A new study found that, among the top three major networks reporting on climate change, Fox News reports the least accurate climate-related news for 2013.
Researchers from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) evaluated the accuracy of cable news coverage for different climate-related stories. Aside from Fox, they also evaluated the coverage done by CNN and MSNBC.
They discovered that Fox News reported about climate science 50 times in 2013 and among these 50 segments, only 14 of them were accurate. The rest, or 72 percent, reported incorrect information about science. Fifty-three percent of these inaccurate reports were reported in a talk show-- The Five-- where the hosts often conduct misleading debates about the climate. The study concluded that in general, the hosts and the guests featured in Fox News' shows are more likely to say incorrect information on air compared to the hosts and guests of the other networks.
CNN, on the other hand, made 43 reports about climate science in 2013. Thirty of these were all factual and accurate while 13 were not. The network's misinformation about climate science stemmed from the shows that featured guests who debate about the topic. According to the analysis, this show format sends a message that climate science is still not agreed upon by the whole science community, which is not true.
MSNBC got the most favorable score for the accuracy tests; their reports about climate science were 92 percent accurate. The eight percent which led to wrong information came from the same source; over generalizing the implications of climate change specifically on the role of climate change in particular weather disturbances such as tornadoes.
In a press release, the UCS reported that the media should be aware of their responsibility to deliver nothing but facts to their audience, especially about important issues like climate change. The UCS recommends airing shows that will educate the audience about climate change the policies developed to address them, rather than staging debates challenging the established and agreed upon facts about it.
