> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://onemanandhisblog.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Covering Climate Now: what we can learn from a week of focused climate crisis reporting - URL: https://onemanandhisblog.com/2019/10/covering-climate-now-what-we-can-learn-from-a-week-of-focused-climate-crisis-reporting/ - Published: 2019-10-07T14:19:00.000Z - Updated: 2019-10-07T14:19:00.000Z - Description: The Columbia Journalism Review’s Jon Allsop talks through the key learnings of a major project to improve climate reporting that involved over 300 news organisations. - Author: Adam Tinworth - Tags: climate reporting, climate change, news impact summit Jon Allsop works for the Columbia Journalism review. He gave a talk to the News Impact Summit in Birmingham on the Covering Climate Now project. --- *Warning: liveblogging. Prone to error, inaccuracy and howling crimes against grammar and syntax. Posts will be corrected and updated in the coming days.* CJR has partnered with *The Nation* and *The Guardian* to work on a project called Covering Climate Now. They came up with a set of core principles to lead climate reporting forward. > ✅Follow the leaders > ✅Don’t blame the audience, and listen to the kids > ✅Establish a diverse climate desk, but don’t silo climate coverage > ✅Learn the science > ✅Don’t be afraid to point fingers > Some of the origins that [@CoveringClimate](https://twitter.com/CoveringClimate?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) were based on, says [@jon\_allsop](https://twitter.com/Jon%5FAllsop?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) at [#NISBHX](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NISBHX?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com). [pic.twitter.com/YwgrJEF1SG](https://t.co/YwgrJEF1SG?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) > > — European Journalism Centre (@ejcnet) [October 7, 2019](https://twitter.com/ejcnet/status/1181202927115030530?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) > "Don't be afraid to point fingers." Very important message delivered by [@Jon\_Allsop](https://twitter.com/Jon%5FAllsop?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) on how we should report on climate change with a view to making a difference! [#NISBHX](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NISBHX?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [#BCUjournos](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCUjournos?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) > > — Amy Reast (@amy\_reast) [October 7, 2019](https://twitter.com/amy%5Freast/status/1181202552907554816?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) They launched with a focused week of coverage - from 15th to 23rd September 2019 - to lead into the UN Climate Change Summit. The wanted to partner with as many news organisations as they could. They had take-up from news agencies, TV networks, newspapers and magazines. They also worked with individual experts. They ended up with over 300 partners. The partners leant into their specialities - for example, *Bloomberg* looked at [climate change and retirement](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-19/climate-change-and-low-interest-rates-could-derail-retirement?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). They also took tangential takes - like the *Daily Beast* covering the idea that [climate change activists aren't using the right language to talk to Christians](https://www.thedailybeast.com/climate-activists-dont-know-how-to-talk-to-christians?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). ## The Key Lessons for Climate Change reporting ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/36/d8/36d823b7-59a1-4c8b-91bd-a54c64552596/content/images/2019/10/0B29C266-8595-473A-8E08-5737D74D464A.jpeg) ### 1\. "We don't know where to start" Some major news organisations genuinely don't know how to get started with this sort of reporting. How can we help equip them? ### 2\. "Our viewers will think we're activists" A particular challenge for some TV networks, and the US in particular, is the idea that reporting these issues accurately looks like advocacy. That's a function of a particular political moments - but can we resist the pressure from a reactionary audience? ### 3\. "It's too late; the problem is too big for us to make a difference." Journalisst *like* making a difference. This is both stupid AND wrong, according to science. ### 4\. "Readers will find this depressing and tune out." Maragret Sullivan said that climate change is a *fantastic story* and if you can't tell it, you shouldn't be a journalists. ### 5\. "We're already pulling our weight." OK. But could you share your practices and help others do better on this? There is a perspective that it's a rating killer - that hasn't proved to be the case. Climate change is now more searched on Google than climate change. > ...Like a good journalist, I checked this claim. Worldwide, Google Trends data confirms searches about climate change are at a 5-year peak [https://t.co/SfLUvx66l9](https://t.co/SfLUvx66l9?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) \- but that varies from country to country [https://t.co/Fxq46FBmuT](https://t.co/Fxq46FBmuT?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [#NISBHX](https://twitter.com/hashtag/NISBHX?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) [pic.twitter.com/NpmtDeguvQ](https://t.co/NpmtDeguvQ?ref=onemanandhisblog.com) > > — Paul Bradshaw (@paulbradshaw) [October 7, 2019](https://twitter.com/paulbradshaw/status/1181207152830111745?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=onemanandhisblog.com) Read more about [Covering Climate Now](https://www.cjr.org/covering%5Fclimate%5Fnow/climate-crisis-new-beginning.php?ref=onemanandhisblog.com).