# Major Papers Unevenly Covered UN Warning of Extinction Plus Global Warming

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/05/major-papers-unevenly-covered-un-warning-of-extinction-plus-global-warming/
- Published: 2019-05-22T21:12:19-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

**_31 of the 50 Top U.S. Papers Did Not Cover Announcement of Possible Extinction
of 1 Million Plant and Animal Species_**

For Immediate Release:
 May 20, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – When U.S. television news networks discuss climate change and
its impacts, few news reports call the phenomena a “crisis” or “emergency,” a designation
clearly merited by the science, a Public Citizen report shows.

According to the report, in 2018, only 50 of 1,429 national television news segments(
3.5 percent) that mentioned climate change referred to it by either of these terms.
CNN had the most mentions with 26, but it [trailed MSNBC and NBC in the rate](https://greenlivingguy.com/2025/11/jeep-recon-all-electric-2026-trail-rated-adventure-meets-ev/)
of mentions. MSNBC used the terms crisis or emergency in 7 percent of its segments;
NBC in 6 percent; and CNN in 3 percent.

### ⌊Media not reporting climate change⌉⌊Media not reporting climate change⌉⌊Glaciers show climate change⌉⌊Glaciers show climate change⌉⌊Major papers unevenly covered un warning of extinction plus global warming⌉⌊Major papers unevenly covered un warning of extinction plus global warming⌉⌊Climate change needs reporting⌉⌊Climate change needs reporting⌉

In 2018, Fox News mentioned the words [crisis or emergency in relation to climate](https://greenlivingguy.com/2026/08/nebraska-cuts-climate-science-in-budget-crisis/)
change on five occasions. All five were attempts to minimize the issue with false
logic, mockery or misinformation.

### ![Public Citizen reporting media not reporting on climate change](https://i0.wp.com/default.salsalabs.org/0d3f5ef2-6221-437f-becc-846f04b4dfc0/96a94e44-b224-423a-bb9c-81af948f27f9.png?resize=584%2C396&quality=50&ssl=1)

“Words matter. So the words we use to characterize an issue make a difference in
how it is perceived and prioritized politically,” said David Arkush, managing director
of Public Citizen’s Climate Program. “When media outlets consistently fail to use
language that conveys that climate change is a crisis or emergency, they unwittingly
put a heavy thumb on the scale in favor of complacency and inaction.”

The [report comes as the Climate](https://greenlivingguy.com/2007/04/climate-report-poor-will-suffer-most/)
Reality Project and Public Citizen launching a campaign on May 1. A campaign to 
pressure national television news outlets to call climate change a crisis – and 
cover it like one. The campaign includes a petition drive, a letter to network CEOs
and a May 8 Tweet storm aimed at the networks.
 ⌊Climate change is affecting ice
caps⌉

The first quarter of 2019 saw a spike in mentions of climate as a crisis or emergency.
Through April 24, 141 segments referred to climate change by those terms, almost
triple the number for all of 2018. However, a major reason for the increase was 
the president’s declaration of a national emergency at the border. Sixty-three percent
of the uses of crisis or emergency language in 2019 discussed whether a future Democratic
president could use the same power as Trump to designate climate change as a national
emergency.

The number still improved significantly if one excludes segments discussing Trump’s
emergency declaration. The adjusted figure is 52 uses of crisis or emergency in 
the first quarter of 2019, which is more than the total for 2018 (50). This is a
positive trend, but the percentage of mentions is still far too low. I mean with
only 7 percent of all segments in 2019 referring to climate change as a crisis or
emergency, the report stated.

“Climate coverage on broadcast and cable television news is still at best spotty
and at worst riddled with misinformation,” said Allison Fisher, outreach director
for Public Citizen’s Energy Program. “Calling it a crisis indicates that the stakes
are high and that the issue is urgent. Most of all it signals to viewers that the
time to act on climate is now.”

For the analysis, Public Citizen evaluated television news transcripts that included
the word “crisis” or “emergency” within 75 words of “climate change” or “global 
warming.” Public Citizen used Nexis to search transcripts from six national television
news networks: ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC and NBC.

Read the full report here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A recent announcement that 1 million plant and animal species
are at risk of extinction because of human activity received scant coverage in top
newspapers, a new [Public Citizen report](https://www.citizen.org/article/covering-collapse-top-u-s-newspapers-offer-uneven-reporting-on-united-nations-extinction-warning/)
finds.

“[Nature](https://greenlivingguy.com/2016/06/volunteer-with-nature-conservancy-for-the-earth/)
is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history – and the rate of 
species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world
now likely,” said a May 6 summary report from the United Nations Intergovernmental
Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The report summary noted that climate change is the third leading cause of this 
extinction. Other causes are changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of
organisms, pollution and invasive alien species.

But a review of the first week of newspaper coverage of this sobering warning reveals
that 31 of the top 50 newspapers in the United States did not report, editorialize
about or otherwise mention the U.N.’s finding in their print editions.

The search was limited to the top 50 newspapers by circulation. So it omitted many
significant local dailies.  For example The Palm Beach Post and The Charlotte Observer.
Also Capitol Hill publications like The Hill, [Politico](https://greenlivingguy.com/2015/09/foldable-cars-from-politico-magazines-what-works/)
and Roll Call. Nor did the search include trade or online publications, such as 
[Greenlivingguy.com](https://greenlivingguy.com/), Grist or E&E News. The goal was
to get a snapshot of how the largest papers, read by millions, were handling the
announcement.

“It’s astonishing that 31 of the top 50 U.S. papers didn’t see fit to print that
humans are causing one of the fastest mass extinctions in planetary history.  Also
that it will take 10 million years to recover from.  Those comments came from David
Arkush, managing director of Public Citizen’s Climate Program. “A paper that doesn’t
print this or other major climate-related news is failing at its core function! 
Thereby reporting on critical issues of our time.”

Some of the publications that covered the U.N. report summary did so in depth. That’s
with editorials and opinion pieces in addition to news stories. The papers that 
covered the summary produced 48 total pieces. Pieces that at least referenced the
U.N. report.
 ⌊Our earth needs us to report on climate change⌉

And the full report from IPBES releasing later this year.  Thereby giving papers
another chance to inform their readers. Inform them about the devastation we are
doing to the natural world.

#### Public Citizen’s analysis also found that:

1) Among pieces that covered the report, 67% connected the possible extinction of
1 million species to the climate crisis;

2) The Washington Post produced the most coverage, with nine pieces, including three
columns and an editorial;

3) Twenty-nine percent, or 14 of the articles, were reprints from other publications
or wire services. Eight of the 14 reprints were of an Associated Press article;

4) Eight major newspapers editorialized on the report; and

5) Twenty percent of articles, columns and editorials about the U.N. report discussed
barriers to saving threatened species such as efforts by the Trump administration
to weaken the Endangered Species Act.

“What papers did right provides a road map for other news outlets when the full 
U.N. report comes out,” said Allison Fisher, outreach director for Public Citizen’s
Climate Program. “As with the climate change crisis, massive loss of biodiversity
is a story. A story that requires consistent coverage and reporting. One that connects
human existence and behavior to the habitats and climate we depend on. Some papers
are doing just that. The ones that are not should.”

To cover the report, media outlets can use multiple voices and reporting styles (
such as with editorials, columns and news stories), use humor, connect the report
to the climate crisis, localize the findings, discuss solutions, put the report 
in political context, reprint good coverage and listen to readers.

Find press releases and additional media contacts [here](https://web.archive.org/web/20190917095058/https://www.citizen.org/article/press-releases-about-nejm-study-comparing-costs-in-for-profit-and-nonprofit-hospitals/).

**Source: Public Citizen**

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 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
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