Polarisation vs consensus-building: how US and German news media portray climate change as a feature of political identities

ABSTRACT Attitudes to climate-friendly policies often align with individual political leaning and associated media consumption patterns, but the mechanisms explaining this relationship are not well understood. This study presents an in-depth qualitative analysis of portrayals of political actors from 229 articles published in six German and US news outlets during May–July 2019. The results show that the outlets consumed by left- and right-leaning audiences emphasise oppositional identity portrayals, portraying features that are likely to trigger a negative response towards political identities typically opposed by their recipients. The outlets with a more balanced or centrist audience offer a wider array of identity portrayals and emphasise policy questions over fundamental beliefs. Observed patterns differ considerably between Germany and the US, reflecting political and media system differences. The results offer insight into how media reporting can contribute to political polarisation and consensus-building regarding climate change.