Words matter. The truth matters. We know now—more than ever—the stories we read and watch and share matter. These stories can change the direction of our country, and our lives.
In a year unlike any other, we witnessed hardworking newsrooms’ dedication, rigor, and commitment to telling the truth about critical stories like the global pandemic, the economic recession, and the fight for racial justice.
But there is a story and crisis that looms above all others. Never before in recorded history have we seen U.S. temperatures rise above 130 degrees Fahrenheit, western wildfires burn more than eight million acres, and five tropical cyclones spinning at once through the Atlantic. The climate crisis is not our future. It’s here. And it is the story of our time.
Despite the severity of this unfolding crisis, CNN is failing to report on it with the same dedication, rigor, and commitment given to other national and global emergencies. We call on you to change how CNN & CNN Weather report on the climate crisis, starting now.
Two years ago, scientists with the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published the landmark study, Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees. We learned clearly; humanity had to cut heat-trapping emissions roughly in half by 2030 to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown. We had “12 years to save the planet.” Those 12 years are now 10.
CNN’s periodic dedicated climate reports are important, but not enough. Reporting from CNN & CNN Weather falls short given readers’ expectations. According to polling from End Climate Silence, more than 7 in 10 Americans (72 percent) say that if there is a connection between an extreme weather event and climate change, they want to hear about it in the news, including 85 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of independents, and 62 percent of Republicans. Further, 75 percent of Americans think it’s important for news coverage of extreme weather to explain its connections to climate change. Critically, majorities say they are more likely to use news sources that cover the climate crisis more frequently.
The American public is waking up to the nightmare of human-driven climate breakdown. It is time for CNN & CNN Weather to do the same. This means:
- CNN must identify the climate crisis as a matter of editorial priority and give reporting on its impacts top placement, both online and in daily news segments.
- CNN must ensure the climate crisis is covered by every beat, reporting on its impacts in every aspect of our lives, from the economy, to public health, to transportation, to food production and security, and more.
- CNN must connect the climate crisis to the fight for racial justice in America, reporting on how the crisis disproportionately harms communities of color.
- CNN must immediately update how it reports on extreme weather events:
- CNN must no longer omit climate change in headlines and stories about the impacts of climate change (see scientifically accurate reporting from Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and Associated Press).
- CNN must no longer exclude references to climate change as the key driver of weather events, including record-breaking heat, drought, and wildfires.
- CNN must no longer report on larger, more threatening tropical storms and hurricanes without clearly stating Atlantic hurricanes are getting stronger because of climate change.
- CNN must no longer report on never-before-seen extreme weather events such as simultaneous tropical storms without including the impact of climate change on hurricanes.
- CNN must no longer report on unique weather events such as the polar vortex without explaining how even cold weather occurrences are often connected to climate change.
In an ever-decreasing window of opportunity to educate Americans on the severity of this crisis and launch aggressively coordinated, global solutions, your role cannot be understated. Every CNN & CNN Weather meteorologist, every reporter, every producer has a moral obligation to tell the truth about this crisis. This means reporting that clearly labels the crisis human-caused, signifies the urgency of the situation, and directs readers to meaningful, large-scale solutions. We’re here to provide connections to climate scientists, experts, and resources as needed.
No one is immune to the impacts of climate change, and marginalized and vulnerable groups will suffer the most. This is why we call for immediate action from CNN leadership and your full organization. Your business, your employees, your communities, and your families depend on it. There is no time left. There is no room for error.
Words matter. With anticipation, we are watching yours.
