Dear Journalists of Canada: Start Reporting Climate Change as an Emergency | The Tyee
On May 6, the United Nations released
a scientific report warning that around a million species are
threatened with extinction due to human activity, including climate
change. But, according to an analysis by Media Matters for America,
on the day of that release, the nightly newscasts of ABC and NBC felt
it was more important that their audiences learned about the birth of
the newest Royal baby — someone who will likely never have any say over
their day-to-day lives. And I’ve found most of Canada’s 15 most-read
English language daily broadsheets felt the same way.
a scientific report warning that around a million species are
threatened with extinction due to human activity, including climate
change. But, according to an analysis by Media Matters for America,
on the day of that release, the nightly newscasts of ABC and NBC felt
it was more important that their audiences learned about the birth of
the newest Royal baby — someone who will likely never have any say over
their day-to-day lives. And I’ve found most of Canada’s 15 most-read
English language daily broadsheets felt the same way.
Between May 6 and 7, 13 of those newspapers
failed to front stories about the United Nations’ devastating finding.
Instead, the National Post ran a story about the Duke and Duchess of
Sussex’s son, with 10 others teasing that birth on their front pages.
Eight of the teasers were placed above-the-fold, next to a photograph,
or both — drawing reader attention to pictures of Harry, Meghan and
their beaming well-wishers.