Analyzing the relation between news coverage of heat, drought, and climate change and meteorological data from 1998 to 2023

Abstract Driven by climate change, extreme weather events are increasing worldwide. Through their reporting, news media can inform public understanding of this trend. However, it is not yet clear to what extent the media report on extreme weather events, how their reporting relates to actual weather conditions, and whether they address the connection to climate change in their coverage. We use automated content analysis to examine the coverage of heat, drought, and climate change in three major Swiss newspapers from 1998 to 2023 ( n = 43 779). Our results show that issue attention for heat, drought, and climate change has increased significantly over time. Within coverage of heat and drought, the context of climate change is addressed considerably more often in recent years. We find a significant relationship between issue attention for heat and temperature data as well as for drought and precipitation data but only a partial correlation between issue attention for climate change and meteorological data. Significance Statement News media are essential for the public understanding of environmental issues, such as extreme weather events and climate change. In this study, we aim to better understand how frequently and under what conditions the media report on heat and drought and whether they link these extreme weather events to climate change. Swiss media attention to heat, drought, and climate change has significantly increased over the past 26 years. Since 2018, there has been a notable increase in reports mentioning heat and drought alongside climate change. Media coverage has grown beyond what could have been expected based on meteorological conditions alone. With the rising mentions of climate change in news coverage of extreme weather, qualitative research examining how news media explain this link could provide valuable insights into the accuracy and depth of these explanations.