Have the Media Failed Us on Climate Change?

September 2013 should have been the biggest month for climate change journalism in six years. With the release of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report in Stockholm, there were a wealth stories for journalists to pursue. But recently, we've seen a flood of media coverage advancing dubious claims pushed by global warming skeptics. There's a long history of the press relying on phony "balanced" coverage to cast doubt on what scientists know about the climate. That was the case even before the major cutbacks in science and environmental reporting at many media outlets over the past decade.

At SXSW Eco, the acclaimed environment and sustainability conference, Climate Desk is convening a panel of top climate journalists to diagnose and address the media's chronic failings in covering this issue. The event, part of the Mother Jones Climate Desk Live series, will be at 4:30 pm Central Time on October 8, 2013, at the Austin Convention Center.