Climate Change Journalism: From Agony to Agonistic Debate

Authors

  • Yves Pepermans University of Antwerp
  • Pieter Maeseele University of Antwerp

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v40i0.49257

Keywords:

climate change, journalistic norms, (de-)politicization, objectivity

Abstract

Starting from a politicized outlook on climate change, this essay criticizes mainstream journalistic norms for failing to enable an agonistic, democratic debate about how to move forward. Based on a targeted search for examples from the reporting (and reflection thereof) of two Dutch-speaking alternative news sites (DeWereldMorgen and De Correspondent), we seek to illustrate how their respective (climate) journalists look for truth, generate democratic debate and hold power accountable by combining practices from constructive journalism, slow journalism and advocacy journalism. We find these journalists to focus on patterns, root causes and underlying values, rather than on novelty or exceptional events. Furthermore, an impartial and detached style of reporting is explicitly denounced in favor of an open and reflexive choice of news-making based on advocacy.

Author Biographies

Yves Pepermans, University of Antwerp

Dr. Yves Pepermans is a policy advisor on energy and climate change at the Flanders Social and Economic Council and affiliated to the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.

Pieter Maeseele, University of Antwerp

Prof. Pieter Maeseele is an associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium.

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Published

2017-04-30

How to Cite

Pepermans, Y., & Maeseele, P. (2017). Climate Change Journalism: From Agony to Agonistic Debate. Desenvolvimento E Meio Ambiente, 40. https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v40i0.49257

Issue

Vol. 40 (2017)

Section

Communication and Climate Change: a necessary and urgent discussion

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