The Media Is Complicit in the Climate Confusion

"Multiple surveys, polls, and studies conducted over the past five years-from Yale, Gallup, Nature, Oxford, and the European Commission-indicate overwhelming global support for stronger climate action. Roughly 80 to 89 percent of the world's people want their governments to " do more" to address climate change, and nearly two-thirds are on board with that action costing them a bit. Yet most of the people comprising this overwhelming climate majority think they are the minority,"

"That's unfortunate, according to Max Boykoff, who runs the Media and Climate Change Observatory at University of Colorado, Boulder, because inconsistent coverage of the issue can lead to gaps in the public's understanding of it. "Climate journalism is prone to an events-based model of reporting that often decontextualizes the climate crisis," he said. "Extreme heat, floods, and storms tend to be reported as unique events as opposed to part of an unfolding and long-term crisis, which prevents a fuller understanding of the issue.""

Multiple global surveys show roughly 80–89% of people want governments to take stronger climate action, and nearly two-thirds accept some personal cost. Most supporters mistakenly believe only about 30% of others want stronger action, creating a perception gap. Inconsistent and infrequent media coverage contributes to that gap by treating extreme events as isolated rather than part of a long-term crisis. Yale polling finds most Americans favor stronger policy but few see weekly coverage. That misperception helps politicians justify catering to corporate interests and maintaining the fossil fuel status quo.

Read at The Nation