December 3, 2009

Helping Reporters Make Sense of Climate Change

Free Online Course Helps Journalists Explain Climate Change

With the goal of expanding and improving media coverage of climate change, Internews and The Poynter Institute’s News University have launched a free online journalism course to give reporters and citizen journalists a firm grounding in the science and policy underlying climate change.

The course, Covering Climate Change, includes approximately four hours of self-guided material, and was developed to be available before the COP15 climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, when the world’s attention will be focused on the topic, and journalists around the world will be tasked with explaining the intricacies of climate science and policy.

With funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Covering Climate Change was developed for journalists from all countries and beats, regardless of medium. Geared toward the non-environmental reporter, the course covers all the basics needed to report on climate change with accuracy, depth and nuance.

"This is a critical time for journalists to be providing clear, accurate information about climate change and related global policy negotiations," said James Fahn, director of Internews' Earth Journalism Network, which supports efforts to improve global news coverage of the environment. "We’re pleased to be able to provide this course as a resource to journalists worldwide." (More)

Copenhagen, Here We Come! Internews Brings Developing Country Reporters to Climate Change Conference

Internews is deeply involved in increasing access to journalists worldwide to global climate negotiations. In its third year, the Climate Change Media Partnership, a joint project with Panos and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), will bring 40 journalists from 26 developing nations to Copenhagen, as part of a nine-month fellowship to build the reporters’ skills. (More)

Simultaneously, Internews’ Earth Journalism Awards will award fifteen journalists selected by international juries for their coverage of climate change with the opportunity to cover COP15 in person. (More)

This Holiday Season, Help Empower Local Media Worldwide

Planning your year-end giving? Help support independent, local media worldwide! Your gift will ensure that Internews can empower local journalists to get people the information they need on issues like public health, climate change, women's issues and humanitarian crises.

Do your online holiday shopping at your favorite retailers through We-Care, and, at no cost to you, a portion of every purchase will be donated to Internews.

Contribute through the Combined Federal Campaign. Federal Employees can donate by selecting Internews, #12252, in their giving allotment.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT INTERNEWS IN THESE E-NEWSLETTERS

• World AIDS Day: How Media Shape Public Beliefs on HIV, November 30, 2009
• Catalyzing Coverage of Climate Change, November 12, 2009
• Afghanistan and Pakistan: An Urgent Need for Information, November 4, 2009
• All previous e-newsletters

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