When does print media address deforestation? A quantitative analysis of major newspapers from US, UK, and Australia

Abstract

According to the economy-environment trade-off, good economic conditions raise citizens' concerns about the environment, while economic recessions reduce the interest. This paper explores this hypothesis in print media and considers the quantitative media coverage of deforestation in three English-language newspapers between 1995 and 2015. The empirical findings reject the economy-environment trade-off and show that print media coverage of deforestation exhibits a modest but significant increase during economic downturns and slows down in case of good economic conditions. The mass media can reflect public opinion on major environmental issues but at the same time, tend to influence public opinion selecting and framing newsworthy issues. A stable media attention on deforestation issues, even during economic recessions, can contribute to create public support and legitimization for ambitious environmental policies aimed at governing forest conservation.