Authoritarian environmentalism as reflected in the journalistic sourcing of climate change reporting in China

Abstract

This study investigates how Chinese news media cover climate change through the lens of authoritarian environmentalism, China’s alternative model of environmental governance. Combining computational methods and manual coding, we analyzed the sourcing patterns of climate change articles across three news media types (party media, financial media, and metropolitan media) from 2013 to 2021. Results showed three features: First, state officials were predominant in all sourcing categories, drowning the voices of experts, non-governmental organizations, and citizens. Second, only a small percentage of sources concerned scientific knowledge, environmental problems, and collective action. Instead, most highlighted climate change campaigns as achievements of China’s leadership. Third, critical opinions were gradually muted over time. These findings indicate that the issue of climate change has been utilized by Chinese news media as a tool to serve the legitimacy of authoritarian governance and promote the image of top leadership, rather than encouraging citizens and stakeholders to participate in environmental actions.