2023-05-06 14:50:32
M6 and TF1 have just committed to talking more about ecology on their terrestrial channels. This Saturday, May 6, the new agreements signed by the two channels with Arcom (ex-CSA) come into force as part of the renewal of their authorization to broadcast for the next ten years. If they remain in the continuity of the previous ones, certain additions deserve to be pointed out, including the commitments in terms of dealing with the climate crisis on the air.
A “formalization of what was already being done”we underline internally at TF1, which has undertaken to set up a “barometer intended in particular to measure the presence of environmental subjects” in its information programs, but also to constitute a “Committee of environmental experts to support editorial staff and intervene in television news and information programs”, specifies the newly signed agreement. In the same spirit, M6 will designate an ecology referent, “responsible for providing its expertise to journalists”. The sixth channel also undertakes to offer at least one subject linked to the ecological transition every day in an information edition.
Cognitive dissonance that persists
Commitments “essential, which go in the direction of a general awareness of the role played by the media in the ecological fight, underlined by the IPCC on several occasions”, says Anne-Lise Vernières, co-president of the QuotaClimat alert and media monitoring collective. A responsibility that weighs all the more on television news that they are the most reliable source of information – after relatives – in the eyes of the French, who are 66% to trust it according to the 2023 Kantar Public Barometer -onepoint for The cross.
For Anne-Lise Vernières, the presence of a referent or a committee of experts can be “a valuable aid, in particular to limit the cognitive dissonance that television news sometimes shows in terms of the environment”, she raises. A flaw that still affects all editorial staff, “including those of France Télévisions, which nevertheless often act as spearheads in this area, specifies the specialist in ecological transition. On May 3, for example, the France 2 newscast juxtaposed a report warning about the drought and another about a system facilitating baggage check-in at the airport, not recalling the impact of air transport on the climate. »
“Transversality is one of the pillars of effective treatment of the ecological crisis”
Incidents now ” at the margin ” on public service TV channels, says Sandrine Feydel, journalist in the Planet division of France 2 and France 3. “There is obviously still progress to be made, and it happens that by accident the link is not made with the climate crisis, she acknowledges. But there was a real shift about a year ago, when scientists from the IPCC discussed with the editorial staff. A realization that this crisis is not like the others. »
According to the specialist journalist, “Transversality is our greatest challenge. The television got into it late, but things are starting to move everywhere. It’s a way of thinking about the news that we have to work on every day. » Anne-Lise Vernières joins her: “It is one of the pillars of effective treatment of the ecological crisis. It allows us to see that the fight against the climate is part of all the dimensions of our lives”.
There is also the question of the viewer’s interest, which must be maintained by showing both the seriousness of the situation and the solutions that exist. Sandrine Feydel asks herself this daily. “You have to find the right balance, not to minimize anything but to remain relevant, interesting for the viewer”she points out.
Create an exchange with scientists
At the launch of the Journal Météo Climat broadcast daily on France 2 and France 3 since mid-March, she feared that the audiences would drop. “That’s not the case, rejoices the journalist. The fact that a scientist answers viewers’ questions directly has something to do with it. »
Together, Anne-Lise Vernières and Sandrine Feydel also stress the importance of training journalists. “Even if there are bad students, more and more newsrooms are offering training to their teams, supports Anne-Lise Vernières. This is how we will bridge the gap between those who are experts on the issue and those who are less aware. »
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