Constructing and Influencing Public Opinion of Climate Change
Media reports have the power to shape public perspectives and influence the interpretation of environmental issues (Boykoff & Boykoff, 2007). As a main source of information, the public gains most of their understanding of an issue through coverage by the mass media. Therefore the goal of their reporting should be the transmission of knowledge that allow citizens to make sense of how issues shape their everyday lives. Zamith et. al (2012) claim that journalists cultivate social realities, assigning meaning and legitimacy to claims by selecting and presenting different realities. Confusion is engendered by reports of marginalized views from “selected experts”, “claim makers” and “authorized definers” (Boykoff, 2013) where certain conflicts and contentions of climate change are privileged and dramatized enhancing bewilderment rather than understanding. Amplification of the voices journalists permit to make sense of, translate, and speak on behalf of climate change shapes public opinion and conceptions (Boykoff, 2013).
With respect to global climate change, journalists are charged with first understanding complex scientific concepts and then accurately reporting them to the masses. This task is further complicated by placing unforgiving deadlines on stories resulting in the higher propensity to report outlier groups with unqualified expert opinions (Zamith, Pinto, & Villar, 2012). Occasionally, and perhaps unconsciously, particular interpretations are privileged and certain facts are reported while others are ignored (Zamith, Pinto, & Villar, 2012) in a process known as framing. The frame therefore influences the manner in which consumers understand and interpret issues and subsequently attribute responsibility and form policy opinions (Zamith, Pinto, & Villar, 2012)
To help prevent bias, coverage needs to be placed in a context that allows the reader to relate to the issue at hand. The goal is to make it less challenging for citizens to make sense of how climate change shapes their lives. The media should help them acknowledge and act on issues that are seemingly invisible instead of squandering away opportunities to help the public engage and deal with the complex challenges and long term consequences of contemporary climate change (Trumbo, 1996).
So how, then, does one acknowledge these new classes of environmental problems that are intangible to the average person?
This study hopes to attempt an answer to this daunting question by linking media accounts that document current climate change events directly affecting local communities with verified scientific data. By highlighting real-life articles, consumers will have on-the-ground evidence of the effects of climate change and hopefully this will result in increased visibility of the issues. Instead of bombarding people to the point of indifference, promotion of understanding through the select communication of relevant and scientifically sound articles is an effort to present a reality that is not biased or contrived but rather the one people are currently experiencing. If individuals are able to identify with current issues, to see how the consequences can impact them, the motivation to act on them is much more likely (Trumbo, 1996).
With respect to global climate change, journalists are charged with first understanding complex scientific concepts and then accurately reporting them to the masses. This task is further complicated by placing unforgiving deadlines on stories resulting in the higher propensity to report outlier groups with unqualified expert opinions (Zamith, Pinto, & Villar, 2012). Occasionally, and perhaps unconsciously, particular interpretations are privileged and certain facts are reported while others are ignored (Zamith, Pinto, & Villar, 2012) in a process known as framing. The frame therefore influences the manner in which consumers understand and interpret issues and subsequently attribute responsibility and form policy opinions (Zamith, Pinto, & Villar, 2012)
To help prevent bias, coverage needs to be placed in a context that allows the reader to relate to the issue at hand. The goal is to make it less challenging for citizens to make sense of how climate change shapes their lives. The media should help them acknowledge and act on issues that are seemingly invisible instead of squandering away opportunities to help the public engage and deal with the complex challenges and long term consequences of contemporary climate change (Trumbo, 1996).
So how, then, does one acknowledge these new classes of environmental problems that are intangible to the average person?
This study hopes to attempt an answer to this daunting question by linking media accounts that document current climate change events directly affecting local communities with verified scientific data. By highlighting real-life articles, consumers will have on-the-ground evidence of the effects of climate change and hopefully this will result in increased visibility of the issues. Instead of bombarding people to the point of indifference, promotion of understanding through the select communication of relevant and scientifically sound articles is an effort to present a reality that is not biased or contrived but rather the one people are currently experiencing. If individuals are able to identify with current issues, to see how the consequences can impact them, the motivation to act on them is much more likely (Trumbo, 1996).
Climate Change Confusion in the Media
Is there a need for this kind of study? Doesn't everyone already know that climate change is occurring? Isn't the media already reporting scientific findings from climate change studies?
Here is an example of an article that is not framed in the correct context. The article is reporting the growth of the Arctic ice cap which is indeed cited from a current scientific study; however, the journalist is reporting the noise rather than the signal itself. By pairing the article with a time series of ice loss in the northern hemisphere it becomes much clearer that, despite the increase, there is an overall declining trend.
By presenting selected data, articles like this one serve to destabilize public support for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The purpose of this project is to pair reports of climate change related issues in North and South American locations with scientific data that allows readers to determine if climate change is in fact occuring.
Here is an example of an article that is not framed in the correct context. The article is reporting the growth of the Arctic ice cap which is indeed cited from a current scientific study; however, the journalist is reporting the noise rather than the signal itself. By pairing the article with a time series of ice loss in the northern hemisphere it becomes much clearer that, despite the increase, there is an overall declining trend.
By presenting selected data, articles like this one serve to destabilize public support for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The purpose of this project is to pair reports of climate change related issues in North and South American locations with scientific data that allows readers to determine if climate change is in fact occuring.
Research Objectives
- Link current media accounts of climate change in North and South America with long-term regional climatic trends.
- Determine if media accounts are reporting the "signal" or the "noise" of the particular climatic variable documented.
- Provide online access of paired accounts and data in an effort to increase public understanding and recognition of how climate change affects citizens on a local scale.