News outlets in Connecticut and nationwide should re-evaluate how they depict climate change, according to a new study.
A Yale Program on Climate Change Communications study finds positive "fun in the sun" pictures for stories about extreme heat dulls the message. It comes as Connecticut and the nation face higher temperatures from climate change, with 2025 being the third hottest year on record in a row.
Matthew Goldberg, a research scientist with the Yale Program, said there are some risks to oversimplifying climate change.
"I don’t want to downplay the complexities that are at play here," he said, "so there might be some situations where a image with more positive connotations is more welcoming to a reader that might click in to read a story."
The best way to correct this issue is for news outlets to use more appropriate images for stories, he said. While negative and neutral images get the message across about climate change’s implications, there are limits. Goldberg warned that going too negative can be a turn-off for readers and may lead them to not read a story.
Images studied came from various news sources, with Goldberg noting even the most reputable news outlets often use positive imagery for extreme heat stories. Researchers found people who hadn't experienced a heat wave in the last year benefited the most from stories that use critical imagery.
"You might expect messages consistent with one's experience might lead to the most positive effect," he said. "But, when we flip that, it’s actually more that the people who have not experienced very much of this or have heard this much about this tend to show more promising effects because they have a lower starting baseline."
With this initial study done, Goldberg said he thinks follow-up research could look into what catches attention for news stories on extreme heat in the first place. He noted that it can be challenging for people to want to read these stories, but tracking attention metrics, either on social media or on news outlet websites, can better inform the strategies of outlets and reporters.
Source: Public News Service
