Emotions and journalistic standards in climate coverage Conflict or opportunity?

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Emotions and journalistic standards in climate coverage: Conflict or opportunity?
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Published: 2025-11-26
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18272/pd.v9i1.3903

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Muñoz-Pico, H. P., & Gómez-Muñoz, X. A. (2025). Emotions and journalistic standards in climate coverage: Conflict or opportunity? #PerDebate, 9(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.18272/pd.v9i1.3903

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Hilda Muñoz-Pico
Universidad Internacional del Ecuador image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8280-5456
Xavier Gómez-Muñoz
Complutense University of Madrid image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1405-8225

Abstract

This article examines journalistic representations of climate change in X, with a particular focus on the role of emotions. Through a content analysis of posts published by the 10 U.S. media outlets with the highest circulation regarding COP26, it was found that the climate crisis occupies a secondary place on the media agenda and that the use of formal and unemotional language contrasts with the strategies used to promote and disseminate messages on social media, which affects the effectiveness of climate communication. The urgency of the climate crisis requires journalism and the media to maintain a critical perspective in favor of an emotional shift that engages audiences in the environmental struggle.

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Author Biographies

Hilda Muñoz-Pico, Universidad Internacional del Ecuador

Hilda Paola Muñoz-Pico, Ecuador (1987), holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Navarra (International Distinction), a Master's degree in Content Management from Austral University in Argentina, and a Bachelor's degree in Social Communication from the Central University of Ecuador. She is currently a professor and researcher in the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Humanities at the International University of Ecuador. She has also served as a professor and director of the News Agency at the University of Monterrey in Mexico. In addition to teaching, she has consulted for international organizations such as the United Nations and the U.S. Embassy. She has also worked as a journalist for Ecuadorian national newspapers.

Xavier Gómez-Muñoz, Complutense University of Madrid

He holds a PhD in Journalism (with highest honors) and a Master's degree in Professional Multimedia Journalism from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is the author of the books *A Hybrid World* (Dinediciones, 2025) and *Chronicles* (2019). He works as an academic researcher, university professor, and freelance journalist. His research focuses on journalism, communication technologies, digital communication and culture, and narratives. He has participated in research conferences in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and has published scholarly articles in journals indexed in global academic databases.

 

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