Communicating Antarctica: news media and public engagement with the icy continent

This paper explores the role of news media in shaping public engagement with Antarctica and Antarctic science. Antarctic scholarship in the humanities and social sciences is increasingly interested in exploring public engagement with the continent, but the role of news media has been largely overlooked. This is a significant gap in research about a critical global location, as news media play a crucial role in constructing social and environmental issues and news is the main source of scientific information for citizens and decision-makers. This paper presents findings from a framing analysis of Australian news coverage of Antarctic science and geopolitics, drawn from a broader research project examining the interplay between news, science and politics using Australia as a case study. Results show news discourse is predominantly framed through a nationalistic lens, often at the expense of discussions of scientific research, particularly climate science. These findings demonstrate the influences of news in constructing understanding of Antarctica in a changing climate. We highlight the need for further study that considers the structural factors impacting news coverage of the continent.