Reporting Climate Change: an international perspective Paddy Coulter, Director, Oxford Global Media and Fellow, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford

Problem of “Spikes”

Issues for Journalists 1.Adapting science to headline new stories (scientific process vs news event) 2.Avoiding scientific jargon 3.Explaining risks and uncertainties 4.Finding the human angle 5.Promoting informed public debate

International Media Study Purpose: to explore the framing of climate change in national newspapers in 1.Ghana - the poorer South (with University of Ghana School of Communication Studies) 2.Norway - the more affluent North (with Norwegian School of Management, Oslo) 3.China - the rapidly growing East (with Sun Yat-Sen University School of Government, Guangzhou)

Research Methods Three leading newspapers per country monitored An elite paper, a popular paper and a specialist business paper Monitoring over 6 months January/June 2008 Sample of 100 articles randomly selected for closer study Interviews with journalists/editors

Problem of Sources (numbers of articles per main source)

Problem of “Churnalism” (numbers of articles)

Problem of Story Placement Prominence Ghana - stories tucked away inside except for “Accra Hosts Big Confab on Climate Change” front page lead China - stories of national leaders’ activities given prominence, otherwise no clear pattern of favourable treatment Norway – more vigorous debate often gives stories prominent treatment but the only country to give significant space to contrarian views “No big stories come out of that [climate change]” Ghanaian editor interviewed in November 2008

Conclusions of International Study 1. Climate crisis treated only as secondary level concern 2. Few stories with local angles to global climate change (forest retention in Ghana, fish stocks in Norway, extreme weather in China) 3. Predominance of top-down stories disconnected from people’s lives and realities 4. Lack of debate on systemic ways of tackling the global climate challenge

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