Doomsday Clock Closer to 'Midnight' Than Ever

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists decided Tuesday to change the doomsday clock to 89 seconds to midnight.

The Details: The move Tuesday marks the closest the clock has ever gotten to midnight, the allegorical time of world devastation. Scientists have cited dangerous trends surrounding nuclear risks, climate change, biological threats, and disruptive technologies.

For Context: The doomsday clock was created as a tool by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to warn world leaders how close global destruction may be. The organization said countries like the United States, China, Iran, and North Korea are responsible to wind back the allegorical hands on the clock.

How The Media Covered It: Outlets on the left, such as NPR (Lean Left bias) tended to highlight issues of climate change, placing the threat of devastation beside information stating last year was the hottest on record. Outlets like Reuters (Center) and the New York Post (Lean Right) on the other hand, were more likely to frame the article around the risks related to the war in Ukraine, mentioning both advancements in automated intelligence on the battlefield and in nuclear capabilities, but waited to mention the issue of climate change until the end of the article.