Data on climate change coverage on broadcast news programs in the United States revealed that in 2023, the combined number of minutes dedicated to the topic amounted to 1,032 minutes, or just over 17 hours. This marked a decrease from the 1,374 minutes (almost 23 hours) of coverage recorded in 2022. ABC, CBS, and NBC each have their own initiatives when it comes to covering climate change, and overall growth in the amount of coverage is clear compared to 2020 when coverage was largely focused on COVID-19. However, the source noted that the amount of coverage in 2021 accounted for just over one percent of all broadcast news programming that year.
Number of minutes of climate coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox broadcast news programs combined in the United States from 2020 to 2023
includes morning news, nightly news, and Sunday morning political shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC, and the Sunday morning political show on Fox
Supplementary notes
The source searched transcripts in the Nexis database for: ABC's Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and This Week BS’ Mornings, Evening News, and Face the Nation; NBC’s Today, Nightly News, and Meet the Press; Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday; and PBS NewsHour for any of the terms and any derivations of the following terms: climate change, global warming, changing climate, climate warms, climate warming, warming climate, warmer climate, warming planet, warmer planet, warming globe, warmer globe,global temperatures, rising temperatures, hotter temperatures, climate science, climate scientist, Paris climate, climate accord, Paris accord, climate agreement, Paris agreement, climate deal, climate crisis, green new deal, climate conference, climate plan, COP 26, carbon emissions, greenhouse gases, or net zero.
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Media Matters for America. (March 14, 2024). Number of minutes of climate coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox broadcast news programs combined in the United States from 2020 to 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308464/broadcast-tv-news-climate-change-coverage/
Media Matters for America. "Number of minutes of climate coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox broadcast news programs combined in the United States from 2020 to 2023." Chart. March 14, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308464/broadcast-tv-news-climate-change-coverage/
Media Matters for America. (2024). Number of minutes of climate coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox broadcast news programs combined in the United States from 2020 to 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308464/broadcast-tv-news-climate-change-coverage/
Media Matters for America. "Number of Minutes of Climate Coverage on Abc, Cbs, Nbc, and Fox Broadcast News Programs Combined in The United States from 2020 to 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 14 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308464/broadcast-tv-news-climate-change-coverage/
Media Matters for America, Number of minutes of climate coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox broadcast news programs combined in the United States from 2020 to 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308464/broadcast-tv-news-climate-change-coverage/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Number of minutes of climate coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox broadcast news programs combined in the United States from 2020 to 2023 [Graph], Media Matters for America, March 14, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308464/broadcast-tv-news-climate-change-coverage/
