Are Journalists Reporting the 'Global Polycrisis'?

"...as global risks multiply and intensify, some analysts have called emphatically for media and journalists to do more in the face of this challenge."

This study examines journalists' practices and perspectives on reporting on the concept of 'global polycrisis', which refers to the confluence of global crises that increase the severity and intensity of each other more than they would have on their own. The study traces the origins of the concept and the current use of the term in both media and in research publications and reports. It also explores journalists' understanding of polycrisis, how they report on the concept, and whether they use the actual term 'global polycrisis' in their coverage. The report was commissioned by Internews' Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and undertaken by Deakin University. This a companion publication to "Covering the Planet: Assessing the State of Climate and Environmental Journalism Globally" (see Related Summaries, below).

As explained in the report, "To report the news in the current global moment is to observe a world in crisis. Multiple, cascading risks mark our times, intersecting with each other in ways that amplify their seriousness, and underscore planetary precarity. Climate change, (un)natural disasters, environmental harms - including deforestation, pollution and biodiversity loss – a global pandemic, wars, inflation shocks, democratic dysfunction and the rise of authoritarianism are just some of the interlinking crises that have marked the start of the 21st century. If societies are to confront these crises meaningfully and holistically, it is imperative that people and policymakers understand the interconnectedness of these threats and respond in a way that is commensurate. Journalists, as observers and public-facing analysts, are well placed to interpret and make sense of such phenomena for media audiences locally and globally."

To better understand the attitudes of journalists about reporting on these intersecting crises, researchers conducted a multilingual survey with journalists from 102 countries and undertook in-depth interviews with 74 journalists in 31 countries. 

The study finds that, although the term 'global polycrisis' began to be used more regularly in online reports and in some media coverage from 2022 and 2023, it is still a nascent term which is used more by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) than by media professionals. It is clear from the study that the term 'global polycrisis' is not widely recognised or used by journalists, and only a minority of journalists indicated they were familiar with the concept it represents.

While journalists were largely motivated to present issues to their audiences in a way that underscored intersectionality, they experienced multiple barriers to doing so. These barriers included: time, resource, and word constraints that curb in-depth reporting; newsroom/editorial interest and perceived audience concern; and the media's economic imperative to provide "click-bait" and "soundbite" stories that sell. In addition, when covering intersecting crises and disasters, journalists were most likely to do so through the frame of climate change and environmental issues. Journalists also felt they were mostly unable to convey the notion of 'polycrisis' in a single story and are more likely to cover it as part of a series of stories, over time.

Importantly, some journalists criticised the term 'polycrisis', considering it to be jargon manufactured by NGOs, unintelligible to audiences, and unpalatable to editors. Significantly, the term 'global polycrisis' is overwhelmingly used in the English-speaking world: Very few journalists working in languages other than English said they would translate the term into the languages they usually reported in. Overall, journalists from wealthier countries and the English-speaking world reported in interviews being slightly more familiar with the term 'polycrisis' and the concept it represents than those in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) locations - precisely the places where people are currently most vulnerable to intersecting existential risks. However, journalists in higher-income countries also had some of the strongest reactions against using the term itself. The findings also showed that many journalists working in LMICs were familiar with the 'polycrisis' concept (if not the term) and reported using it in their work. This seemed to be especially the case if a journalist had worked with or had been funded by international donors or NGOs. 

The report concludes with a list of recommendations. In brief, they include the following: 

 

1. Journalism funders and media support NGOs should reconsider the need to emphasise the specific term 'polycrisis' in their engagement with, and expectations of, journalists, globally.
2. Journalism funders and training organisations might prioritise (in their education, training, and interactions with journalists) increasing understanding of the multiple issues that the polycrisis concept represents. In particular, emphasis should be on local stories that are relevant to local audiences.
3. Beyond understanding the causes and consequences, journalists need to be made more familiar with the potential solutions to 'global polycrisis', both globally and locally. Training journalists in solutions journalism would be one way forward.
4. Training and resources provided to journalists in relation to polycrisis should recognise both the intersectionality of crisis impacts and the differential responsibility (in terms of high- and low-income countries) for precipitating 'global polycrisis'.
5. There is strong in-principle newsroom support for reporting on intersecting crises. Funders and NGOs should consider engaging more with editors and media outlet management, as well as with journalists, in order to achieve more holistic multi-threat reporting.
6. Organisations could strategically craft messages around 'polycrisis' so that they are more likely to filter through to audiences with minimal journalistic intervention or translation. Issue-specific NGOs could provide journalists with relevant data and evidence to use in their reporting on the polycrisis theme.
7. If they are intent on promoting the specific term 'global polycrisis', NGOs could encourage more news sources (i.e., experts that journalists refer to for comment) to use the term.
8. Journalism funders should consider supporting research into the consumers of news in relation to polycrisis. Doing so could help journalists more appropriately tailor their coverage of such risks in local contexts and respond to news consumers' knowledge gaps.
9. There is currently a window of opportunity for audiences to grasp the concept of intersecting crises while the pandemic is still recent and COVID-19 remains newsworthy. As varied threats increase, making lived experiences of "multicrisis" more widespread, their intersection should become more evident.