United States News Media and Climate Change in the Era of US President Trump

摘要

The Donald J Trump administration’s strategy to disengage and downplay the Paris Climate Agreement will likely result in arnslight decrease in the already low levels of US news media global warming coverage. This is because significant limitations withrnthe news media’s ability to adequately cover climate change predated the administration. First, studies indicate thatrnadvertising interests and editors have always challenged journalists’ abilities to adequately report on climate change issues.rnInstead of climate change stories, editors often prefer more sensational topics that garner higher ratings and approval withrnadvertisers. Second, the journalistic norm of balance and the role of sourcing give climate skeptics exceptional mediarnexposure, which creates a “false balance” or equivalency between skeptics and scientists. Third, the massive power andrninfluence of the fossil fuel industry’s public relations arm has also had a tremendous impact on public (mis)understanding ofrnclimate change. Fourth, a trend toward declining climate change coverage and “climate silence” in US media is developing.rnMedia corporations have substantially eliminated the number of environmental journalists that cover climate change. Thernoverall effect of these limitations distorts public understanding of climate change and delays potential government action.rnMoving away from a predominantly commercial media system to one with a substantial noncommercial component canrnimprove US journalism, whereas using advertising to increase rates for environmentally unsound products and services mayrnalso help mitigate global warming. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:202–204.