Hold the media accountable for climate silence in wildfire coverage

Wildfires are growing more extreme every year, and climate change is a major cause. It's time for the media to say so.

Harris, Wildfires are only half the story: Climate change is the missing half. As wildfires grow more intense, frequent, and widespread, they dominate the headlines. But far too often, the real cause is left out: fossil fuel-driven climate change is making these disasters worse -- and the media's failure to say so is just another smokescreen. This month, smoke from massive Canadian wildfires darkened skies across the Midwest, from the Mackinac Bridge to Chicago. Yet most coverage -- from CBS News to Michigan Live and even The New York Times -- failed to mention the role of rising temperatures and climate-driven drought in making these fires more destructive. This pattern isn't new. During the devastating 2016 wildfires in Alberta, the Times reported on the oil industry impact but never mentioned climate change. And now, new research from Media Matters shows that just 6% of TV wildfire coverage connects the dots at all. Tell major news outlets like ABC, NBC, CBS, and The New York Times to acknowledge climate change in wildfire coverage and include experts in climate and fire science to explain how burning fossil fuels increases the risk and severity of fires. ADD YOUR NAME When journalists skip the science, they don't just miss a detail -- they tell an incomplete story. And that has real consequences. If people don't understand how the climate crisis affects their daily lives, they're less likely to support the science, policies, and solutions that can protect us. We deserve better. Our news outlets must stop treating climate change like a separate issue, or worse yet, as if it were still unproven or controversial. Climate change is real, it's here, and it's central to what's driving these disasters -- and to how we respond. Wildfires are not just random tragedies -- they're blaring red-light alarms from a planet in crisis. It's time the media told the whole truth about the wildfire-climate connection. Sign the petition to demand they do! Thank you for calling for responsible media coverage of the underlying cause of the worsening fires, and what we must do now to bring them under control. -Rick Rick Weiland TakeItBack.Org Fund the Fight Paid for in part by TakeItBack.Org. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions to TakeItBack.Org are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. Contributions to TakeItBack.Org support its many efforts nationwide and any focus is at TakeItBack.Org's sole discretion. Contributions will not necessarily be used to support activity in any one state or specific campaign. All content © 2023 TakeItBack.Org, All Rights Reserved P.O. Box 2017, Sioux Falls, SD 57101 (605) 274 8706 Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from TakeItBack.Org, please click here.