Covering climate: The role of specialist capital in the U.S. and U.K. fields of journalism

• In Event: 4366 - Section on Global and Transnational Sociology Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 5. Global and Transnational Knowledge Production

Abstract

Based on interviews and observations, this article examines a form of specialist social capital in the U.S. and U.K. fields of journalism. It argues that reporters focused on covering the intensifying problem of climate change can accrue specialist capital by extending their networks into other social fields, such as climate science and policy making. Digital-native environmental niche news sites often demonstrate this form of capital by their use of reporters with advanced degrees. As these sites seek to differentiate themselves from large, omnibus mainstream news organizations, they are encouraged to extend their networks deep within other fields, doing in-depth reporting and knowledge production on often technical issues unlikely to attract large audiences. Non-profit forms of funding can support these forms of journalism, which often call into question the journalistic identities of their practitioners. With climate change manifesting itself as what one interview subject referred to as “the great intangible,” specialist capital enables journalists to connect audiences with fields in which this social problem is made visible as the subject of knowledge production. However, such audiences tend to be dominated by scientific and policymaking elites, raising issues about the engagement of broader democratic publics with the challenges of addressing climate change.

Author

• Timothy Neff, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society