Letter to the editor. The media must give us facts about the climate for the next election
Three years ago we were a bunch who thought it was happening with animal species, climate and the environment did not seem to match what was reported in the media. We decided to clock and summarize these news as « clear » and « less clear ». Our first annual report of « The news report on the climate crisis » presented at the same time as our world sets new heat records.
The broadcasts we review and clock manually – SVT’s report at 19.30, Sweden’s Radio Ekot at 17:45 and TV4 News at 19.00 have reduced its reporting in 2024, where the emergency situation for the climate, biodiversity or other crises is clearly stated. In report 19.30, the decrease is from 3.16 percent in 2023 to 2 percent in 2024, in the echo 17.45 from 1.17 percent to 0.75 percent and in TV4 news 19.00 from 2.42 percent to 2.35 percent.
Not only is the broadcast time for these issues is minimal. Very important news passes completely unnoticed. There are plenty of facts presented continuously in reports by, for example, organizations such as NOAA, Copernicus and IEA as well as international media such as The Guardian, but few of these are noticed or put in a context with good explanations of where in the crisis we are, where we are on the way, how fast it goes and how the crises can be milded or stopped.
According to the UN « Emission GAP Report 2024 » We are globally on our way to 2.6–3.1 degree heating within this century. If not every citizen, alongside the country’s large etheric media, find out what this can in practice mean for the chance to survive for himself and their relatives, then this forecast is completely unknown in the majority of the population. Ekot 17.45 has only mentioned this forecast twice last year, report 19.30 three times and TV4 News 19.00 not once.
The media’s most important role is to review and control the decision of the author. But given how few times the names of our authorities are mentioned in elements about the environment and climate, we wonder if this is so high priority. In the past six months, report 19.30, Ekot 17.45 and TV4 19.00 have mentioned Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) in climate and environmental elements zero, one and zero times respectively. How can our prime minister escape responsibility regarding the greatest destination for humanity?
We can only speculate on why news media is lacking in how they report on these vital crises. We urge journalists, editors and their managers to make visible the climate crisis and species death and give us knowledge and thus more power to influence development.
Knowledge is far from All that is needed for this change, but it is an important puzzle piece. When the fossil industry can waste huge sums on disinformation, we need not least a well -financed television and radio in the public service that can inform, review, form and be a safe port in this difficult time.
What is reported, but also what is not reported, in the news affects opinions and thus in all likelihood also the policy. IN An SVT survey 77 percent say that they do not know that the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues to rise, although we reduce our carbon dioxide emissions, and 80 percent believe incorrectly believe that the proportion of electricity produced with fossil fuels has decreased globally. The SOM report « Environmental and climateopinion in Sweden 2023 » Also shows that as many as 27 percent in Sweden are uncertain whether man affects the climate.
We should be many who are interested in survival and without knowledge we are powerless. So media – please read Our annual report And help us to be read before the 2026 election!
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