CJR Event on Covering Climate Change

“Journalists must figure out how to cover [the climate crisis] as if life on Earth depends on it, which it does.”

What is Covering Climate Now?

https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/about

Covering Climate Now is a global journalism initiative committed to more and better coverage of the defining story of our time. Organized by journalists, for journalists, CCNow was co-founded in April 2019 by the Columbia Journalism Review, and The Nation, in association with The Guardian. Our partners include more than 400 news outlets with a combined audience approaching 2 billion people, and our innovative collaborations are driving stronger climate coverage across the media. CCNow works directly with newsrooms, sharing first-class content, providing story ideas and background resources, amplifying our partners’ coverage, convening climate journalism conferences, and publishing a weekly newsletter highlighting best practices.

To understand the philosophy behind CCNow:

Watch veteran journalist Bill Moyers call on journalists to step up climate coverage and “cooperate as kindred spirits on a mission of public service.” https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/climate-beat/what-if-reporters-covered-the-climate-crisis-like-edward-r-murrow-covered-the-start-of-world-war-ii

Read:  A new beginning for climate change by CCNow co-founders by Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope. https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/climate-beat/a-new-beginning-for-climate-reporting

Read: The media are complacent while the world burns by Hertsgaard and Pope.

https://www.coveringclimatenow.org/climate-beat/the-media-are-complacent-while-the-world-burns

See a sampling of media coverage about Covering Climate Now.

Who can join?

Covering Climate Now invites partnership applications from all types of news outlets — television, radio, podcast, online, print; commercial and non-profit; college and high school; US and international. We also welcome university and research organizations, institutional partners, and independent journalists. We appreciate hearing constructive suggestions from activists, government and business officials and others we cover and above all from the people reading, watching or listening to our coverage. So get in touch!

What is good climate coverage?

Good climate coverage connects the dots between human-caused climate change and stronger heat waves, droughts, storms, and sea level rise and the damage caused to people and the economy.

Good climate coverage humanizes the story by focusing on how real people and communities are experiencing the climate crisis, and it recognizes that the poor and people of color suffer disproportionate impacts.

Good climate coverage eliminates the silos which confine climate coverage to the science desk and increases infrequency of reports as a regular part of every beat in every newsroom, especially weather, business, and politics. 

Good climate coverage gets sustained, prominent attention.

Good climate coverage is accurate and fair but need not be neutral about humanity’s survival -- it holds political, business, and other leaders accountable for delivering the rapid emissions reductions and other measures scientists say are imperative.

Without drifting into activism, good climate coverage explores solutions — technical fixes such as solar panels and sea walls but also policies such as pricing carbon or halting fossil fuel subsidies, as well as political actions taken to advance such policies, including voting and marching in the streets.

Good climate coverage is responsive to its audience, accepts constructive suggestions, and corrects errors promptly.

Good climate coverage is always a work in progress.