Telemundo is changing how it refers to ‘climate change’

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Noticias Telemundo will start using the term “climate emergency” instead of “climate change” or “global warming” as part of a process of updating its terminology for covering environmental issues.

The decision makes Noticias Telemundo the first Spanish-language news organization in the United States to incorporate more accurate scientific terminology into its environmental reporting.

“The use of clear and accurate language in covering critical subjects such as the climate emergency is not merely an option for journalists; it is their duty,” said Luis Fernández, Telemundo’s executive vice president of network news, in a statement. “The scientific community and linguistics experts agree that the world is facing a ‘climate emergency.’ Terms such as ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’ do not fully reflect this reality, and at Noticias Telemundo we are true to our commitment to tell things as they are.”

Other leading media outlets, including Britain’s The Guardian newspaper and the Spanish news agency EFE, as well as institutions committed to the accurate use of language, such as Fundación Fundeú BBVA, have introduced similar changes in an effort to improve their coverage of issues affecting the environment.

In September 2018, Noticias Telemundo announced the creation of “Noticias Telemundo Planeta Tierra,” the only reporting division on US Spanish-language television devoted exclusively to reporting on the environment led by Emmy Award winning journalist Vanessa Hauc.