London – Europe is boiling. The UK panicked as temperatures rose above 40C for the first time on Tuesday, highlighting the effects of climate change. Fires destroyed solid homes in London.
It’s not the press’s fault. However, it may have a share of responsibility for the extent to which ordinary people learn about climate change and how the problem is handled; this meant a violent protest against the London headquarters of Ruppert Murdoch’s media empire.
A survey released this week by Yale University and Meta revealed a low proportion of those who say they receive information about the environmental crisis at least once a week through the press, as well as social media or chats with friends.
Climate change discusses space in the press with other topics
Respondents from only 12 countries said they were affected by global warming news on a weekly basis. This rate is 27% in Brazil, where there are no crises to occupy media coverage, and this trend covers almost all countries of Latin and Central America.
Still, the study revealed that awareness of the extent of the climate emergency was greater than might be assumed given the lack of regular information.
Brazilians are among those who believe most (90%) that climate change is already happening; COP26 It was in 2021 and therefore had extensive coverage of the subject. In the country, 88% of respondents think that the crisis has already come.
Also Read | Study shows people in politically polarized countries know less about climate
The survey was conducted among Facebook users with regular internet access. If repeated next week, British opinion could change, as the fear received on the so-called “historic” day of high temperatures was great.
The press and social networks hadn’t mentioned anything else since Monday, when the temperature soared. On D-day, it felt like a battle. Televisions flew over the fires and showed houses collapsing and people crying.
The emotion was one of amazement that seemed far away in a country known for its cold weather and rains.
But will this interest last forever? In retrospect, no. TV shows and newspaper episodes created during the COP26 era have quietly disappeared or been relegated to secondary programming.
A study by consultant Akas, presented at the WAN-Ifra (World Newspaper Association) meeting in January, found that less than 2% of the 750 million news stories published by the press and recorded in the GDELT database since 2017 refer to this news. Changes. climate.
Summer sun or climate change?
The problem is not only the quantity, but also the angle. The news in the British press in recent days is an example of this.
Before Tuesday’s fires, several newspaper or TV reports linked the rising temperatures to global warming. This, if any, was implicitly stated.
The focus was on service: how to protect yourself from the heat, what to do with pets, railroad tracks that could stall due to the rails melting. Yes, they melted because they can withstand up to 45ºC. Under the sun, the heat was much more.
On record day, only newspaper i ran a headline suggesting a link between climate change and record temperatures. And the next day, The Guardian was the only one to make the link, even though other newspapers made room for climate experts in their texts.
On social media, environmentalists and climate journalists criticized the press for its neutral approach to the causes of fires and riots. And the BBC is always on target.
The following requires 10,000 retweets before anyone else. @bbc will give any notice https://t.co/RfghWq95pZ
— Matthew Todd ???????? (@MrMatthewTodd) July 22, 2022
Happy scenes to show a crisis?
Another criticism leveled at the treatment of the press concerns the selection of images. Columbia Journalism Review published an article criticizing the use of scenes associated with pleasure and happiness, such as children cooling off in fountains. Climate change is not fun.
According to this argument, the London headquarters of Rupert Murdoch’s company News UK, which edits The Sun and The Times, was smashed on Tuesday by activists from the environmental group Extinction Rebellion.
On Tuesday, when temperatures hit 40 degrees and bushfires hit London, we took action to call out to the Murdoch press for their failure to highlight the situation. #climate crisis
As always our friends @RealMediaGB there was. We need independent voices, ???? follow support ???????????? https://t.co/9xRyUfyE2C
— Extinction Rebellion UK ???? (@XRebellionUK) 21 July 2022
A spokesperson said: “Instead of warning readers of the increasing risks of heat waves as the climate crisis intensifies, Sun has chosen to display its front pages with images of women in bikinis, sunbathers and children happy with their ice cream.”
Instead of justice, it wasn’t just him. Other tabloids, serious newspapers, and television did the same. But activists mainly target Murdoch’s holding, an admitted denier, and the Daily Mail.
Created by independent channel Real Media, the video posted on Twitter is titled “Break the glass if the media is lying”, referring to the warnings displayed on fire alarms protected by glass boxes.
While listening to the interviews one can see the bad mood towards Murdoch’s newspapers as well as the rest of the British press.
Admittedly, before its infamous historic Tuesday, photos of happiness in a country with little year-round sunshine made editorial sense. It wasn’t an editorial offense to portray people chilling in the park or on the beach, as many Brits did last weekend.
The problem is that warnings about the country’s risk of seeing thermometers reach 42º had already been issued by meteorologists.
The British press missed the opportunity to balance the news story by talking about the pleasure of the sun and capitalizing on the interest in the sun to address why more severe and frequent heat waves are occurring.
You don’t need to break glass to get attention. However, XR’s warning applies to the press in terms of social responsibility.
The amount and angle of the news can make a difference in public understanding and pressure governments, companies, and citizens to reverse what they already most understand is true.
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source: Noticias
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