skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Report: Most TV Coverage of Hurricane Ida Lacked Ties to Climate Change

play audio
Play

Thursday, September 16, 2021   

NEW YORK -- New research suggests corporate and cable TV news outlets failed to contextualize more frequent and extreme weather events to global warming while covering Hurricane Ida's impacts on New York and beyond.

Scientists have repeatedly warned climate change is exacerbating drought, wildfires and flooding, and making storms such as Hurricane Ida stronger.

Allison Fisher, climate and energy program director for the watchdog group Media Matters, said Americans are not getting the full story.

"The hesitancy to connect extreme weather events to climate change by these networks is very closely related to campaigns by the fossil-fuel industry to make climate change a third rail, make it confusing, to cast that doubt," Fisher contended.

The latest report by the world's top climate scientists confirms that less than a decade remains to dramatically cut greenhouse-gas emissions from fossil fuels to avoid potentially catastrophic impacts. However, in the 96 hours of wall-to-wall coverage of the hurricane, just 4% of nearly 800 news segments aired by corporate broadcast and cable news outlets mentioned climate change.

Lizzie Freilich, a resident of Greenpoint in Brooklyn, said all news outlets, regardless of medium, should be contextualizing climate change into their reporting.

"News outlets bear the burden of informing people. That's what they're here for," Freilich asserted. "And if they're not reporting on this huge thing that's going to impact the lives of so many people, they're just doing a good job at their job."

Media Matters' report asserted not connecting the dots of major weather events and climate changes is "media malpractice."

Fisher added news coverage on Hurricane Ida did improve as the storm moved into the metro New York area. She emphasized it is important for climate change to become a bigger part of the national conversation, along with what is causing it: the burning of oil, gas and coal.

"Just to say 'climate change' is the first step," Fisher explained. "And then from there, it's where you need to start having the conversation of 'well, who is responsible, and what is responsible, and what is or is not being done to mitigate these problems or address these problems?'"


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021