The Importance of Environmental Journalism in the Climate Crisis

How important is environmental journalism in the climate crisis?

"Can news or stories make a difference?" Those who are in the journalism profession, every time they work with news, this one question turns in their mind. Most of the time the answer is not clear. Especially for those in the environmental journalism profession, it was once common for the answer to be negative. Because there is no dearth of news that can move the attention of the audience. But recently the trend has changed, the familiar form of the environment has also changed. Therefore, there has been an increase in environmental information or climate issues in the country. At the same time, the engagement and importance of environmental journalism has also increased. But the same question, how much difference can environmental journalists make?

How important is the environment in the media?

From the middle of the 20th century, the negative effects of the environment began to be visible. Those effects have been making regular news headlines ever since. However, it is not long ago that the environment is given importance as a separate category in the media. This trend can be seen starting from the last decade. An example of just how much importance is being given to environmental news is the British influential newspaper The Guardian.

In 2019, the Guardian brought readers a pledge they made. The authorities of the newspaper announced at that time that they would publish environmental news with utmost importance.

The following year the Guardian reported that they had delivered nearly 3,000 environmental stories in the past year, as promised. This means - on an average, every three hours, the newspaper published one environmental news item. 10 million readers have read these news. This milestone is seen as a major positive for environmental journalism, not just for the Guardian. The Guardian authorities say that as an independent news organization its reporting on climate matters has never been, and never will be, influenced by commercial or political interests. Instead, they always prioritize scientific explanations, countering misinformation and sensationalism through journalism.

The importance of environmental journalism is now visible in the media. Earlier, media houses were seen as disinterested in publishing news on environment. Now that trend has changed. The media now has a separate section for environmental news. Several media outlets are also publishing regular environmental features or articles. There is also investigative report work. The demand for environmental journalism profession is also increasing day by day.

Environmental journalism as a profession

A lot of research needs to be done before starting to write an article or news about the environment. Environmental writing requires a broader scope than travel or nature writing. Because the environment does not just surround a particular subject. Environment Whatever the topic is written about, there are many other surrounding factors and influences involved. Therefore, the research on this subject creates an opportunity to increase the scope of knowledge.

Environmental journalists need to demonstrate some important interview and investigative skills in their reporting as the subject matter is important and factual. In this case selection of subject is considered as an important step. You need to choose a topic that no one else has written about yet or your article will highlight the work of institutions or organizations that are neglecting the environment and causing negative effects on nature. Environmental writers use their unique voice and writing skills to dig deeper into environmental issues and uncover unknown facts. In doing so, they contribute to global discussions about the environment and ways to protect it. They research both aspects of environmental problems, and report in an ethical and pragmatic manner. Although they introduce both sides of the argument, they do not diminish the impact of the main issue in their writing. Whether covering micro-plastic pollution in the oceans, new scientific findings on climate change, the impact of human activities on certain wildlife species, or anything else, environmental journalists present information in an understandable way that has a lasting impact on readers.

Earth is a remarkable piece of evolutionary engineering, having developed itself in a self-regulated manner over millions of years. But this stream is now being destabilized by human activity. We need to act quickly in that area. A solution must be found, and at the same time start walking on that path as a matter of urgency. Journalists have job opportunities in this place.

Journalists can make local and global connections, an essential part of any solution. Events such as climate crisis, the collapse of natural ecosystems, the rise of infectious diseases, and air, water, and soil pollution are often first evident in remote areas and poor communities, although the ultimate consequences occur in wealthier and more densely populated areas. A shining example of Covid-19. As we have seen during pandemics, unless problems are identified early and localized, and acted upon quickly, the health and economic costs do not take long to become dire. Because they later spread around the world and gradually expanded. Now there are opportunities to work as freelance journalists outside of professional journalism in many media. Freelancers can easily submit their environmental articles to various publications. If you want to contribute to the environment from a place of interest in the environment, publishing articles on environmental issues can be a good addition to your work background.

How is the image of Bangladesh?

Research reports on the importance of environmental journalism in the domestic and local press are regularly published in international journals. Research reports have also been published on Bangladeshi newspapers in the past years. In 2011, three teachers from Chittagong University and one teacher from Shinsu University in Japan published a research report analyzing three years of environmental news of three national dailies of Bangladesh - Prothom Alo, Ittefaq and Daily Star. Researchers found at the time that climate change issues were not regularly highlighted in newspapers. Rather, environmental news is published in tune with global trends over time. However, the researchers got a glimpse that this trend is gradually changing towards the end of the research period.

Last year (2021), a teacher of Jahangirnagar University and a student of Dhaka University conducted a study on data from 2013 to 2021. Bangladeshi media focused more on news related to brick kilns, pollution and air pollution. These three areas of news are the most recurring topics in the newspaper pages. Apart from this, some specific issues related to climate change and air quality are highlighted in the media.

In 2020, a research paper of a student of Daffodil University in the capital has revealed the pattern of environmental news in the national dailies of Bangladesh. The article analyzes the environmental news published by three national dailies - Prothom Alo, Kale Kanth and Daily Star for the entire month of June of that year. It can be seen there, only 5 percent of the total published news in all three newspapers was published on environmental issues. Among them, English daily Daily Star published the most 55 environmental news in that month.

Environmental journalism is becoming dangerous?

Environmental problems become manifestations of global problems. The constant carbon emissions of rich countries push people in relatively low-lying areas to extinction. Therefore, in order to go deeper into environmental problems, and to find solutions, environmental journalists must also strive for global communication.

Eric Friedman, professor of journalism at Michigan State University in the United States, said, “One of the most dangerous areas of journalism is reporting on the environment. Sai is also giving statistics on his behalf. Between 2005-16, 40 journalists lost their lives worldwide while reporting on environmental issues. This number of deaths is more than the number of journalists who died in the ongoing war in Afghanistan (31 people) during the same period. We often see many debates about the environment. Influences such as powerful businesses, economic interests, political warfare, criminal activity, anti-government insurgency or corruption are involved in these disputes.

Journalists in both rich and developing countries report on various aspects of the environment with these effects in mind, looking for hidden information. Many journalists have to go through mental illness while doing this work. Many people's careers are threatened.

Although mental punishment or torture happens more or less all over the world, the French-based non-governmental organization 'Reporters Without Borders (RSF)' says that 66 percent of such cases happen in Asia and the Americas. Our neighboring country India tops the list. It is followed by Colombia, Mexico, Philippines and Myanmar respectively.

But physical violence is not the only weapon used to suppress journalists. "Defamation laws are often used to prosecute or bring criminal proceedings against those who seek to expose the truth about the environmental impact of destructive practices favored by powerful business groups," says RSF. Arrests and imprisonment are the most common press freedom violations environmental journalists face.

For example, in Canada and the United States, dozens of journalists were arrested between 2016-20 while covering protests against pipeline construction and a large hydroelectric dam on ancestral lands.

Being an environmental journalist is hard work, but it also has the potential to make a difference in the world. In this world, taking care of the environment has never been more important. Environmental journalists have the power to make a huge difference in places of importance. It remains to be seen how well that works with time.

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