In November 2024, Re.Climate published its annual report on climate change coverage in Canada’s national media. Led by Dr. Ghadah Alrasheed, the research team analyzed over 16,000 stories from top national outlets such as the Globe and Mail, CBC, Toronto Star, and the National Post, spanning from January to March and June to August 2024. Additionally, the team conducted an in-depth review of more than 100 news articles, examining them for key themes, solutions-oriented framing, and recurring messengers. (Watch the webinar: Climate Change and Solutions in Canada’s National Media and Read the webinar recap)
The analysis discovered that climate change coverage in Canada is going up. That’s good news. Yet, the media are not doing as well in explaining the causes and solutions of climate change. This is happening while Canadians’ understanding of climate change causes and solutions is declining, hindering climate-informed decision-making on personal and political levels.
As communications practitioners, we can help change this. We can influence news headlines across the country, boost climate change media coverage, and change how the media covers it.
Practitioners can add the following six tools to their media outreach toolbox to get started.
1. Understand the needs of journalists
The media landscape in Canada is quickly changing. With decreasing ad revenues and increasing business costs, many newsrooms have laid off reporters or closed altogether in recent years. This means many newsrooms have fewer reporters, especially specialized reporters, to cover the news. More newsrooms are trying to do more with less, stretching reporters thin.
Communications practitioners can help make reporters’ jobs easier by providing backgrounders and fact sheets, and straight-to-the-point press releases with easy-to-pull quotes.
Also, remember that local and national media approach stories from different angles. National media cover stories of national importance and quickly move on to other stories. In comparison, local media want to know how an issue impacts their community and want to hear from people in their communities. Keep this in mind when you are doing your media outreach.
2. Share impactful visuals
The images used by the media can tell powerful stories.
Communications practitioners can support media in using impactful imagery by sharing photos and videos when doing media outreach.
If you are looking for some guidance on what to share, Climate Outreach’s Climate Visuals has seven principles for visual climate communications, including showing real people, showing climate causes at scale, and showing local (but serious) impacts. By keeping these principles in mind, you can provide climate images and b-roll to journalists that will make their audiences pay more attention.
3. Build relationships with reporters
Reporters, especially ones at the national level, sometimes receive hundreds of pitches in a day. It’s easy for your pitch to get lost in the mix.
To avoid this, it’s important to build relationships with reporters. You can do this by following them on social media, interacting with them, researching what issues they are covering, and keeping them up to date on the latest policies, research, and trends in the climate space that relate to what they cover. Be sure to share credible and sourced information with them.
4. Bring in more trusted voices
The media is a tool for reaching your target audiences. When considering your target audiences, it is essential to include voices they trust in your media outreach.
Re.Climate’s Five Canadas audience segmentation research shows Canadians trust healthcare professionals and frontline responders, such as firefighters. Include these spokespeople in your press conferences, press releases, and op-eds. Also, include local groups, small businesses, and residents of communities impacted by climate change. Provide media training so your spokespeople are ready when a media opportunity strikes.
5. Correct misinformation
Journalists take the accuracy of their stories very seriously. As communications practitioners, we can ensure the media shares up-to-date and scientifically accurate information about climate change by staying on top of the media cycle. We can actively engage with journalists to correct misrepresentations and inaccuracies by providing clear, scientifically backed evidence. Some outlets also have ombudsmen you can contact to share your concerns about their coverage.
6. Continue to underscore the causes of climate change and Canada’s role
As Re.Climate’s media analysis found, media in Canada are not connecting the dots about the causes of and solutions for climate change. Communications practitioners, through their messaging, can help change this.
Communications practitioners need to continue to stress that the burning of fossil fuels—like oil, gas, and coal—is by far the largest cause of climate change. Also, it must be mentioned that Canada is one of the world’s top 12 biggest climate polluters. Canada has not yet met an emissions target, while our peers—including the U.S.—have reduced carbon pollution. Continuing to have these messages in your media outreach will increase the chances that the media will include them in their stories.
Communications practitioners have an essential role to play
While increased coverage of climate change in Canada’s national media is a positive development, a significant gap exists in how the causes and solutions to the crisis are communicated. Communications practitioners have a crucial role to play in bridging this gap. By understanding journalists’ needs, building strong relationships, incorporating trusted voices, and staying proactive in correcting misinformation, we can help shape a more accurate and comprehensive narrative on climate change in Canada’s media.
Furthermore, consistently emphasizing the role of fossil fuels in driving the climate crisis and Canada’s responsibility in addressing it will help ensure that these key messages reach the media and, ultimately, the public.
As communicators, we are all responsible for helping ensure that climate change coverage is increasing, impactful, and solutions-oriented. Visit our resources page for more guides and information to support your work.
Jennifer Mayville is Re.Climate’s Strategic Services Director.
