Lost Trust: German Professor Pleads For “Enlightenment Instead Of Apocalypse” From Media

German professor says the media have gone overboard with their apocalyptic climate reporting.  

The new video by the Germany-based European Institute for Climate and Energy (EIKE) No. 228^[1] summarizes an interview conducted by the television station NTV with media professor Stefan Russ-Mohl.

The interview is entitled: “Enlightenment instead of apocalypse – Too many opinion journalists are taking sides in favor of climate protection” [00:23].

What follows are the key statements by Stefan Russ-Mohl: Journalists tend to dramatize issues in order to attract the audience’s attention [00:46]. Russ-Mohl confirms that surveys show a “cultural hegemony in the left-wing green camp” among established media [01:46].

Patronizing, biased media

Moreover, he criticizes journalists for patronizing or proselytizing to the audience instead of presenting the different sides of an issue honestly and fairly [02:12], which leads to the phenomenon of “attitude journalism” [02:22].

Attitude journalism is described as a form of journalism in which personal political or ideological attitudes influence the selection and presentation of topics more than the neutral presentation of facts [02:31]. This is particularly evident in climate reporting, where dramatic scenarios and experts who present maximum risk are often emphasized [02:49].

Critics accuse this practice of creating a distorted picture of the scientific debate and undermining trust in the media [03:18].

Lost trust

The program concludes by stating that public trust in the media can only be restored through a clearer separation between reporting and commentary, a broader selection of experts, and a focus on verifiable facts [04:21].