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How Science Contributes to Environmental Reporting in British Newspapers: A Case Study of the Reporting of Global Warming and Climate Change

Environmentalist volume 22, pages 325–331 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

This article examines the role of science in environmental reporting in a number of British newspapers. The findings indicated that in reporting about global warming and climate change, the views of scientists were used to give legitimacy to the content of articles. However, in both the tabloids and broadsheets, there was little evidence provided, in the form of data, to substantiate the claims being made. Furthermore, uncertainties about global warming were not explored effectively. Newspaper reports tended to focus on the potential consequences of global warming, but made little attempt to address the suspected causes that would inevitably involve criticism of highly consumptive lifestyles in the west.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia

    Neil Taylor

  2. Faculty of Humanities and Social Science, South Bank University, London, UK

    Subhashni Nathan

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  1. Neil Taylor
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  2. Subhashni Nathan
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Taylor, N., Nathan, S. How Science Contributes to Environmental Reporting in British Newspapers: A Case Study of the Reporting of Global Warming and Climate Change. The Environmentalist 22, 325–331 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020762813548

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020762813548

  • newspapers
  • environmental reporting
  • global warming
  • science
  • UK