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Jan 15, 2025 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger |Allison Fisher
Right-wing media are trying to delegitimize climate change as a real and growing threat to the West Coast, just as that threat becomes most evident. Several unusual January wildfires have been burning in Los Angeles County since January 7. Despite the clear connection between global warming and the increasingly dry conditions that lead to fire hazards, right-wing media are following their familiar playbook and blaming what they call California’s “failed” policies for the ongoing crisis.
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger
As Los Angeles residents grapple with losing their homes and firefighters struggle to contain the fires that broke out on January 7, right-wing media figures are set on pinning the blame on the state’s Democratic leaders and environmentalists, misleadingly claiming they’ve mismanaged the state’s forests, failing to implement preventive measures meant to mitigate wildfires.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger
At the United Nations’ COP29 climate conference being held in Azerbaijan, President-elect Donald Trump’s recent victory threatens efforts to set a new financial goal for climate action and adaptation in developing countries. The U.S., previously considered a global climate leader, is also expected to again pull out of the Paris climate agreement.
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger |Alex Kaplan
Right-wing media, conspiracy theorists and QAnon supporters amplified a viral video of a postal worker in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, to falsely accuse him of illegally harvesting ballots.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger
On October 21 and 22, CNN News Central continued to debunk misinformation about FEMA that former President Donald Trump repeated at his October 21 visit to Swannanoa, North Carolina. During the visit, Trump addressed victims of Hurricane Helene, which devastated western North Carolina in late September, including Swannanoa.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Allison Fisher |Ilana Berger
Referencing a PoliticoPro article, a CNN KFILE reporter suggested in an October 21 post that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is “walking back her support for fracking” because “a top climate campaign staffer told PoliticoPro notes she's not promoting expanding it and said she didn't promote increased leases for fracking in the Inflation Reduction Act.” Right-wing media figures have latched on to the idea that Harris flipped her position on fracking and no longer supports the...
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Oct 18, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger |Abbie Richards
Misinformation about the responses to hurricanes Helene and Milton— ranging from accusations that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is failing to mobilize resources to hard-hit areas to conspiracy theories that the government controls the weather — has surged across social media platforms in the past several weeks.
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Oct 9, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Ilana Berger |Chloe Simon |Alex Kaplan
As Florida prepares for Hurricane Milton, currently a Category 4 storm expected to make landfall on October 9, right-wing conspiracy theorists blame supposed weather manipulation instead of acknowledging climate change.
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Oct 4, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Evlondo Cooper |Ilana Berger |Allison Fisher |Alicia Sadowski |Isabella Corrao |Chloe Simon | +1 more
Last weekend’s Hurricane Helene devastated several states, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. As the federal government mobilizes significant resources for response and recovery, right-wing media outlets and influencers are spreading falsehoods about these aid efforts.
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Oct 4, 2024 | 
mediamatters.org | Evlondo Cooper |Ilana Berger
CBS' October 1 vice presidential debate put climate change front and center, breaking from recent debates that sidelined the issue. In the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastating path across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, moderators Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan pressed candidates on specific climate plans and reinforced the scientific consensus on climate change's role in intensifying hurricanes.
