https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4155-6243
![Sample our Humanities journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5939/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Humanities.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Survey results from news consumers around the world suggest that specialist or niche websites covering climate change are now one of the most important sources of climate information. However, there is very little detailed scholarship about these sites. We carried out semi-structured interviews with senior representatives of 14 online information sites, based in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries, which prioritize the provision of climate information following journalistic values. Through qualitative analysis of the interviews, we show how the sites carve out their niche authority and distinctive nature by emphasizing (to different degrees) their scientific expertise, relevance for policy communication, and their complementary contribution to the work of mainstream journalism. They offer a multiplicity of specialized content, broadly divided into certain, often discrete, aspects of climate change. The self-declared role perceptions of the interviewees suggest that traditional, professional journalistic values eschewing overt advocacy still predominate, although some of the practices, norms and priorities associated with these values have shifted, particularly in their roles as effective and authoritative mediators of climate science. At the theoretical level, the findings highlight the need to study “the niche” at the intersection of broader dimensions of authority, power and knowledge in changing media ecologies.
Acknowledgements
This project was led by Professor Risto Kunelius of the University of Helsinki. All respondents were informed about the aims of the interview and the research and they agreed to be interviewed. The Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK does not require an ethical review for this type of research participant, or their written consent before publication.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 See for example the Covering Climate Now initiative (www.coveringclimatenow.org); https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/2022/02/10/post-announces-newsroom-expansion-adding-more-than-70-positions-2022/; https://www.ap.org/press-releases/2022/ap-announces-sweeping-climate-journalism-initiative
2 The source for all monthly visit statistics is www.similarweb.com, accessed in February 2022.
3 Carbon Brief received eight million visits just for one graphic it published in January 2020, partly because it was re-tweeted by the Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg. See https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1214150289378435072
4 See for example Climate Wire’s list of government officials, corporations, and think tanks amongst others. https://www.eenews.net/customer-stories/
8 We intended to include a fifth representative of this sub-group from Finland but chose not to include it due to its primary purpose not being journalism.
11 See, for example, https://www.desmog.co.uk/2019/06/07/brexit-climate-denier-map
13 Senior editors, managing editors or directors are often former (senior) journalists at mainstream media, as is the case with Carbon Brief, China Dialogue, Climate Wire, ECIU, EOK, ICN, Third Pole, and TRF.