STUDY: Top Cable News Coverage Of Federal Climate Change Report Cast Doubt On Science

From:  Media Matters 

by May 9, 2014 3:30 PM EDT ››› LAURA SANTHANAM

Climate Keeps Changing, But Cable Network Reporting Stays The Same

National Climate Assessment Gains Widespread Media Attention

Federal Report Finds Threat Of Climate Change "Has Moved Firmly Into The Present." The U.S. Global Change Research Program released its third National Climate Assessment (NCA) report on May 6, outlining how climate change already has left its mark across the United States along with the dire consequences that can be expected if no action is taken to mitigate global warming. The news gained widespread media attention, making the top fold of every major U.S. newspaper except for The Wall Street Journal. From the report:

Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present. Corn producers in Iowa, oyster growers in Washington State, and maple syrup producers in Vermont are all observing climate-related changes that are outside of recent experience. So, too, are coastal planners in Florida, water managers in the arid Southwest, city dwellers from Phoenix to New York, and Native Peoples on tribal lands from Louisiana to Alaska. This National Climate Assessment concludes that the evidence of human-induced climate change continues to strengthen and that impacts are increasing across the country. [U.S. Global Change Research Program, 5/6/14; Media Matters, 5/7/14]

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