Coming soon
We’ve just wrapped up data collection for the Canadian Climate Framing (CCF) Project, the most comprehensive media database on climate change coverage in Canada to date. Exciting publications are in the works — stay tuned for fresh insights on how climate has been framed in Canadian newspapers over the past five decades!
How to talk about climate change to encourage action
In collaboration with the Ouranos Consortium and presented to Quebec’s Environment Ministry, this project explores how to communicate on climate change effectively during times of concurrent crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research focuses on strategies that avoid overwhelming the public while keeping the climate crisis top of mind, fostering both individual action and social acceptance of climate policies. We examine how to balance urgency with empathy to maintain public engagement in critical environmental issues.
Reference
Boivin, M., Champagne St-Arnaud, V., Briand, A.-S., Généreux, M., Lachapelle, E., Landaverde, E., Pillod, A. et Scheed, H. (2023). Communiquer sur l’adaptation aux changements climatiques dans un contexte pandémique au Québec. Rapport final présenté à Ouranos et au ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP). Montréal, Canada.
Media coverage and electoral politics
While my research typically focuses on climate change coverage, I also collaborate with other researchers on other intriguing topics. In this article, my colleague Philippe Chassé and I explore how politicians who stray from the linguistic norm — particularly those with regional accents — are portrayed in the media. Focusing on a case from southern France, we show how accents become powerful political signals, sparking mockery, fascination, or resistance. More than just a matter of phonetics, we argue that language remains a central fault line in how legitimacy and authority are constructed in public life.
Reference
Chassé, P., and Pillod, A. (2023). J’ai un accent, moi ? Les médias et les caractéristiques « atypiques » des personnalités politiques. Glottopol, n°39, 185-212.
Climate change as a health issue in the media
My Master’s thesis examines how The Globe and Mail frames climate change as a public health issue between 2008 and 2020. I find that the health frame is not only underused but also often poorly deployed — frequently lacking credible messengers with medical expertise and failing to convey the full scope of health impacts. The analysis highlights a missed opportunity to connect climate change with public concern and engagement.
Reference
Pillod, A. (2021). Reframing Climate Change as a Public Health Issue: a Canadian Case Study, 2008-2020 [Master’s thesis, Université de Montréal]. Papyrus.