Rising Seas: Representations of Antarctica, Climate Change, and Sea Level Rise in U.S. Newspaper Coverage

Abstract

A changing Antarctica carries large implications for global climate systems and sea level rise. However, how climate change is altering Antarctica and how these changes and their relevance are communicated in news media remains unclear. This study explores how Antarctica, climate change, and sea level rise are reported in news media by conducting a content analysis of Antarctic climate coverage in seven U.S. newspapers between March 2007 and December 2022. Findings suggest that newspaper reporting of Antarctica’s changing climate is limited, and that framed coverage about Antarctica, climate change, and sea level rise primarily emphasizes scientific and ecological implications.

Data used to conduct this study include: 1) A spreadsheet detailing article metadata for the 987 texts analyzed in this study. Details include the headline, outlet, author, data of publication, and ID number assigned to each article. 2) A spreadsheet containing the results of a content analysis of the 987 texts examined in this study. Analytical reliability was statistically assessed using a two-person inter-coder reliability process.