New research carried out by Impress, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, has uncovered that a large majority of the UK population are not accessing independently regulated climate change news.
The report found that just 18.4% of the UK’s reading population (56,616,994) are regularly accessing climate information that is held to the standards of independent press regulation.
By focusing on Impress publications which regularly focus on climate change as a topic, this project uncovered a worrying lack of independently regulated information reaching the public, potentially fostering an environment where climate misinformation and conspiracy theories can flourish.
“There is no subject upon which so many misleading statistics are freely peddled by climate change sceptics,” Impress chair Richard Ayre said.
“The news media, regulators, and, crucially, the online platforms all have an overriding imperative to sort truth from fiction, to counter misinformation, take down disinformation, promote accuracy over propaganda, intelligence over ignorance, and public honesty over political opportunism.
“It is barely an exaggeration to say that our futures depend upon getting this right.”
Utilising the latest figures of Impress publication’s total unique monthly visitors (10,438,727) and data from the Office For National Statistics, we were able to identify that only 18.4% of the British reading population were regularly accessing interpedently regulated climate information.
The paper concludes with a call for those passionate about tackling climate change and improving the quality of information to collaborate moving forward on further research and policy initiatives in the field.
Dr. Dominic Hinde, a lecturer in sociology at the University of Glasgow, worked with Impress on the research and highlighted the need for greater collaboration between organisations in order to promote independent press regulation and get high-quality climate information to the public.
“Climate change is not a distant threat or an exclusive concern among scientists and researchers; it is the defining political, social, and economic issue of this – and future – generations,” Hinde said.
“Yet, as the impacts of climate change grow increasingly apparent, media coverage has often failed to address the topic in ways that serve the public interest or reflect the urgency of the crisis.
“Working from data on Impress’ own membership and the landscape of the UK media as a whole, we see that only a small fraction of publications in the United Kingdom provide independently regulated climate coverage where scientists, the public and policy professionals can seek correction and the upholding of standards through independent regulation.”
About Impress
Impress is a champion for news that can be trusted. We are here to make sure news providers can publish with integrity; and the public can engage in an ever-changing media landscape with confidence. We set the highest regulatory standards for news, offer education to help people make informed choices and provide resolution when disputes arise.
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Louie Chandler: louie@impressorg.com / 02033076778
