The poor and marginalized communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change also tend to be those who have the least information about it. Simultaneously, raising awareness among the public and policy-makers in developing countries about the need to address climate change is vital if we are to address this global challenge.
The director of Internews' Earth Journalism Network – www.earthjournalism.org -- analyzes the lessons, tips and stories he has gleaned in trying to close this “climate information gap” by supporting more than 1,000 journalists from developing countries over the last four years in their efforts to cover climate change and related environmental issues. The results of an Internews-sponsored media content analysis in Vietnam will also be presented.
Despite lacking time and resources, and striving to convey the science and uncertainty surrounding climate change impacts accurately, reporters from around the world are gradually improving their coverage of vulnerability and adaptation. In doing so, they must try and distinguish between local and global causes of environmental change, convince reluctant editors of the importance of the stories, and overcome threats and obstacles from vested interests.
Other challenges confronting journalists trying to report from the world's climate change hot spots include finding ways to turn incremental environmental change into daily news and feature stories, translating scientific jargon and complex concepts into terms a lay audience can understand, and generally turning this global issue into a local story. Strategies that have been used to address these challenges will be discussed.
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