Is Climate Change a Crisis – And Who Says So? An Analysis of Climate Characterization in Major U.S. News Media

This study measures characterizations of global climate change as an actual or impending “crisis” in major U.S. news media over several years to assess levels of alarm over climate change and related issues as expressed by journalists and their sources, and to determine whether major focusing events such as periodic reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change affect source and journalist characterization of the issue. Results indicate increases in climate and crisis co-occurrences between before- and after-reporting periods, increasing polarization between affirmers and deniers in before and after periods, and higher incidences of neutral characterizations among journalists than other sources. Findings suggest IPCC reports are followed by heightened urgency in media climate characterizations.