editorial stances in shaping climate change narratives
- The influence of key actors, such as NGOs, corporations, and the scientific community
- The interplay of social, political, and economic factors in media representation of climate change
- The complex relationship between climate science, policy, media, and public understanding
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This section introduces the topic of climate change coverage in newspapers, highlighting its importance and the fluctuations observed in its frequency. It emphasizes the need for understanding the factors driving these variations.
- Climate Change Coverage in the UK: This section examines the trend of climate change coverage in the UK media, showcasing data illustrating peaks and troughs. It identifies key events that coincided with significant increases in coverage, demonstrating the influence of specific occurrences.
- Journalistic Norms and Climate Change Coverage: This chapter delves into the journalistic norms that influence the production of climate change narratives. It explores how practices like personalization, dramatization, novelty, authority-order bias, and balanced reporting can shape the content and frequency of published articles.
- Editorial Stances and Climate Change Coverage: This section investigates the impact of editorial stances on climate change coverage. It analyzes how different ideologies within newspapers translate into varying representations of climate science and governance, leading to discrepancies in coverage.
- Key Actors Influencing Climate Change Coverage: This chapter examines the role of various actors, including NGOs, corporations, and the scientific community, in influencing media coverage of climate change. It highlights how these actors contribute to the shaping of public perception through their own narratives and actions.
- Wider Social, Political, and Economic Factors: This section explores the broader social, political, and economic context within which climate change coverage operates. It examines how factors like political discourse, economic pressures, and institutional demands contribute to the fluctuations in media representation of the topic.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The keywords that characterize this essay are: climate change, media coverage, journalistic norms, editorial stances, key actors, social factors, political factors, economic factors, public understanding, science, policy, peaks and troughs, volatility, influence, narrative, representation. These terms encapsulate the central focus of the analysis, exploring the complex interplay of various forces shaping the media discourse on climate change.- Quote paper
- B.A. Stefan Groitl (Author), 2012, What are the factors that lead to peaks and troughs in newspapers´ coverage of climate change?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/192985