At this critical juncture in the climate crisis, and as climate journalism itself is being challenged, it’s important for outlets to have clear evidence of the impact of their reporting — to know what’s working for their audiences, what’s not, and where to improve. Impact extends far beyond big policy changes to include things like the realization of one’s power, hope, a sense of connection, and civic engagement, all of which are essential to society’s ability to address the climate crisis. Designing processes to stay in touch with our audiences and solicit feedback helps to paint a fuller picture of what makes the most effective journalism.
Inspired by “The Climate Blueprint for Media Transformation,” published in summer 2024 by the Solutions Journalism Network and CCNow, this ongoing discussion series covers pressing topics, like this one, related to climate journalism. In our fourth roundtable discussion in the series, called “Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Climate Stories,” we discussed the importance of understanding your journalism’s impact, how to track impact and report it back to audiences, and why this work is so critical for ensuring that climate journalism becomes more of a priority within newsrooms.
Panelists
- Nina Ignaczak; Founder, Publisher, and Editor; Planet Detroit
- Heather May, Director, Great Salt Lake Collaborative
- Flora Pereira, Chief Impact Officer, Pulitzer Center
Breanna Draxler, the Climate Blueprint’s editor, moderated.
Resources
- “The Climate Blueprint for Media Transformation,” published by the Solutions Journalism Network and Covering Climate Now and edited by Breanna Draxler
- Blueprint chapter, “Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Climate Stories,” that inspired the live conversation
- “Impact in Journalism: A Global Report on Current Practices, Challenges, and Emerging Trends” by led the research for and authored by Flora Pereira
- Read more about the report, “Impact in Journalism”
- “Great Salt Lake Collaborative: Who we are and what we’ve done”
- Civic Action toolbox from Planet Detroit [Ignaczak invited folks to sign up to test the Civic Action toolbox]
For more episodes of the Climate Blueprint series, head over to CCNow’s YouTube channel.
*Nota bene: CCNow events are designed for journalists and are recorded and posted on our YouTube channel. For announcements about upcoming events from CCNow, sign up for our Climate Beat newsletter.