6 May 2024
How to develop strategies for climate change coverage in the region? What examples can we follow to improve the exposure of news about environmental crises and sustainability? What models should you use to check information on these topics? And, to what extent can technology be at the service of coverage committed to the ecosystem?
These were some of the topics addressed last Thursday, May 2, in the workshop “Much ado about nothing: strategies and solutions to communicate the climate crisis. A scientific, community and youth approach”, an activity organized by the Diego Portales University and the Citizen Platform on Climate Change and a Sustainable World (Citizen Platform), within the framework of the central conference of UNESCO in Chile and the 31st World Press freedom.
The meeting included the participation of different national and foreign experts, who delved into the topic of climate change in order to raise awareness and develop a roadmap on how to increase and improve coverage related to the environmental crisis that affects to the planet as a whole.
In this way, the speakers delved into aspects linked to the origin of the phenomenon, the solutions that the communities have proposed and the proposals that have emerged to intensify the journalistic exercise around climate change.
Anoek van den Berg, general director of International Relations, valued the possibility of developing this dialogue at the UDP, above all, because, through the exchange of ideas with foreign experts, the university community can develop an “awareness with an international perspective.” and global”, which is very relevant to address these types of discussions at a critical moment, in which societies are overloaded with information. “Our intention is to be able to propose, together, a series of actions and proposals that allow us to work on this particular issue,” she commented, underlining the urgency of this matter.
For his part, Ricardo Grassi, director of Citizen Platform, indicated that, currently, it is important for communication professionals to generate strategies to mobilize their readers regarding the consequences of climate change. Along these lines, he stated that “in the south of the world the circulation of information about climate change is scarce” and that the media should focus on collaborative work to generate more information about this phenomenon and raise awareness among the population. “Instead of competing, let’s unite,” he exemplified, stating that “the role of students is fundamental” to face this new paradigm.
At the meeting, Karla Palma, an academic from the University of Chile, also presented her research on how museums linked to mining have presented narratives that are distant from the communities that surround them, generating a communication bias about her work. .
In turn, journalist Miriam Lewin, director of the Public Defender’s Office in Argentina, referred to the organization’s work and shared a guide of recommendations for journalistic coverage with a socio-environmental perspective. Thus, she pointed out that today the coverage of climate change is “superficial” and that this news requires constant monitoring. “We go – to the facts – only when there is a huge fire, when there is an oil spill, when there is a huge flood and it is not contextualized,” she said.
For the professional, the information presented “has to serve to discuss the topic in depth.” “We are not afraid of being wrong: not everything is a consequence of climate change. There are some things that have to do with the hand of man or, for example, real estate interests,” he reflected, pointing out that it is important that the coverage specify basic aspects, among them, who is responsible for the catastrophes and who are the expert voices. around the phenomena.
Other experts also participated in the workshop, who shared their experiences and urged attendees to adopt an active position regarding their communication work. This, with the understanding that the climate crisis is a present phenomenon that requires attention and information in a timely and conscious manner.
To relive the full meeting, go to this link.
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