Jeff Bezos’ trip into space got more press coverage in one day than the climate crisis got in all of 2020, figures have revealed.
According to Media Matter’s analysis of three US broadcast shows, Good Morning America, This Morning and Today, the trip received 212 minutes of coverage on 20 July, while the dangers of climate were discussed for 267 minutes throughout the whole of last year.
Bezos’s coverage in one day, therefore, made up 86 per cent of the climate change coverage that channels emitted that year.
If it seemed like Bezos got a lot of coverage for his space launch today, he did. Consider this: pic.twitter.com/MHEANb2LQp
— Evlondo Cooper III (@EvlondoCooper) July 20, 2021
It comes after the Amazon founder made history on Tuesday by making a very brief trip to space on board his Blue Origin spaceship.
In doing so, Bezos garnered criticism for using his wealth for space research while standing accused of presiding over poor working conditions in Amazon.
Meanwhile, the climate crisis remains a substantial problem, as parts of Europe experienced flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
John Kerry, the US envoy for climate change yesterday urged all large economies to come forward with new plans to cut emissions before the Cop26 UN climate talks in Glasgow this November.
“The climate crisis is the test of our own times and, while it may be unfolding in slow motion to some, this test is as acute and as existential as any previous one. Time is running out,” he said.
Media Matters’ analysis also found in particular that Good Morning America and This Morning aired more news about Bezos than climate change.
In fact, ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning aired more Bezos coverage today than they did on climate change in all of 2020 (this includes today’s Special Reports on their 9 a.m. hours)
— Evlondo Cooper III (@EvlondoCooper) July 20, 2021
