How Can Journalism's Effort to Report Without Bias Contribute to Climate

question 29

Multiple Choice

How can journalism's effort to report without bias contribute to climate change denialism?

• A) Because they are committed to citing credible sources, journalists are unable to locate many scholarly sources that say that climate change is not real or does not have human causes. This causes readers who want to hear that argument to do their own online research, and then they often find themselves reading information from conspiracy theorists.
• B) Journalists often try to present "both sides of a story," but claims that climate change is not real or has no human causes is not credible, so including that "side" of this story suggests that there is scientific debate when there is, in reality, strong consensus.
• C) Because they want to appeal to a wide range of readers or viewers, journalists hesitate to report on the most frightening stories about climate change, which then makes readers and viewers underestimate the danger.
• D) Because news media often relies on the sale of advertising, they are inherently biased in favor of corporations and thus are unlikely to report on the main cause of pollution: the quest for profit.

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Definitions:

Formal Organization

A large secondary group organized to accomplish a complex task or set of tasks.

Multidimensional Risk

Refers to the complex, interrelated factors that contribute to the potential for negative outcomes in various contexts, encompassing physical, psychological, and social dimensions.

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Mental health disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

Sociocultural Conditions

The influence of societal and cultural factors on individual behaviors, beliefs, and practices.