Anthropogenic climate change coverage in two Canadian newspapers, the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail, from 1988 to 2007

The aim of this study was applied to explore to climate change articles from two newspapers published between 1988 and 2007, the Toronto Star, a regional newspaper, and the Globe and Mail, a national newspaper. A content analysis was conducted and the results were examined and compared for aspects of climate change, including salience, image, scope, country representation, participants, and the origins of scientific information presented in the articles. Overall, it was found that climate change is portrayed similarly in both newspapers as a large-scale (national and global) problem. Attention paid by the media to climate change was found to increase from 1988 to 2007. Climate change is predominantly depicted in both newspapers as a destructive issue. There are linkages to other public issues, including those in international co-operation, science research and development, and energy and transportation. The analysis reveals that a number of non-government and government actors are concerned with climate change and a wider array of interest groups is becoming involved. Mitigation solution strategies are more predominant than adaptation strategies. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.