Two Words For The Media

The “Super Typhoon” that recently charged across the Pacific and pummeled the Philippines certainly caught the attention of every major news outlet.  And it’s easy to understand why:  It was the strongest tropical typhoon ever recorded with devastating consequences for an entire nation, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths. An estimated 615,000 people have been displaced, and up to 4.3 million people have been affected, according to government sources.

 

Photo Courtesy of ScienceBlogs.com

Photo courtesy of The Guardian UK

Television, radio, web, and print media featured everything from the anatomy of the storm describing near record winds and towering storm surges, images of the violent destruction left in its wake, and stories of human suffering and a rising death toll.

Yet, there were two words conspicuously absent from the coverage: Climate Change.  

Less than 5 percent of Typhoon Haiyan coverage actually mentioned it, despite that fact that most scientists agree that there is a causal relationship between global warming and severe storms such as this.

 

Graphics Courtesy of Media Matters

In the six days after the typhoon made landfall, only about 4.6 percent of articles and segments produced about Typhoon Haiyan mentioned climate change.  Print outlets were the “boldest” – yet only 10 percent mentioned the phrase.  TV outlets were far less likely to mention climate change in their coverage (network news mentioned climate change in only 4 percent of coverage and cable in 3 percent) compared to print outlets.  Of course there are many scientific uncertainties around the factors contributing to storms such as Super Typhoon Haiyan, but reputable scientists are on the same page in their assessment that rising sea levels driven by manmade climate change worsen the damage caused by these storms. 

Photo Courtesy of The Washington Post

Shortly after Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines, the United Nations  (U.N.) Conference of the Parties convened in Warsaw for its 19^th annual climate summit where the tragedy in the Philippines became a major talking point. 

U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive director Christiana Figueres, stated the typhoon was part of the “sobering reality” of global warming. (quoted in Did Climate Change Cause Supertyphoon Haiyan? | TIME.com, November 11, 2013).

But perhaps the most potent message came from U.N. Delegate from the Philippines, Yeb Sano, when he tearfully called for progress on Climate Change, urging governments to take action in the wake of Haiyan's devastation. 

 

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Though the mainstream media has been completely remiss in addressing the climate change issue, Sano’s plea went viral, gaining nearly a million YouTube views in one week. 

Given a standing ovation, Sano was also supported by other government representatives and activists who expressed support for the causes and demands of the Philippine delegation. He is fasting until a meaningful breakthrough in the climate talks is achieved -- but we're not hearing about this in the mainstream news either.

"The world is watching and is anxiously awaiting the outcome of these talks. It is obvious that more and more people, more and more nations are bearing the brunt of climate change. As the recent victim of these extreme weather conditions caused by climate change, it is but proper for the Philippines, especially its young people, to support our Philippine delegation. We join them as we collectively fast and donate our foregone meals to reinforce our call for swift climate action and to commiserate with the victims of the recent super typhoon." Undersecretary Leon Flores III, Chairman of the National Youth Commission (NYC) stressed. [Philippine Information Agency, 11/18/13]

The mainstream news media needs to get one thing straight.  There is NO debate on climate change.  Those who deny that it is real or call it a hoax are not only sorely and scientifically inaccurate, but gravely irresponsible.  To ignore it as an issue is nothing short of negligent.  We, as citizens need to take the media to task and demand that they do their job with journalistic integrity and report the scientific truth. 

Read More:

http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/11/19/typhoon-haiyan-study-finds-media-rarely-covered/196961

http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

http://epa.gov/climatechange/basics/facts.html

Do More:

Write to your local papers and news outlets and demand that they cover critical issues such as climate change in a meaningful way.

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