The Roles Performed by Polish Journalists Covering 26th UN Climate Change Conference
Keywords:
journalistic role performance, media coverage, climate change, COP26, UN Climate Change ConferenceAbstract
Covering most important topics, journalists may perform several roles. One of the main global issues, due to its global reach and multidimensionality, is climate change. This has been confirmed by the President of the 26. UN Climate Change Conference, who described it as ‘the most important issue of our time’ (COP26, 2021). The aim of this study was to perform a qualitative content analysis on the roles performed by Polish journalists covering COP26. The research sample included news published during the event by six Polish media outlets. To the six journalistic roles proposed by Mellado (2015), one was added, namely Educator. The study shows that indicators of each role were found in five out of six analysed media outlets. Only in TVP1 (public service broadcaster) no indicators related to Educator journalistic role were found. The most performed role was Interventionist, which manifested through presenting journalist’s own opinion or using evaluative adjectives.
References
Beattie, G., McGuire, L. (2019). The psychology of climate change. London and New York: Routledge.
Broniatowski, M. (2021). Dlaczego szczyt klimatyczny COP26 nie uratuje planety [Why the COP26 climate summit will not save the planet]. From: https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/politico/dlaczego-szczyt-klimatyczny-cop26-nie-uratuje-planety/tezl1h3 (14.06.2024).
Cook, J., Oreskes, N., Doran P. T., Anderegg W. R. L., Verheggen B., Maibach E. W., Carlton J. S., Lewandowsky S., Skuce A. G., Green S. A., Nuccitelli D., Jacobs P., Richardson M., Winkler B., Painting R., & Rice R. (2016). Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming. Environmental Research Letters, 11, 048002. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002.
COP26 (2021). Climate change is the most important issue of our time, and the stakes could not be higher… From: https://x.com/COP26/status/1379773940873187328?s=20 (14.06.2024).
Eurobarometer (2023). Media & news survey 2023. From: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/api/deliverable/download/file?deliverableId=89601 (14.06.2024).
Galtung, J., & Ruge, M. (1965). The structure of foreign news: Presentation of the Congo, Cuba and Cyprus crises in four Norwegian newspapers. Journal of Peace Research, 2(1), 64-90. DOI: 10.1177/002234336500200104.
Greenpeace (n.d.). What are the solutions to climate change?. From: https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/challenges/climate-change/solutions-climate-change/ (11.12.2024).
Harcup, T., & O’Neill, D. (2017). What is news?. Journalism Studies, 18(12), 1470–1488, https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2016.1150193.
Interia (2021). Wielka Brytania: W Glasgow utworzył się korek prywatnych odrzutowców [Great Britain: Private jets jam in Glasgow]. From: https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/zagranica/news-wielka-brytania-w-glasgow-utworzyl-sie – korek-prywatnych-odrz,nId,5618504 (14.06.2024).
IPCC (2018). Annex I: Glossary. In: J.B.R. Matthews (ed.). Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty (pp. 541–562). https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157940.008
McBride, S. (1980). Many voices. One world. From: https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MacBride‑Report-English.pdf (14.06.2024).
McCombs, M. (2004). Setting the agenda. The mass media and public opinion. Cambridge: Polity Press.
McQuail, D. (2010). McQuail’s mass communication theory. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC: Sage Publishing.
Mellado, C. (2015). Professional roles in news content. Six dimensions of journalistic role performance. Journalism Studies, 16(4), 596-614. DOI:10.1080/1461670X.2014.922276.
Reuters (2021). Tuvalu minister stands in sea to film COP26 speech to show climate change. From: https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tuvalu-minister-stands-sea-film-cop26-speech-show-climate-change-2021-11-08/ (14.06.2024).
Sajna, R. (2012). Planet Earth on the eve of the Copenhagen Climate Conference 2009: A study of prestige newspapers from different continents. Observatorio Journal, 6(2), 071-083, https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS622012367.
Stocker, T. et al. (2013). Climate change 2013: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. From: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2017/09/WG1AR5_Frontmatter_FINAL.pdf (14.06.2024).
Szymczak, J. (2023). Pożary w Grecji. „Największa tego typu katastrofa w UE” [Fires in Greece. “The largest disaster of this kind in the EU”]. From https://oko.press/pozary-w-grecji-najwieksza-tego-typu-katastrofa-w-ue (14.06.2024).
UNESCO & MECCE (2024). Education and climate change: Learning to act form people and planet. From: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000389801/PDF/389801eng.pdf.multi (11.12.2024).
United Nations (1992). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. From: https://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/application/pdf/conveng.pdf (14.06.2024).
United Nations (2023). Press Conference by Secretary‑General António Guterres at United Nations Headquarters. From: https://press.un.org/en/2023/sgsm21893.doc.htm (10.12.2024).
United Nations Climate Change (n.d.). Conference of Parties. From: https://unfccc.int/process/bodies/supreme-bodies/conference-of-the-parties-cop (14.06.2024).
Ustawa z dnia 29 grudnia 1992 r. o radiofonii i telewizji Dz.U. 1993 nr 7 poz. 34 [Broadcasting Act of 29 December 1992] (2022). https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU19930070034/U/D19930034Lj.pdf (27.11.2024).
Walter, S., De Silva‑Schmidt, F., & Brüggemann, M. (2017). From “knowledge brokers” to opinion makers: How physical presence affected scientists’ twitter use during the COP21 Climate Change Conference. International Journal of Communication 11(2017), 570–591 From: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6016/2254 (12.06.2024).
Zielona Interia (2021a). Problemy organizacji pozarządowych na COP26 [NGO problems at COP26]. From: https://zielona.interia.pl/polityka-klimatyczna/news-problemy-organizacji-pozarzadowych-na – cop26,nId,5624427 (14.06.2024).
Zielona Interia (2021b). BBC: Najwięcej delegatów na COP26 to lobbyści przemysłu paliw kopalnych [BBC: Most delegates at COP26 are fossil fuel industry lobbyists]. From: https://zielona.interia.pl/polityka-klimatyczna/news-bbc-najwiecej-delegatow – na-cop26-to-lobbysci-przemyslu-paliw,nId,5632593 (14.06.2024).
Zielona Interia (2021c). Koalicja na rzecz redukcji emisji metanu coraz większa [Methane emission reduction coalition grows]. From: https://zielona.interia.pl/polityka-klimatyczna/news-koalicja-na-rzecz-redukcji-emisji-metanu-coraz-wieksza,nId,5620142 (14.06.2024).
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Polish Communication Association
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Content of the articles is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
