The Evolution of Environmental Journalism

Fossil fuels

The term “fossil fuels” is used to refer to the industry of “coal, petroleum, natural gas, oil shales, bitumens, tar sands, and heavy oils,” in addition to adjacent industries that support these materials (Britannica, n.d.) For the purpose of this thesis project, the term is also synonymous with oil and gas, or Big Oil.

The Evolution of Environmental Journalism: The Framing and Politicization in U.S. Climate Journalism

Introduction

Climate change is arguably one of the most critical issues in modern history, and across the globe, people are witnessing its impact more rapidly than ever before. The world’s air quality is worsening each day, and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and powerful (Ritchie and Roser, 2021). So far this year, as of April 2023, hundreds of communities across the nation have experienced wildfires, severe flooding, and hundreds of tornadoes (Disaster Philanthropy, 2023); New York City endured its longest period without snow in 50 years (Cohen, 2023); and California faced significant flooding and one of the largest blizzards in state history, pouring down more than 150 inches of snowfall over one week’s duration (Stillman and Livingston, 2023).

The climate crisis is even imposing on basic human needs across the globe after one of the most severe droughts on record, which stunted the global supply of crops, livestock, and water. Yet, even with definitive proof of its presence negatively impacting at least 85% of the global population, climate change is one of the most politically divisive issues in the nation. History shows climate journalism is partially to blame (Boykoff, 2011).

Problem Statement

The public has long regarded news media for its role in shaping opinion and influencing collective action, especially among social and political issues (Boykoff, 2011). Print journalism, specifically, is historically acclaimed as one of the most reliable sources for information in the United States, serving as a watchdog for the public and providing balanced reporting on critical issues, including the climate crisis.

Several studies (Boykoff, 2011; Chinn et al., 2020) assert that the journalistic framing of climate change is one of the most influential factors over the public’s concern and engagement toward the issue. As researchers expect the climate crisis to only strengthen in impact, it is essential that news audiences receive only the most accurate information, impartial to political beliefs and personal biases. Further, to effectively prompt collective action on climate change, it’s crucial for the majority population to acknowledge that the issue is not inherently partisan, but rather, was shaped into one after corporate interests began spreading misleading and incorrect information about global warming, fueling decades of disinformation.

Though climate journalism existed far before the publication of Rachel Carson’s 1962 impactful book Silent Spring, many link the rise of the modern environmental movement in the United States to her efforts. The beat largely remained scientific throughout the remainder of the 1960s and for the entirety of the 1970s. But a notable shift occurred in the early 1980s as headlines changed from citing climate scientists to politicians, and the number of opinion articles and editorials about the climate crisis skyrocketed. As it’s evolved from the mere coverage of environmental issues in its earliest days to political coverage in the mid-2000s (McCright et. al, 2011), and now, back to a primarily science-based beat with some political undertones, the quality of climate coverage in the U.S. has changed indefinitely as a result of the disinformation spread more than 40 years ago.

Still today, climate change remains largely under partisan divide, and consequently, influences how environmental journalists choose to frame climate issues. Because of the polarization of climate change, journalists may struggle to convey scientific facts without being perceived as biased. As the climate crisis continues to worsen, it’s imperative that the industry maintains credibility, or journalists could possibly drive individuals to sources of inaccurate information and further halt collective action.

This thesis project draws conclusions from dozens of peer-reviewed articles and journals about environmental journalism, in addition to survey responses and in-depth interviews with 17 environmental journalists across the nation and the analysis of more than 300 environmental news articles from the 1970s to April 2023.

Research Questions

To further explore the problems outlined above, I used the following questions to guide the thesis project and gather qualitative data:

1. What are the most notable shifts that have occurred in environmental journalism since its modern-day arrival in the 1960s?

• How does the framing of environmental news coverage differ today from then?

• What are the most common forms of bias that occur in U.S. environmental journalism?

2. When did the polarization of environmental issues begin?

• Is there a single influence that led to the partisan divide?

• How has this changed climate journalism?

3. How do environmental and climate journalists perceive their role within the climate crisis today?

• Do environmental journalists’ expectations for objectivity and advocacy within climate journalism differ from other beats?

• Do their perceptions change based on journalist demographics, such as geopolitical location or news organization or the reporter’s age, sex and political affiliation?

As the research explores the evolving trends among U.S. environmental journalism, each subsequent question intends to guide the project to more in-depth and more detailed observations. Assuming the research leads to conclusive results, the answers will effectively frame the existing trends and influences among modern-day climate journalism and suggest the long-term outlook for the industry.

Purpose and Expectations

The purpose of this traditional thesis project is to observe the shifts in modern-day environmental journalism since its inception in the 1960s and identify any potential influencing factors over these changes. The findings of this study aim to provide further insights into how environmental journalism can bolster public understanding on science-based issues, effectively shape public opinion, and influence governmental policies related to the climate crisis.

In the literature review, I’ll analyze existing academic research, news articles, and other supporting documents to cover three main topics: expectations for balance, objectivity, and framing in U.S. news media; the politicization of the environmental movement; and an overview on how climate journalism has historically shaped public opinion. The literature review identifies the influencing factors that have led to the partisan divide over environmental issues and the way it’s covered in print news media

The methodology section will outline the structure to my qualitative field research, which includes in-depth interviews and surveys with 17 environmental journalists, and a document analysis of more than 350 climate news stories. This section also includes a researcher positionality statement to assert my role as an observer in addition to that of an environmental journalist and addresses potential limitations in data collection.

The data analysis will provide a comprehensive account of data collection, connecting themes, patterns, and trends previously identified in the literature review to the responses from participant surveys and observations through document analysis. This section will examine correlations among individual survey responses to determine if expectations in environmental journalism differ among various populations, depending on age, sex, political affiliation, and geopolitical location. The section will also note any trends among different newspapers and coverage of particular issues.

The conclusion aims to reconcile seeming contradictions between the document analysis and field research. The section will also explain how the potential impacts of journalistic framing of the environment could contribute to the climate crisis and, ultimately, the health and safety of the human population.