Visual portrayals of fun in the sun in European news outlets misrepresent heatwave risks

O'Neill, Saffron, Hayes, Sylvia, Strauβ, Nadine, Doutreix, Marie‐Noëlle, Steentjes, Katharine ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8661-8287, Ettinger, Joshua, Westwood, Ned and Painter, James 2022. Visual portrayals of fun in the sun in European news outlets misrepresent heatwave risks. The Geographical Journal 10.1111/geoj.12487

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Abstract

The ways in which news media communicate about heatwaves can influence how society conceptualises and addresses heatwave risks. We examined visual news coverage of the 2019 heatwaves in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, using content and visual critical discourse analyses. Many visuals were positively valenced (in contrast to article texts), framing heatwaves as ‘fun in the sun’. The most prevalent type of images in all countries were photographs of people having fun in or by water. When images did depict the danger of heat extremes, people were largely absent. We conclude that this visual framing of heatwaves is problematic: first, by displacing concerns of vulnerability, it marginalises the experiences of those vulnerable to heatwaves; and second, it excludes opportunities for imagining a more resilient future. We conclude with suggestions to diversify the visual discourse on climate change and heatwaves in the news media.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Psychology
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0016-7398
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 November 2022
Date of Acceptance:	7 October 2022
Last Modified:	14 May 2023 20:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/154295

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