The role of the press and its interest in climate change

Catalina-García B.; Lozano Ascencio C.; Franz Amaral M.; Santillán-Vásquez M. · Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente (2026) · DOI: 10.5380/dma.v67i.98228

Resumen

The increase in Extreme Weather Events (EWE), largely driven by climate change, is also echoed in media coverage. However, their reporting shows little adaptation. This study analyses the coverage of four EWEs (hurricanes, cyclones, torrential rains, and cut-off lows) in four leading newspapers in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and Spain during 2023. Based on a content analysis, the most relevant findings reveal a lack of depth in reporting, greater reliance on political than scientific sources, the dissociation of the EWEs with climate change, the use of photographs that accentuate negative values, and news coverage that focuses on the “after” and rarely on the “before” of these events. These findings can serve as a reference for future studies on environmental reporting and, in turn, for improving how EWEs are covered in the media, which must uphold their role as guarantors of accurate, detailed, and in-depth information in the face of the flood of disinformation already surrounding these climate phenomena.

Instituciones: Universidad de Lima