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Climate change: Journalists urged to combat misinformation
A general view of tea gardens in Buhweju District on January 24, 2024. Farmers in climate change affected areas have over time suffered misinformation. PHOTO/ZADOCK AMANYISA
What you need to know:
- Broadly, journalists were on Wednesday tasked to tell stories that influence policymakers to take action against climate change.
As climate change continues to threaten global ecosystems, journalists reporting on climate change have been challenged to accurately raise public awareness about the impacts.
During the El Nino explained media dialogue organised by The East and Southern Region Risk Communication and Community Engagement on Wednesday, climate reporters were reminded that they handle a sensitive area that involves information sharing thus they must be professional.
“You need to have strong sources. The person to go to, for instance, should be good at explaining information and have a passion for it. You have to do the research yourself. You have to read and understand what you are talking about in your stories,” said Adele Baleta, a pandemic mentor at Internews.
“The other important thing is understanding the science of climate change. Now is the time to learn,” Baleta added.
Aloyce Paul Urassa, a public health scientist, stressed the need for reporters to use experts to connect ideas with solutions so as to provide reliable and solution-led stories to their audiences.
“As a journalist, it is important to look at the entire system to connect ideas on how the solutions that you are proposing work,” Urassa observed.
“Don't just write an article or news story before you have researched it to clarify the points that you are making. Talk to the experts. The experts are open to sharing the points to ensure that the news that is going out to the community is much clarified,” he noted.
According to him, a good journalist cares about the impact of his or her news in the community.
“It even affects the mental health of these people. When people see such news, some students will not go to school because they are worried about what has been communicated to them, and some people are not going to work,” he observed.
Broadly, journalists were on Wednesday tasked to tell stories that influence policymakers to take action against climate change, one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.
The dialogue featured experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the IGAD Climate Predictions and Applications Centre (ICPAC), a climate-health nexus advocate, and others. It aimed at tipping the media on how to unpack the climate change story.
