Polarization and Politicization in Media Discourse: Comparing Climate Change Narratives in Italy and the U.S.

This study investigates how Italian and American media frame climate change through politically oriented and, in some cases, populist narratives that challenge the principles of the open society. The analysis draws on a dataset of 71 items from eight outlets, evenly divided by country and political alignment, collected from Facebook posts that generated at least forty comments. A mixed-methods design was employed, including keyness analysis, topic modeling, keyword-in-context exploration, and qualitative content analysis. The findings show clear cross-national and ideological differences: conservative sources rely more heavily on politicized and populist framings, particularly in the U.S., where climate change is frequently narrated through an antagonistic “elites versus ordinary citizens” lens associated with skepticism toward scientific authority and sustainable technologies. Italian media display a more technocratic approach, emphasizing institutional, economic, and policy dimensions within the European context. Progressive sources in both countries rely more consistently on scientific and policy-oriented arguments, although American progressive outlets show higher political engagement than their Italian counterparts, likely in response to the stronger populist rhetoric and distrust of expertise found in U.S. conservative media. Overall, the results highlight how populist narratives can shape climate communication and influence the openness of public debate in different democratic contexts.