Climate change deniers should not be given a place in business coverage at a time when industries from agriculture to insurance are making real financial decisions dealing with its impact, according to some of the nation’s top business journalists.
Joe Strupp of Media Matters for America writes, “With climate scientists in agreement that climate change is occurring and being triggered by human activity, major companies are acknowledging and evaluating the impact of that change on their businesses. Top consulting groups have pointed out that climate change is a major risk to insurance companies, and a 2011 survey found that most investors now consider climate change consequences across their organization’s entire investment portfolio.
“In spite of this emerging consensus among business leaders that climate change is a real concern for their companies, Media Matters found that 24 of the 47 substantial mentions or segments on climate change in 2013 on CNBC, or about 51 percent, cast doubt on whether man-made climate change even existed. Prominent CNBC figures have claimed that climate change is simple ‘a scam analysis’ by ‘high priests.’ More than 14,000 people have signed Forecast The Facts’ petition calling urging CNBC’s executives to stop their network from promoting climate change denial.
“Kevin Hall, McClatchy national economics correspondent and president of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, said that CNBC’s promotion of climate denial is unusual.
“‘I don’t see a lot of evidence that deniers get a lot of ink,’ he said. ‘I think it is in the broader political debate. The insurance industry hasn’t waited to see if this is going to be correct or not, they are making certain assumptions, they are acting accordingly, they are not doubting it, their livelihood depends on it.'”
Read more here.
The Senior Money Editor will be responsible for content creation and strategy for money and personal finance recommendation and…
Josh Witt, a reporter at the Wichita Business Journal, is leaving the American City Business…
Business Insider has named Jack Sommers its interim UK bureau chief. He has been a deputy editor…
WFMZ-TV is seeking a dynamic Business Reporter with a passion for reporting and an ability…
CNBC is throwing its weight behind its nascent CNBC Sport brand, bringing its sports business coverage to…
Ken Bensinger of The New York Times writes about how right-leaning media organizations have not emphasized…
View Comments
" 24 of the 47 substantial mentions or segments on climate change in 2013 on CNBC, or about 51 percent, cast doubt on whether man-made climate change even existed."
This is exactly right. Once again the author cannot communicate the story clearly to the reader. Let me help; most businesses need to assess risk, and a changing climate is a valid risk which businesses are now considering. Why they have not been doing this for the past 100 years is not known, but at least they are considering the risk now. They do not care at all if it is human or naturally caused, they are simply assessing the potential risk to their business. CNBC reporters now understand that the climate changes whether humans exist or not, whether today's climate change is human-caused is merely speculation. So news reporters have it right. Business are now assessing the risk as they should have been doing all along, and the author is merely deluded himself into believing that climate change is due to human activity alone. CNBC is right, and they are ahead of the curve.