Newspapers are commonly known for not being the most reliable tool for information, however they are not the least either i.e. the dreaded wikipedia! There main purpose is to sell there work to the largest audience as possible. Due to this demand there publications on issues such as climate change can occasionally be unreliable or misleading especially with regards to the headline as this is what first catches people’s attention.

There are two different types of newspaper, these are broadsheet and tabloid. They differ in their physical size, catchment group and content. Research shows that broadsheets are considered to be more reliable and hold accurate more informative articles, whereas tabloids are generally simplified and have the potential to be exaggerated in order to emphasise a subject.

Climate change articles are not necessarily unreliable but negative articles are more likely to be produced as these attract more attention. The fact that all articles on climate change are negative gives an inaccurate view of the subject which is then where the unreliability factor comes in. However you can never tell if an article on a topic such as global warming is reliable as even ‘the top dogs’ in climate change research disagree with others opinions of such a vast and complex subject.

A study by Maxwell Boykoff of climate change in the tabloids shows that it’s the tabloids that have a higher circulation of almost 10 times that of broadsheets, proving that dramatised, over exaggerated ‘bad news’ is a bigger seller than the reliable news.

Climate change articles are often linked to sustainable development as when negative climate change and global warming articles are published they tend to lead people to suggest ‘sustainable’ ways in which to reduce impacts on the environment.

Further reading

The cultural politics of climate change discourse in UK tabloids – Maxwell. T. Boykoff