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California TV Stations' Drought Coverage Gave Short Shrift To Climate Change
http://mediamatters.org/research/2015/05/21/study-california-tv-stations-drought-coverage-g/203650California Has Been Experiencing Historic Drought Over The Past Four Years. This year, California entered its fourth consecutive year of drought, and 93 percent of the state is in severe, extreme, or exceptional drought, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A paper published last year in the journal Geophysical Research Letters concluded that the state's recent drought is the worst it has experienced in 1,200 years. [The New York Times, 3/17/15; The Washington Post, 4/1/15; The Guardian, 12/8/14)
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown And Top Lawmakers Announced Drastic, Unprecedented Steps To Deal With Drought -- Including First-Ever Mandatory Water Restrictions. On March 19, Governor Jerry Brown and top lawmakers announced a $1 billion drought relief package to provide short-term and long-term support for dealing with the drought. Two weeks later on April 1, Brown announced an executive order imposing the first-ever mandatory water restrictions for the state. In his announcement, the governor stated, "The world is changing. California's climate is changing, and we're taking another step." (Los Angeles Times, 3/19/15; National Public Radio, 4/1/15)
Less Than Two Percent Of Local Drought Coverage Addressed Role Of Climate Change. In the month following Brown's announcement of the drought relief package (March 19 to April 19), the ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox affiliates in Los Angeles and the Bay Area -- the two largest media markets in California -- aired 980 segments mentioning the drought. But only 15 of those segments -- less than two percent -- connected the drought to climate change. Seventy-three percent (11 out of 15) of the segments that discussed a link between climate change and the drought did so while covering Governor Brown's remarks on the topic on the March 22 edition of NBC's Meet the Press.
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown And Top Lawmakers Announced Drastic, Unprecedented Steps To Deal With Drought -- Including First-Ever Mandatory Water Restrictions. On March 19, Governor Jerry Brown and top lawmakers announced a $1 billion drought relief package to provide short-term and long-term support for dealing with the drought. Two weeks later on April 1, Brown announced an executive order imposing the first-ever mandatory water restrictions for the state. In his announcement, the governor stated, "The world is changing. California's climate is changing, and we're taking another step." (Los Angeles Times, 3/19/15; National Public Radio, 4/1/15)
Less Than Two Percent Of Local Drought Coverage Addressed Role Of Climate Change. In the month following Brown's announcement of the drought relief package (March 19 to April 19), the ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox affiliates in Los Angeles and the Bay Area -- the two largest media markets in California -- aired 980 segments mentioning the drought. But only 15 of those segments -- less than two percent -- connected the drought to climate change. Seventy-three percent (11 out of 15) of the segments that discussed a link between climate change and the drought did so while covering Governor Brown's remarks on the topic on the March 22 edition of NBC's Meet the Press.
Majority Of Segments Addressing Climate Change's Role In Drought Also Featured Climate Science Denial. Of the 15 segments that discussed a link between climate change and the drought, nine also featured climate science denial.* Those segments all referenced comments by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) alleging that "the alarmists on global warming (have) got a problem because the science doesn't back them up." (NBC, Late Night with Seth Meyers, 3/16/15)
