Greta Thunberg's prominent role in the Fridays for Future movement brought climate change to the forefront of German political discourse. Her 2019 transatlantic sailing trip to the UN Climate Summit in New York, a symbolic rejection of air travel, generated significant media attention, particularly due to her co-sailor, German climate activist Boris Herrmann. This study investigates how six leading German print newspapers—Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.), die Tageszeitung (taz), Die Zeit, Stern, Hamburger Abendblatt, and Nordwest-Zeitung—reframed Thunberg's intentions through their reporting, focusing on the influence of space and place. The research extends the story-based approach of communication science by integrating geographical research on the role of space and place in action-based narratives. The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), focusing on characters, setting, plot, and moral, is employed to analyze how spatial contexts shaped the narratives surrounding Thunberg's journey. This approach addresses a gap in narrative studies by exploring how spatial determinants influence the creation and interpretation of climate change narratives, ultimately impacting public engagement and potential for action.

Existing research highlights the effectiveness of stories in climate communication, impacting public understanding and risk perception. However, studies often focus on conveying the risks of climate change rather than inspiring action. This study addresses a gap by examining how spatial determinants within narratives influence climate action engagement. The literature underscores the limitations of fact-based climate communication in motivating behavioral change, advocating for narrative approaches to foster social learning and agency. The significance of space and place in risk perception and knowledge production regarding climate change is established, but their role in action-oriented stories remains underexplored. The paper bridges this gap by integrating geographical perspectives with the narrative policy framework.

This qualitative study uses the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to analyze the portrayal of Greta Thunberg's sailing trip in six German newspapers. The newspapers selected represent a range of political perspectives and readership demographics (national dailies, weeklies, and regional papers). Data collection included articles published between June 17th and August 30th, 2019, covering the period from the announcement of Thunberg's trip to her arrival in New York. Qualitative content analysis, guided by the four core NPF elements (characters, setting, plot, and moral), was used to analyze 49 articles. Coding involved a multi-stage process, including developing a coding guide, assigning codes to text segments using Atlas.TI software, and performing intracoder reliability checks. The analysis focused on how spatial elements of the setting—the boat, the ocean, New York, and Herrmann’s home—shaped the narrative elements. The research team discussed the codes and findings to ensure the reliability of the coding process.

The analysis revealed that the spatial setting significantly influenced the narrative structure and message of the different newspapers. The journey's spatial challenges (the vastness of the ocean, the confined space of the yacht) were depicted as obstacles Thunberg and the crew had to overcome. The newspapers presented varying interpretations of the characters, with Thunberg portrayed variously as a heroic activist, a naive idealist, and even a victim of her father's actions. The moral messages conveyed differed; some newspapers highlighted the symbolic significance of Thunberg's action and its potential to inspire climate action, while others criticized its impracticality and limitations. The taz, a left-leaning newspaper, surprisingly presented the most critical perspective, questioning the trip’s effectiveness and emphasizing the need for more concrete and readily accessible actions. Spatial references to Herrmann's home city of Hamburg and birthplace of Oldenburg were used by regional newspapers to enhance local identification with the story. The study emphasizes how the confined space of the boat created a unique social dynamic, altering power relations and shaping the interactions between Thunberg and Herrmann. This unique setting contributed to various interpretations of their relationship and Thunberg's overall role.

The findings demonstrate the significant influence of spatial context in shaping the narrative of Thunberg's journey, highlighting the dynamic interplay between space, place, and the resulting narratives. The varied interpretations of the trip's significance in different media outlets underscore the subjective nature of narrative construction and the potential for both inspiring and undermining climate action. The study demonstrates the importance of considering spatial determinants in developing effective climate communication strategies, suggesting a need to move beyond simply presenting facts and instead crafting narratives that resonate with diverse audiences and highlight accessible and relevant actions. The unexpected critical stance of the left-leaning taz demonstrates the complexities involved in climate change communication and highlights the value of diverse perspectives.

This study showcases the importance of storytelling in climate communication and underscores the critical role of spatial elements in shaping narratives surrounding climate action. The NPF, augmented by a geographical lens, proved valuable in analyzing how space and place influenced the portrayal of Thunberg's journey. Future research could explore broader geographical contexts, investigating how different cultural and societal backgrounds impact the reception and interpretation of climate-related narratives. Further research could also delve into the effectiveness of different narrative approaches in motivating climate action across diverse populations.

The study's focus on six German newspapers limits the generalizability of findings to other contexts. The selection of newspapers, while aiming for representativeness, may not fully capture the diversity of media portrayals. The reliance on textual analysis might overlook nuanced visual or other multimedia elements present in the original articles.