On the Ezra Klein show, speaking about the media's poor initial handling of Covid, @zeynep offered a powerful explanation for the broadcast news' ongoing failure to cover the #ClimateCrisis: the norms governing its institutional behavior are subject to profound inertia.

THREAD
Attempting to change norms, we call out broadcast news shows like @ABCWorldNews, @CBSEveningNews, & @NBCNightlyNews, showing them the absurdity of not mentioning the words "climate change" when they report on extreme weather or other stories directly connected to the crisis.

2/
But outside pressure only goes so far: we need every powerful journalist, producer, & editor who understands the climate threat to help normalize making the connections to climate in stories about its causes and effects—in stories about energy and pandemics, eg.

3/
This inside work will take courage. It is uncomfortable. @zeynep talked about feeling alienated from her colleagues and friends (having an "out of body experience") after she recognized the danger of Covid while other journalists were still concerned mostly about "alarmism."

4/
This kind of "out of body" experience with respect to climate is exactly what inspired our founder @Doctorvive to start End Climate Silence.

https://twitter.com/DoctorVive/status/1016025714217357313

5/
We dearly hope that @zeynep will turn her attention to climate breakdown, our biosphere being the system that intertwines with and enables all human systems.

6/
Indeed, evidence is emerging that #climatechange played a role in the evolution/transmission of SARS-COV-2 itself.

https://twitter.com/AliNouriPhD/status/1358510234889818114

7/
And we dearly hope that everyone at @TheAtlantic and @nytopinion who understands the gravity of the climate crisis, and who has connections in network and cable broadcasting, will help by doing inside work to shift norms and encourage your colleagues to #EndClimateSilence.

8/8
You can follow @EndClimtSilence.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:

By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.