IJNotes Environmental Journalism Podcast Series

"In the coming years, more journalists than ever will be needed to report on our deteriorating environment. They'll be tasked with covering the crisis and its fallout from all angles - and as comprehensively as they’ve reported on the COVID-19 pandemic."

This podcast series, produced by the International Journalists' Network (IJNET), seeks to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at journalism projects and initiatives from around the world, focusing on environmental reporting. It looks at how journalists can cover aspects of the global climate crisis, highlighting some of the technologies and strategies that are being utilised, the challenges environmental journalists are facing, and how they are dealing with them. Topics cover environmental justice, environmental crime, localised environmental reporting, and dealing with threats. The series includes advice and tips to support journalists.

The series consists of the following podcasts (headings are hyperlinked):

Environmental Journalism, Part 1: Are we all climate reporters now? (November 2021)
This episode interviews journalist Sebastián Rodriguez, who is the editor-in-chief of Climate Tracker, an international nonprofit that supports and trains environmental reporters around the world. He previously was an editor for Central America's climate news site Ojo al Clima. Rodriguez discusses how he approaches the climate beat, and why the increasingly dire global climate crisis requires that journalists collaborate to cover it effectively. He shares advice for fellow journalists reporting on the environment and discusses what environmental issues are top of mind for his audience in Costa Rica.

Environmental Journalism, Part 2: The keys to environmental justice reporting (November 2021)
In this episode, IJNET speaks to Yessenia Funes, the climate director at Atmos, a climate and culture magazine and digital platform. Funes has worked as an environmental justice reporter for seven years, including at outlets like Colorlines and Gizmodo. She provides insight on what exactly environmental justice reporting is, how she carries out her coverage, and why the beat is so critical for helping one understand the full scope of the climate crisis. She also highlights her favourite environmental justice stories that she has produced and the challenges she faces as a reporter working this beat.

Environmental Journalism, Part 3: Covering major climate events (December 2021)
In this episode, IJNET interviews multimedia journalist Tais Gadea Lara from Argentina, who provides advice on the main aspects of covering extreme climate events. She sees them as challenging but also as the best opportunity journalists have to report on the causes and consequences of climate change. She also stresses the importance of choosing the right words like "climate events" instead of "natural disasters" or "environmental disasters" in order to emphasise the link between climate change and humanity's responsibility to do something about it.

Environmental Journalism, Part 4: Global crisis, local perspectives (January 2022)
This episode features Tristan Baurick, an environmental reporter for The Times-Picayune, a New Orleans, Louisiana, United States-based newspaper. Baurick's work focuses on coastal restoration, fisheries, and the oil industry. He won the Society of Environmental Journalists' Pulliam Award in 2020. Baurick discusses why covering the environment from a local perspective is so critical and how interviewing local sources can generate impact. He also provides tips on how to report the climate crisis from different angles and how to make climate change stories more engaging.

Environmental Journalism, Part 5: Reporting on environmental crime (August 2022)
This episode looks at what it takes to report on environmental crime in a conversation with Fiona Macleod, founder and director of the Oxpeckers Center for Investigative Environmental Journalism, an African investigative outlet covering environmental crime. She discusses why she founded Oxpeckers and the impact of its multi-year investigations, while offering advice for journalists interested in reporting on environmental crime.

Environmental Journalism, Part 6: Managing threats to environmental journalists (September 2022)
In the aftermath of the killings of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira in Brazil, this episode features an interview with Jonathan Watts, global environmental editor at The Guardian, who has been reporting on the Amazon for over 10 years. Currently based in the Amazon, Watts is also the founder of Sumaúma, an environmental platform that aims to place the rainforest at the centre of global reporting. During the interview, he discusses the challenges environmental journalists face in their reporting, why their reporting brings risks similar to those faced by war reporters, and how journalists can manage threats to their safety.

All episodes can also be accessed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Buzzsprout, TuneIn, and SoundCloud.