'Saving the planet is now a communications challenge' says Attenborough - so why are UK newsrooms not stepping up to meet it?
Seven lessons on climate storytelling for journalists from the broadcast media
I hope you like this climate-focused edition of Happy Journalist. Each week I talk about journalism sustainability in an AI era, through a lens of people, planet and purpose. If you’re a subscriber, I hope you’re enjoying it so far. If you’re here because someone forwarded you this newsletter and you’re not yet subscribed, please do click the button below to sign up for free.
Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II is credited with a transformation in attitudes to plastic, contributing to changes in government policy, through the plastic bag levy and ban on straws, as well as public behaviour. His most recent film, Save Our Wild Isles, saw the BBC partnering with the WWF, RSPB and National Trust in an urgent call to action for everyone to get involved in helping to restore nature.
And now this weekend, the new Planet Earth III eight-part series will focus on how animals around the world are adapting to environments that have beyond recognition as a result of human behaviour.
BBC Planet Earth III airs this Sunday. BBC.
These big budget documentaries are watched by millions. But they can’t bring about the kind of exponential systems change required to save the planet alone.
‘Saving the planet is now a communications challenge,’ said Attenborough and it’s a collective responsibility for all of us who work in storytelling.
This week I attended the BBC’s Climate Creatives, a conference tackling the ways in which broadcasters are incorporating climate into their content. Commissioners from all the UK’s major TV companies outlined the steps they were taking to ensure sustainable messaging was authentically part of all their content.
The BBC has three strands to its sustainability strategy - Net Zero, Nature Positive and People Positive. In essence that means reaching net zero, doing more good than harm to nature and ensuring their programming has a positive impact on people. Channel 5 has pledged to integrate environmental themes into every piece of content it commissions. ITV, Channel 4 and Sky require the vast majority of their productions to meet sustainable criteria and have all pledged to use their voice to create positive change. All of them signed a commitment at COP26 in Glasgow to inspire and inform sustainable choices.
So why don’t these same commitments exist in the UK news media?
According to research published in 2021, less than 1% of articles in global media are focused on climate change. In recent years - not least in response to record temperatures, wildfires, floods and droughts - that percentage has risen - but it remains woefully low. While there are some standout exceptions - The Guardian leads the way on climate coverage and Fathm recently published an overview of Europe’s climate reporting landscape with some great examples including AFP’s Planet Hub - most legacy media, in the UK at least, put sustainability a long way down their priority list.
Ask most journalists why climate isn’t top of the news agenda and they would answer that there’s not enough audience for the stories. But the reality is that the audience is there, but it requires time, education and creativity to really connect with that audience.
A new study published this week by the International Press Institute (IPI) looks at ways of reshaping the newstooms to more effectively cover climate and finds a clear need for more resources, strategies, training and investment to ensure climate and environmental journalism reaches audiences and contributes to finding solutions.
So what can the media learn from broadcasters about covering climate?
Focus on the hope rather than the despair of climate and biodiversity and give audiences a sense of agency - there’s a growing movement towards solutions-focused journalism to tackle the climate crisis.
Talk less about climate change, which still people see as a future issue, and focus more on words like pollution, disappearing wildlife and flooding that people understand have a real and current impact on their lives.
Focus on people rather than issues. Humanity is critical to storytelling so find the heroes, the villains and the victims of your climate storytelling.
Give stories an onward journey through campaigns, follow ups and collaboration - programmes like the BBC’s Save Our Wild Isles are a great example of this.
Climate should not be siloed. Just as the broadcasters are incorporating sustainability into everything from soap opera storylines to Royal documentaries, so the news media needs to ensure the climate thread runs through all storytelling. Lars Tallert, from the Sustainable Journalism Partnership, talked about this at the IMEDD International Journalism Forum last month.
Be proactive, not reactive. There are only so many big newsworthy moments in climate reporting but there are plenty of positive stories of change coming from individuals, communities and organisations. Build those into your content schedules to ensure it’s a regular feature.
Use the experts. There’s a complexity to the issue that makes it difficult to put those events into the context needed. We don’t all have access to Attenborough, but we do have access to climate experts in universities up and down the country and in depth analysis freely accessible through publications like The Conversation.
In France, more than 1,200 journalists and dozens of newsrooms have signed a charter pledging to step up their approach to addressing the climate emergency that helps increase the collective focus and encourage collaboration. What if the UK media had a similar charter - would you sign it?
I’d love to know your thoughts. Drop me an email or leave a comment below
Stories of the week
People
🫶 Following the distressing events in the Middle East, I wanted to share this webinar on Prioritising Mental Health in the Newsroom presented by the Journalists’ Resource earlier this year. It’s a really practical guide to dealing with trauma, harassment and safety and protecting the mental health of journalists.
Planet
🌍 What’s the impact of online advertising on the planet? More than you might think, as this article from Semafor outlines.
Purpose
📰 Sharing the Edinburgh Minute’s 200th daily newsletter here today. A brilliant example of local journalism done differently to superserve its community.
AI
🤖 Google Bard and Search Generative Experiences on Google’s search pages are fundamentally changing how search results are displayed. But will AI tools make SEO obsolete? That’s the question posed in this thought-provoking article from Berkeley PR which offers a deep dive into how AI could redefine SEO.
AI experiment of the week
Tool: ChatGPT 3
Prompt: Give me 5 ways journalists could better report the climate crisis to resonate with a mass audience and bring about behaviour change
Response:
Tell Human Stories: Frame climate change stories around individuals and communities directly impacted. Highlight real people's experiences, struggles, and successes in dealing with climate-related challenges. These human-centric narratives are relatable and can emotionally engage a mass audience.
Solutions-Focused Reporting: Emphasize solutions and actions that people can take to address climate change. Highlighting success stories and practical steps for reducing environmental impact can empower readers to take meaningful actions in their own lives.
Visual Storytelling: Incorporate compelling visuals, such as infographics, images, and videos, to make complex climate data more accessible and engaging. Visuals can simplify information and help convey the urgency of the crisis.
Connect Climate Change to Daily Life: Show how climate change affects everyday life. Discuss how it impacts weather patterns, food supply, health, and the economy. Demonstrating these direct connections can make the issue more relevant to readers.
Collaborate with Experts: Consult climate scientists and environmental experts to provide accurate, evidence-based information. Journalists should ensure their reporting is well-informed and free from misinformation or skepticism, making their coverage more credible and impactful.
Tips: I was impressed with this response, which was the first pass from ChatGPT in answer to my question. I gave the question a Who, What, Why, How framework as follow:
Who? (Journalists/ Mass market audience)
What? (Best practice around climate reporting)
Why? (To bring about behaviour change)
How? (Five tips)
Please do get in touch - I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you like it, please share with friends. And remember to hit subscribe at the top if you’re not already signed up.
Until next time.
Jacqui