www.ijsc-online.org | IJSC 3 (2008): 152-170

FRAMING CLIMATE CHANGE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF A US AND A CANADIAN NEWSPAPER

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Bruno Takahashi

Abstract: Media framing of controversial issues such as climate change can have an effect on public opinion and public policies. This framing can vary significantly across nations even when the effects of climate change can be similar across geographi-cal regions. In this study, a comparative analysis of the coverage and framing of climate change by a US and a Canadian newspaper is presented. The analysis ap-plies a modified version of a coding instrument developed by McComas & Shanahan (1999). The results share similarities with previous efforts focusing on media coverage of climate change. Factors influencing media coverage include: the country’s political context, media ownership, and focusing events, among others. Additionally, this study provides a first approximation to the use of dif-ferent terms to define the issue. The results show that the change, from green-house effect, to global warming, to climate change does not reflect clearly the editorial lines of the newspapers, suggesting the need for further studies in this area.

Keywords: climate change, global warming, mass media, newspapers, agenda setting, framing