A survey of journalists and production staff across UK public service media says climate reporting needs new approaches. Former Sky News head John Ryley explores what the findings tell us about newsroom priorities, audience needs and the future of climate journalism.
Nearly nine in ten journalists and production staff say new approaches are needed in climate reporting
Climate News Tracker and Kantar survey finds strong engagement with climate journalism, but concerns that current coverage is not fully meeting audience needs
by Climate News Tracker
Nearly nine in ten journalists and production staff working across the UK’s public service media organisations believe new approaches are needed to climate reporting to better engage audiences, according to research from Climate News Tracker in partnership with Kantar.
The survey of 80 journalists, producers, editors and production staff working across BBC News, Sky News, ITV News, Channel 4 News and Channel 5 News found widespread recognition of climate change as an important public interest issue, alongside concerns that current approaches to coverage are not fully meeting audience needs.
Overall, 89% of respondents said that new approaches to climate reporting are needed, while 64% said current coverage is not serving their audiences well.
Commenting on the findings, Chris Shaw, former Editorial Director of ITN and a member of the Climate News Tracker advisory board, said journalists have yet to find an approach which matches the scale and urgency of the climate story.
Climate News Tracker has produced the first systematic qualitative and quantitative analysis of climate change coverage on the main British news services. The conclusion is that journalists have yet to find a collective approach which matches the scale and urgency of the story but overwhelmingly recognise it’s vital to do so.
Chris Shaw, former ITN Editorial Director
Conducted between October 2025 and January 2026, the survey examined attitudes towards climate reporting across television, radio, audio and digital journalism.
Coverage seen as important and urgent
The findings show a high level of engagement with climate coverage across public service media newsrooms.
Nearly nine in ten respondents (87%) described climate change as important, while 84% said it was urgent.
When asked to rank the urgency of different issues facing news organisations, climate change and the environment ranked second only to the economy and cost of living. It was placed ahead of a range of other topics, including immigration, international conflict and the NHS.
Despite this, many respondents felt climate coverage could be strengthened.
More than seven in ten respondents (71%) said there are not enough climate stories in the news, while 54% said coverage lacks sufficient context. Nearly two-thirds (64%) said current reporting is not fully meeting audience needs.
New approaches and audience needs
The survey suggests that journalists broadly see climate change as a mainstream reporting issue, but many believe current approaches to coverage are not fully connecting with audiences.
Almost nine in ten respondents (89%) said climate reporting needs new approaches. The findings indicate that support for climate coverage itself is not in question. Instead, respondents highlighted the need to continue developing reporting in ways that feel relevant, engaging and meaningful for audiences.
Practical barriers inside newsrooms
The survey also explored factors that shape climate coverage inside newsrooms.
More than 80% of respondents identified crowded news agendas and competing editorial priorities as barriers to greater climate reporting. Journalists also highlighted the difficulty of finding strong editorial “pegs” for climate stories outside major weather events, political announcements or international summits.
The findings suggest that practical newsroom pressures continue to play a significant role in determining how often climate stories are commissioned and where they appear in running orders.
Writing in an accompanying article for Press Gazette, former Sky News Head of News and member of the Climate News Tracker advisory board, John Ryley, argued that climate reporting often struggles to compete with the demands of daily news coverage.
The planet heating up is a slow-burning story whose significance has developed over years rather than hours, making it harder to compete with the urgency of daily news.
John Ryley, former Head of Sky News
Ryley also noted that climate change increasingly cuts across many traditional reporting areas, from housing and health to business, transport and politics.
Respondents also pointed to limited audience insight and uncertainty around how best to frame some climate stories as factors affecting coverage.
Coverage still driven by major events
Extreme weather events remain the most significant trigger for climate coverage, ranking ahead of government announcements, business developments and debates around net zero.
The findings suggest climate reporting continues to be strongly influenced by major weather events, although many respondents expressed support for embedding climate coverage more consistently across different newsroom beats.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) said all desks should cover more climate stories, while almost eight in ten said climate reporting should form part of their own role.
Understanding audience needs
Respondents expressed a clear view that audience needs should play a greater role in shaping climate coverage.
Almost nine in ten (89%) agreed that audiences prefer climate reporting that is relevant to their daily lives, while 84% said audiences prefer reporting that offers hope or practical solutions to the climate crisis.
Journalists also believed audiences want reporting that holds powerful institutions and individuals to account. More than eight in ten (82%) agreed with that statement.
At the same time, many respondents questioned whether audiences simply want more climate coverage. Just over a third (37%) agreed that audiences want to see more climate reporting, while a similar proportion (33%) disagreed, and 35% remained neutral.
The findings suggest that, from journalists’ perspective, audience demand may be less about the volume of climate coverage and more about how stories are framed. Relevance, accountability, and practical implications are considered particularly important.
What journalists say would help
Respondents identified a number of factors that could help strengthen climate reporting, including stronger audience insight, improved access to expertise and data, and greater collaboration across newsroom teams.
The survey also points to a desire for climate reporting to be integrated more fully across newsroom output, rather than being treated solely as the responsibility of specialist climate or environment correspondents.
About the research
The survey was carried out by Kantar on behalf of Climate News Tracker between October 2025 and January 2026.
A total of 80 journalists, producers, editors and production staff completed the survey. While 80 is a relatively small sample for quantitative research, Kantar noted that the overall number of journalists working in UK public service media newsrooms is also relatively small, meaning the sample provides a reasonable representation of the sector.
Results are reported at an overall level and are not broken down by organisation or role.
Download the full survey report (PDF)
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