The representation of climate change: A retrospective newspaper analysis

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an in-depth analysis aimed to identify climate change representations in four major Italian newspapers over 11 years. The objectives of the study were to map the prevailing themes, to examine the underlying semantic structures that shape the content of these themes, and to investigate their evolutionary trajectory. To this end, the study used the Automated Co-occurrence Analysis for Semantic Mapping (ACASM) procedure applied to a text corpus consisting of the journal articles. Results highlight four distinctive themes, grounded on two basic structures, according to which climate change in Italian media is represented. Additionally, the study revealed significant temporal variability in the use of the themes during the period examined. Drawing on the framework of Semiotic Cultural Psychology theory, the implications of the findings are discussed, offering valuable insights into the perception and social representation of climate change in the Italian media landscape.