Down to Earth: The Challenge of Reporting the Environment
FJA series of webinars “Winning Stories”
Date: Thursday, December 5th
Time: 13.00 UTC
Registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O4DS3E0CRb6TBbJmu1I_Hg
Throughout the five years of the Fetisov Journalism Awards our winners have been telling hard truths about the stark realities and the bleak future for humanity in the face of the climate crisis, global warming, the loss of biodiversity and plastic pollution.
From its launch the FJA has recognized that fact-based, emotional and compelling stories are essential to understanding the environmental challenges facing us all. We decided that our annual awards should be held on or around Earth Day – April 22nd.
But these stories come at a price. The ethical challenges and the pressures from corporate and political centres of power who try to censor environmental journalists and to stifle truth-telling to protect their own interests are enormous.
Reporting the environment is one of the most challenging tasks and it is now among the most dangerous with a growing number of attacks on news media, environmental activists and reporters.
This third webinar in the current series of Winning Stories online discussions will provide insights into how our winners coped with these pressures, the ethical choices they had to make and what can be done to make reporting the environment safer and more secure. There will also be comprehensive tips for keeping safe and avoiding ethical pitfalls in covering this story.
Moderator: Aidan White, Honorary Advisor for the Fetisov Journalism Awards and President of the Ethical Journalism Network
Send questions in advance via info@fjawards.com (subject: webinar).
Participants:
Tom Brown (UK)
Tom Brown is a freelance energy reporter with a background in financial journalism, writing for Al Jazeera, The Daily Telegraph and New Lines Magazine. He investigates illegal oil activity in Africa and the Middle East, with investigations funded by the European Journalism Centre, the Environmental Reporting Collective, The Earth Investigations Programme, the Fund for Investigative Journalism and the Arena Climate Network.
Winning story: "Choking Kurdistan"
Stella Martany (Iraq)
Stella Martany, a freelance Journalist and Fixer/Field Producer based in Iraq, began her career during the conflict in 2016. She collaborates extensively with foreign journalists and media agencies, helping to bring important stories to light. Her focus lies in advocating for environmental protection, human rights, highlighting the voices of marginalised communities and indigenous groups, exploring conflicts, and exposing corruption.
Winning story: "Choking Kurdistan"
Camilo Amaya (Colombia)
Camilo Amaya is the project director at Consejo de Redaccion. He has worked as a journalist and editor in media such as Semana Magazine, EFE International News Agency, Esquire Colombia and SoHo Magazine. He was also part of the communications team of the National Historical Memory Center (CNMH).
Winning story "Land of Resistants"
Fredrick Mugira (Uganda)
Fredrick Mugira is a Ugandan multiple award-winning water and climate change journalist, media trainer and development communication specialist with over 10 years of wide-ranging experience. He has reported from various countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and USA. He is the founder of the Water Journalists Africa and co-founder of InfoNile.
Tom Gibson (Belgium)
Tom Gibson is the EU Representative at the Committee to Protect Journalists. Tom Gibson is CPJ's lead advocate in Brussels, covering the EU. Before joining CPJ, Gibson managed Protection International's Burundi and Congo desks, advocating for stronger state accountability for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists. Gibson was also part of Amnesty International's Africa program in London and Nairobi.
Nadezda Azhgikhina
Co-Chair of FJA Steering Committee, Former Vice-President of the European Federation of Journalists
Aidan White
Honorary Advisor for the Fetisov Journalism Awards and President of the Ethical Journalism Network
Environmental journalism: Background and subthemes
The notion of green journalism or reporting the environment has been around for decades. For more than 50 years the issue has been at the forefront of growing concerns about human exploitation of the world’s natural resources and its impact on our planet.
The history of industrialisation and our addiction to economic growth has raised the standard of living of many living mainly in the north, but many more millions, in what is known as the global south, remain impoverished, their lives scarred by the destruction of their traditional lands, and the industries and livelihoods on which they have dependence for generations.
These natural losses, have been compounded by the impact of climate change, a phenomenon that knows no natural boundaries and that will, eventually, wreak havoc on communities all around the globe, north and south. Scientific evidence suggests a global catastrophe is imminent.
Reporting the environment and giving people the truthful information they need to address this crisis is, therefore, one of the most serious tasks facing news media. The urgent action needed to reduce the devastating impact of climate change requires a media that’s able to effectively communicate the issues we face – and the solutions at our disposal.
The scale of the crisis we face is well explained looking at the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region which boasts 40 percent of the world’s biodiversity, half of the world’s tropical forests, the largest reserve of freshwater, and 12 percent of the world’s mangroves.
This region is in the frontline of the environmental crisis: in 50 years it has lost 94 percent of its vertebrate population and holds the highest number of threatened mammals, plants, fish and birds globally. It also presents alarming vulnerability figures, underscoring the interconnection between the loss of natural wealth and climate risks.
Similar problems are evident in Asia and Africa. The biggest challenge to news media how to capture the attention of an audience saturated with information? How to expand coverage of climate change and nature beyond the environment? How to remain vigilant against greenwashing and combat misinformation?
The FJA winners have gathered important and useful experience in addressing these questions.
During the webinar we will develop some ethical subthemes that flow from the main discussion:
Sources of information:
The first and most important issue is to get the story right. Fact-based information from reliable sources is essential in all journalism, but particularly so when reporting the environment. Where do we go to get reliable background on climate change and the environment? And how do we verify and test the truthfulness of what we are being told, particularly at a time when there is still climate-change denial at work?
Safety for reporters and local sources:
News media have a duty of care, both to protect their own journalists and editors and also to ensure that out sources on the ground are able to speak without being subject to undue risks. How do we improve the security and safety of reporters and the people they talk to? As always humanity is paramount, we must ensure that our reporters (particularly freelance staff) and the local activists and community people they talk to are getting the best possible support. How do we create a safe environment?
Guidelines for journalists
Despite the international focus on this issue in recent years there is still considerable ignorance within media and journalism about the various issues – climate change, global warming, environmental destruction, and biodiversity crisis – are all issues of rigorous scientific study and political debate.
Giving voice to people in the frontline
How do news media and journalists engage with local communities and ensure they give voice to those most affected now by the climate and environmental crisis? How do they follow a professional path and deal with ethical dilemmas along the way?
Avoiding the doomsday trap
Climate change reported only with doomsday interpretations leads alarmism. Shocking the audience can also lead to a sense of public powerlessness – people feel “we can’t do anything about it.” Despite the fact that there is overwhelming scientific evidence about the negative impact of climate change, there are differences of opinion on how seriously it should be tackled. How are these presented and debated and how can media contribute to more positive action?
There is already some useful guidance available:
- An editorial guide with a Latin American focus is https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/climate-change-and-biodiversity-guide-journalists
- Some tips for investigative reporters https://www.ire.org/tips-ideas-for-reporting-on-the-environment/
- Some advice for broadcast journalism https://www.ebu.ch/news/2023/03/ebu-news-report-shows-how-to-deliver-climate-journalism-that-works
- How to avoid the negative and sensational reporting trap: https://www.wfd.org/sites/default/files/2023-06/4.%20HOW%20SHOULD%20MEDIA%20TALK.pdf
In addition, this webinar will give fresh insights through detailed examination of some recent examples of world-class journalism, showing how reporters and editors can deliver ethical and quality journalism that explains why climate and the environment must stay at the top of the news agenda.
After the webinar we will publish and circulate a detailed report of the outcomes. As with our other activities it will strengthen the FJA editorial mission in support of journalism that will make the world a better place.