This paper examines the impact of the journalistic norm of ‘balanced’ reporting on the portrayal of scientific consensus regarding human-induced climate change in the US and UK from 2003 to 2006. It finds that US newspapers significantly diverged from the scientific consensus in 2003-2004, though this divergence decreased by 2005-2006, whereas UK reporting remained aligned with the consensus. The study highlights the implications of these reporting practices for climate policy discussions and implementation.