How Can Journalism Get Better at Covering Climate Change?

Journalism is good at tracking sensational, fast-breaking news such as local homicides and sports events, but sometimes performs not quite as well in covering slow-developing, global stories such as climate change. This is not helpful to the public, especially because fossil fuel interests fervently underwrite messages designed to confuse the issue. Though fewer reporters now engage in the false equivalency of portraying climate scientists and climate deniers as equally qualified and credible, covering climate change remains challenging. In this article for the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard, Joshua Benton sets the record straight about what the public seeks in climate change coverage.