As Climate Records Tumbled In 2016, Network News Coverage Of Climate Stories Collapsed
In 2016, the major networks’ coverage of climate change dropped by two thirds compared to 2015.
In fact, climate coverage last year was close to its lowest levels since 2009, according to a new analysis by MediaMatters of the evening and Sunday news programs that air on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. This drop is despite historic wildfires, extreme weather events like Hurricane Matthew, and month after month of record-breaking global temperatures.
And, of course, there was a presidential campaign between two people who have diametrically opposed views on the gravest preventable threat to the United States and the world. During the campaign, the major networks spent no time examining the climate policy differences between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — despite their vast disagreement on domestic action, the Paris climate agreement, and whether the entire body of scientific inquiry is a hoax.
ABC, CBS, and NBC made up for this glaring omission by devoting an hour and 40 minutes of coverage to Hillary Clinton’s emails, as Media Matters reported in November. In all, the outlets only spent 32 total minutes all year comparing the policy differences between Clinton and Trump.
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https://thinkprogress.org/medias-coverage-of-climate-change-collapsed-in-2016-just-when-we-needed-it-most-2fb793847e69#.emqz5nypl