Sources, media, and modes of climate change communication: the role of celebrities

Abstract

This article reviews existing research on the portrayal of climate change within the print media, paying particular attention to the increasing role that celebrities have come to play within popular culture. While this is certainly not a new development, celebrities are increasingly appearing as key voices within the climate change debate, providing a powerful news hook and potential mobilizing agent. Early coverage of climate change was dominated by scientific sources, but as the debate became more institutionalized and politicized a wider variety of competing sources entered the news arena. Yet media prominence is not necessarily a reliable indicator of influence. How issues are framed is of crucial importance and celebrity interventions can be a double-edged sword.

Media attention for climate change around the world: A comparative analysis of newspaper coverage in 27 countries

“…Over the 15 years analyzed here, the number of scientific publications mentioning climate change mushroomed (Weingart et al, 2000), climate science became increasingly institutionalized (Schü tzenmeister, 2008), new political institutions and national climate policies or strategies were established (Townshend et al, 2011, p. 5), many environmental NGOs made climate change their focal issue (e.g. DeLuca, 2009;Hopf, 2012), and celebrities took public stances on it (Anderson, 2011). These activities in different societal spheres have made it easier and more relevant for the media to cover climate change.…”

The Diversified Nature of “Domesticated” News Discourse

“…The inhabitants of the world are called upon to spend an hour … with their lights turned off as a reminder that excessive energy consumption and the resulting carbon dioxide emissions threaten our climate. (NA, March 31, 2012) Another discursive mechanism that creates deterritorialized identity, in the sense of dissolving any distinction between Us and Them, is the use of the voices of various celebrities who emphasize the global aspect of the event (Anderson 2011). In the Times of India, examples of this deterritorialized identity are constructed through the choice of quoting the various celebrities when they express their enthusiasm and support for Earth Hour on Twitter (ToI, March 31, 2012).…”

The framing of climate change in New Zealand newspapers from June 2009 to June 2010

“…In late November 2009, extracts of emails hacked from the accounts of researchers at the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit in the UK were leaked online, appearing to show that some of the world's foremost climate scientists had conspired to exaggerate warming trends, suppress the publication of conflicting research and to delete evidence systematically that conflicted with established models (Hasselmann 2010;Anderson 2011;Greenberg et al 2011). Although the scientists were eventually cleared of misconduct, some of the exchanges revealed unprofessional and antagonistic behaviour, which plainly cast some in an unflattering light (Adam 2010;Hasselmann 2010).…”

“…Researchers tracking climate change coverage in 50 influential newspapers around the world (including New Zealand), observed a five-fold increase in the volume of coverage between 2000 and the end of 2009 (Boehnert et al 2014;Boykoff 2014). This particular peak in coverage can be associated with two discursive moments in the recent development of climate change as an issue: the 'Climategate' saga and the Copenhagen Summit in December that year (Boykoff 2010;Anderson 2011).…”