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 The review of coverage by leading television news shows in
Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, Germany and India found that they
most often framed reports about the science of global warming in
terms of crisis.
The report, by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at
Oxford University, said disaster scenarios were played up over
themes of scientific uncertainty, risks of global warming or
opportunities for solving the problems.
"For television, which is driven by pictures and the need for
strong, engaging narratives in a short space of time, disaster-type
approaches are going to be very attractive," author James Painter
told Reuters.
Some scientists say the media focus on disaster may warp public
understanding of climate change and complicate decision-making on
effective solutions. A Yale University study in July found that only
one in 10 Americans understand that more than 90 percent of
scientists blame man-made emissions, rather than natural variations
in climate, for causing global warming.
Television news is often the most trusted media. The news bulletins
in the Reuters study, including the BBC in Britain, CCTV-1 in China
and Jornal Nacional in Brazil, reach a combined daily average
audience of about 50 million people.
The study examined reporting of three U.N. reports on climate change
in the past year that included the finding that it is least 95
percent probable that human activities have been the main cause of
global warming since 1950.
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Scientists who wrote the reports focused more on how to manage risks
of global warming than on disaster, Painter said. In a 32-page
summary for one of the reports about the impacts of climate change,
for instance, the word "disaster" occurs 14 times and "risk" 231
times.
Other research indicates that viewers can feel helpless when
presented with impending catastrophe, Painter said.
"Emphasizing more hopeful messages, such as the opportunities of
low-carbon development, is also seen by some scholars as more
‘helpful’ for personal engagement from some sectors than a narrative
of catastrophe or disaster," it said.
(Reporting by Alister Doyle; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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