A Burning House, a Quiet Media, a Silenced Majority

The document analyzes a global trend of decreasing climate coverage in news media, particularly in the US, while identifying specific reasons for this decline and offering a prescription for revitalizing climate journalism to reflect the high level of public concern.

• Global climate coverage in news media declined by 14% in 2025, according to data from the Media and Climate Change Observatory at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
• The decline in climate reporting is more pronounced in the United States, where major outlets like The Washington Post, CBS News, and NBC News have reduced their climate teams or airtime. Specifically, the three major broadcast networks decreased climate-related airtime by 35%.
• Several factors contribute to the reduction in coverage: a high volume of competing news stories (such as the Iran war), newsroom staff cuts driven by corporate profit priorities, and a mirroring of political leadership, specifically the climate denial of US president Donald Trump.
• Despite the drop in coverage, internal newsroom data suggests the public remains interested in climate change, particularly when stories move away from scientific studies toward human interest, enterprise, and explainer formats.
• A significant gap exists between public opinion and media representation; while 80–89% of people globally want stronger government climate action, many are unaware they are part of a majority because this is not reflected in news coverage.

APA

Hertsgaard, M. (2026). A Burning House, a Quiet Media, a Silenced Majority. Covering Climate Now. https://coveringclimatenow.org/projects/a-burning-house-a-quiet-media-a-silenced-majority/

Chicago

Hertsgaard, Mark. A Burning House, a Quiet Media, a Silenced Majority. Covering Climate Now, 2026. https://coveringclimatenow.org/projects/a-burning-house-a-quiet-media-a-silenced-majority/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hertsgaard |first1=Mark |title=A Burning House, a Quiet Media, a Silenced Majority |publisher=Covering Climate Now |date=16 April 2026 |url=https://coveringclimatenow.org/projects/a-burning-house-a-quiet-media-a-silenced-majority/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hertsgaard2026burning, author = {Hertsgaard, Mark}, title = {{A Burning House, a Quiet Media, a Silenced Majority}}, institution = {Covering Climate Now}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://coveringclimatenow.org/projects/a-burning-house-a-quiet-media-a-silenced-majority/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }