Climate change communication by the local digital press in northeastern Argentina: An ethical analysis

Abstract

News articles about Climate Change (CC) represent the level of knowledge of the phenomenon by journalists and the public, as well as the value assigned to problems of ethical and transgenerational nature in a given society. Digital articles related to CC released by media from northeast Argentina were reviewed to study how the local digital press addresses the CC in this region as well as the social representation of the news. An analysis of the content of news articles released in the period January 2016–March 2018 was carried out to identify components that explain their social representation. This study shows that local digital media publish articles about regionally important topics. However, news about CC appear mainly when hydroclimatic events occur. Many of the digital media that release CC information are connected to important social sectors in the region, such as agriculture and economics. A difference between national and local media is that the first ones focus on international events while the latter show the regional reality. Our results also show that no exchange or reciprocity mechanism exists among CC stakeholders, such as journalists, academics and decision-makers. Consequently, building new ways to communicate CC remains a challenge. The media together with scientists, and policy-makers, have a fundamental role in showing the ethical value and importance of caring for Nature and our environment, so to leave the best possible world for future generations.