Journal article 235 views 54 downloads
Visual portrayals of fun in the sun in European news outlets misrepresent heatwave risks
,
Sylvia Hayes,
Nadine Strauβ,
Marie‐Noëlle Doutreix,
Kat Steentjes ,
Joshua Ettinger,
Ned Westwood,
James Painter
The Geographical Journal, Volume: 189, Issue: 1, Pages: 90 - 103
Swansea University Author:
Kat Steentjes
-
PDF | Version of Record
© 2022 The Authors. The Geographical Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).
Download (5.34MB)
DOI (Published version): 10.1111/geoj.12487
Abstract
The ways in which news media communicate about heatwaves can influence how society conceptualises and addresses heatwave risks. We examined visual news coverage of the 2019 heatwaves in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, using content and visual critical discourse analyses. Many visuals we...
| Published in: | The Geographical Journal |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0016-7398 1475-4959 |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023
|
| Online Access: |
Check full text
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70298 |
| Abstract: |
The ways in which news media communicate about heatwaves can influence how society conceptualises and addresses heatwave risks. We examined visual news coverage of the 2019 heatwaves in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, using content and visual critical discourse analyses. Many visuals were positively valenced (in contrast to article texts), framing heatwaves as ‘fun in the sun’. The most prevalent type of images in all countries were photographs of people having fun in or by water. When images did depict the danger of heat extremes, people were largely absent. We conclude that this visual framing of heatwaves is problematic: first, by displacing concerns of vulnerability, it marginalises the experiences of those vulnerable to heatwaves; and second, it excludes opportunities for imagining a more resilient future. We conclude with suggestions to diversify the visual discourse on climate change and heatwaves in the news media. |
|---|---|
| Keywords: |
adaptation, climate change, heatwave, imagery, media, visual |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
SO was funded through a Leverhulme Research Fellowship (RF-2021-599). SH acknowledges ESRC SWDTP PhD scholarship funding. |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
90 |
| End Page: |
103 |