On March 1st, 2023, the European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of public service media representing over a hundred organisations worldwide, published a report called “Climate Journalism That Works”.

It’s an ideal stop on the journey we started with the guide to climate journalism (part I, part II, and part III), and it is an essential stop because it shows how climate journalism can be done with a social impact.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in contemporary journalism, this report offers “solutions-oriented advice for newsrooms on how to cover the climate catastrophe effectively, based on tried and tested, practical solutions from public service media outlets and other newsrooms across Europe and beyond.”

Climate Journalism That Works is divided into four chapters. We will deepen the report’s contents, following the division into chapters and, when possible, also using examples of solutions to the problems we have already covered at The Fix.

The Challenges of Climate Reporting

First, before going through the different challenges of climate reporting, the report reminds us that it is not new at all, even if it’s trending now.

Popular Mechanics in March 1912, more than a century ago, published – probably for the first time in human history – an article titled “Coal Consumption Affecting Climate”.

We should argue that something went wrong if we were unable to stop this. And that’s precisely why we need to find solutions to make journalism coverage work and not only a sort of Cassandra’s cry.

Coverage of climate change is increasing its intensity worldwide, and it’s related to different aspects of life: political, economic, scientific, ecological, meteorological, and cultural topics.

But, as Rob Wijnberg, De Correspondent’s Editor-in-chief, argued in an interview I shot with him in 2019, climate change is a problem for journalism because of its nature: “it has not already happened and finished: it is happening.” And, thanks to its obsession with things that happened, journalism often missed the big picture in this field.

Climate change is always “in the background; pretty much everyone is aware of it, but you only pay attention when it is interrupted by an announcement. For newsrooms, these ‘announcements’ are either natural disasters, extreme weather events, or international summits such as UN climate conferences”, the report says. Or, in some cases, famous figures like Greta Thumberg or striking gestures such as those of Just Stop Oil.

In many cases, you can still find climate change deniers in the newsrooms: even this topic, since the beginning of the century, has become political and the subject of partisan alignments and fans, as in a bad disaster movie, as if “Don’’t Look Up” had taken root even in the world of journalism.

Moreover, in the name of alleged neutrality, “Media organizations matched scientists talking about global warming with skeptics or climate deniers”: in this way, polarisation has been fostered.

Among the other challenges pointed out by the report:

Climate change coverage is complex and difficult, and it requires expert journalists and resources
Talking about climate change is depressing, both for the public and for journalists
The public may shy away from this news
The metrics of the articles that talk about climate change are not satisfactory, if we consider them in the traditional, quantitative way
The challenges are different among different countries

It seems quite clear that dealing with foundational topics such as climate change requires a radical shift in the way journalism itself is conceived: this means that newsrooms should free their journalists’ time, avoiding things done by others (see, for example, ideas related to the slow journalism concept), embracing collaborative solutions and ideas (like we argued in this article about Italian elections as a case of study) and using technology to delegate supervised automatable tasks. Moreover, we should consider different points of view, not only those of the so-called Western civilization or, in any case, of the “Global North.”

Tackling the Challenges

The report suggests several solutions to the challenges, starting from a matter of fact: climate journalism has the responsibility to effectively inform and engage the public, given the gravity of climate change.

Journalism, to be effective, should focus on what is at stake, responsible parties, possible solutions, and who should take action, but should also frame stories around a desirable future and tailor messages to communities’ values: this is more effective than using negative frames. Positive messaging emphasising gains rather than fear is more likely to lead to climate-friendly behaviour.

Journalism should focus on opening perspectives on what a sustainable world would look like and discussing potential solutions.

One of the traditional approaches of journalism is blaming and shaming individuals, focusing on individual actions. According to the report, this doesn’t work and deflects attention from industries primarily responsible for climate change.

Climate journalism should also explore alternative economic models and concepts that could help envision sustainable futures: this also means abandoning the TINA (There Is No Alternative) vision and analysing solutions, ideas, and other possible worlds.

Solutions journalism and constructive journalism, which focuses on hope and agency, answers and solutions, are increasingly recognized as crucial in climate change reporting to encourage public action.

Influencers with a trusted following can effectively spread climate messages, but the risks of relying too heavily on them should be carefully considered. The main problem with influencers is that they are not tied to journalistic ethics. However, it’s increasingly important for journalists to find different solutions to disseminate their content: a diverse set of communicators is essential to resonate with diverse audiences, as the messenger is often more critical at first glance than the message itself; this does not mean that the content should not be carefully considered. It means that the distribution of the content must be treated with the same attention that is dedicated to the content itself.

Different formats, such as interactive stories or games, are essential for reaching diverse audiences with other preferences. Younger audiences are best reached through platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with content created or led by young people.

Also, localising and making climate stories immediate is vital to engaging audiences. And you can take advantage of the news cycle: timing matters; audiences are more attentive when climate-related events dominate the news.

Local and regional news outlets have the potential to connect climate change to people’s immediate surroundings: compelling climate journalism should humanise, localise, and propose solutions, creating a sense of purpose.

Managing climate coverage

One of the report’s most important findings is that there needs to be a cultural change to address the challenges of climate and environmental journalism adequately.

Newsrooms must be guided through a process that may be more complex in some countries – like Italy. One of my journalism teachers, Mario Tedeschini Lalli, once told me, “Italian journalists speak like the omniscient narrator of the nineteenth-century novel.” This approach is no longer acceptable and not practicable indeed when working in an area such as climate journalism, where different skills and knowledge are required.

The paternalistic attitude typical of certain newsrooms must give way to a hybrid approach without renouncing the foundations of journalistic work: the verification method. Even the traditional organisation of a newsroom should be argued.

Some media outlets, like the Finnish YLE or the Swedish SVT, opt for a hybrid approach to climate coverage, integrating it into various topics and not just assigning a dedicated climate team. Also, Ireland’s RTÉ and Canadian CBC use a fluid approach, coordinating loose groups of journalists committed to the issue and covering climate as part of their daily work.

Even the Financial Times employs a “floating desk structure” to cover climate change, connecting reporters closest to climate issues across different sectors, avoiding the creation of a new silo.

Moreover, it’s necessary to implement a training routine. Climate and environmental journalists need up-to-date knowledge. They must also know how to best communicate with audiences, how to interface with the scientific world, select correct sources, and report the topics in an understandable way to their audience.

The effort could be huge for a newsroom. But it’s crucial. Change management theory suggests that the organisation’s leaders must be in charge of this new approach and that it must start with those willing to participate in a significant shift towards something different.

The Big Picture

As usually happens when adopting a holistic approach to topics, this part of the report is probably the most interesting.

The Big Picture demonstrates, in points, how adopting everything necessary to talk about the climate crisis within a newsroom is also a possible way to solve many of the problems of contemporary journalism:

Climate journalism needs to focus on the future rather than on the now, and explanatory reporting can increase its legitimacy and attract younger audiences.
Instead of focusing on negativity and drama, journalism should embrace hope and solutions to inspire collective action and empower readers to act or put pressure on politicians and decision-makers
Climate journalism should prioritise data and measurable outcomes over quotes to reflect progress accurately and inspire change in political journalism.
Journalism should be diverse and inclusive and use language that respects and engages audiences to reach various demographics.
Local journalism is essential for community-building and providing unique, indispensable content in a globalised world.
Journalism should adopt a learning mindset, utilising insights from communication studies and psychology to maximise impact on audiences.
Climate journalism can benefit from collaboration across regions, nations, and organisations to address complex issues and speed up innovation.

All these approaches could be beneficial for journalism more broadly. The report is a deep dive into climate journalism and contemporary journalism in general. It should be adopted as part of a mindset-changing routine by every newsroom aiming to face contemporary journalism challenges.

“Climate journalism that works” – key insights from the European Broadcasting Union report

Alberto Puliafito

A report from the European Broadcasting Union guides us towards understanding the challenges and possibilities of climate journalism, which could be a turning point for journalism in general

Author

Alberto Puliafito

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