Group calls for Globe to ‘take leadership in its coverage of the climate crisis’

Dozens of environmental activists demonstrated in downtown Boston Wednesday, blocking traffic on State and Congress streets at one point, with the aim of prompting The Boston Globe to take “leadership in its coverage of the climate crisis.”

The group, Extinction Rebellion Massachusetts, said in a statement that headlines from media outlets such as the Globe “have not reflected the climate crisis with sufficient urgency or effectively communicated its full impacts on human life.”

About 100 people demonstrated in the lobby of the Globe at about noon, calling for the paper to inform “the public on the climate emergency at the level of urgency that was placed on reporting the Second World War,” and to scrutinize public policy “with respect to the scientific consensus on the scale of action required,” increase coverage of local environmental issues, and divest finances that are tied to fossil fuel corporations.

After the demonstration in the lobby, the group blocked traffic outside for about an hour, said Dave St. Germain, one of the organizers.

The rally was a part of a series of Extinction Rebellion demonstrations throughout the world this week, including events in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

“We think it’s very important for the media and the government to tell the truth about climate change,” said St. Germain, 36, of Barre, in a phone interview Wednesday night. “We feel that media has not been fulfilling its obligation to the truth.”

He added, “A lot of people are not aware of the problem.”