Climate coverage has dropped precipitously since #COVID began to dominate media attention. According to @media_climate, for the month of Aug coverage is down 37% from this time last year.
But it shouldn’t be because climate stories dominated the news in August - & continue to do so now. The easiest way to improve climate coverage is to connect #extremeweather & the record #wildfires that are blazing across the West to the #climatecrisis https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-extreme-weather-wildfires-snow-jet-stream/
Unfortunately, TV news is making a choice to not link #climatechange to clear climate-fueled events. @MMFA analysis found that only 4% of #wildfire segments on broadcast TV news mentioned climate change in the entire month of August https://www.mediamatters.org/broadcast-networks/broadcast-tv-networks-august-wildfire-coverage-missed-key-factors-including
Over a one week period from Aug 27-Sept 4, broadcast & cable news programs aired 93 segments on the record-shattering #HurricaneLaura. Only 1 linked the storm to the #climatecrisis https://www.mediamatters.org/broadcast-networks/broadcast-and-cable-news-coverage-hurricane-laura-was-shallow-and
More recently, just 15% of segments on the #CaliforniaWildfires that ignited on Labor Day weekend made the connection to climate.
15% is an improvement but it is still journalistic malpractice given the magnitude of these fires, the clear climate-change fingerprints on them, & the fact that there is still no federal response to this crisis. https://www.mediamatters.org/broadcast-networks/corporate-broadcast-tv-news-fails-make-crucial-connection-between-record
Not only is it the responsibility of the media to give context to these increasingly dangerous events, as @DoctorVive points out the majority of Americans want them to. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/10/opinion/americans-want-climate-change-news-media-should-give-it-them/
If you agree that it is past time for the media to #EndClimateSilence, take action here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-the-media-tell-the-truth-about-the-climate-crisis/