In a nation of more than 300 million people, one thing is certain: Climate change reporting hits Americans from many angles with varying degrees of accuracy and effectiveness. To focus this discussion, I will focus on The New York Times, which internationally regarded as America’s newspaper of record.

            Though The New York Times has the name New York in its title, it is truly a national publication and can be found and read on newsstands throughout America, as well as in major cities throughout the world. It is generally read by people who are well-educated and is known to have a slight left-wing/liberal slant in terms of its editorial content, but it is regarded as having a greater influence than any newspaper in America.

            On a daily basis, the Times publishes articles about climate change. Whether the articles focus on legislation in Congress, attempts by businesses to become more eco-friendly, individuals working to combat climate change, or science-based feature stories, the Times has done its fair share of environmental reporting. However, for the purpose of this assignment, I will further analyze the latest work of Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, who is arguably the publication’s most world-renowned figure.

            Though Friedman focused on globalization in his books The Lexus and the Olive Tree (1999), Longitudes and Latitudes (2002), and The World Is Flat (2005), his latest work, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--And How It Can Renew America (2008) focused on climate change. His interest in climate change has been reflected in the topics of his columns during the past few years.

            To track Friedman’s commitment to authoring climate change opinion pieces, I have examined his last 20 op-ed pieces, from June 7, 2009 through September 5, 2009. Of the 20 columns he wrote, 6 have been related to climate change and the environment.

            Below, I have listed Friedman’s environmental-themed columns as well as the one sentence abstract that NYTimes.com provides for each piece:

1. Connecting Nature’s Dots - Policy solutions for climate change, poverty, food security and biodiversity need to be as integrated as nature itself. (August 23, 2009)

2. The Land of ‘No Service’ - While maintaining “No Service” in the wild is essential for Africa’s ecotourism industry, the rest of the continent desperately needs more connectivity if it is to prosper. (August 16, 2009)

3. Can I Clean Your Clock? - If the United States doesn’t want to lose the green technology race, President Obama can’t put the energy/climate bill on the back burner to focus solely on health care. They go together. (July 5, 2009)

4. Just Do It - For all its flaws, the House energy bill is America’s first comprehensive attempt to mitigate climate change. Now the Senate needs to pass it. (July 1, 2009)

5. Invent, Invent, Invent - The country that endows its people with more tools and basic research to create new goods and services is the one that will not just survive this crisis but thrive down the road. (June 28, 2009)

6. The Green Revolution(s) - Iranian reformers don’t need praise. They need the United States to end its dependency on the oil that finances Iran’s Islamic dictatorship. (June 24, 2009)