“Subscribe to trusted media outlets so journalism survives — we’ll need it.” So wrote George Lakoff in a list of suggestions for preserving democracy, suggestions that also apply to preserving a livable planet. As climate-fueled wildfires devastate Los Angeles, US president-elect Donald Trump is again spreading life-threatening disinformation that journalists need to identify and debunk.
“Authoritarians thrive on impunity,” added Lakoff, a cognitive linguist known for his work on mass communications. To hold them accountable, citizens can “seek out legitimate information sources grounded in truth and reality.”
This week’s anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol demonstrated how relentless the disinformation peddlers are. Trump continues to insist that January 6, 2021, was “a day of love,” rather than the explosion of violence the world watched unfold on live television. Trump’s allies in Congress and the media echo his gaslighting.
“Believers in the rule of law and the sovereignty of fact will have to paint over the whitewash with truth,” wrote New York Times columnist Jonathan Alter, who added, “It won’t be easy.”
Fearless, civic-minded journalism is crucial. Recent surrenders by executives at The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, and Meta are disheartening, but other media voices have risen to the moment. The January 6 coverage by CBS News, The New York Times, CNN, and others made it abundantly clear that Trump and his allies are lying about that day. “At the time, everyone, including Republicans, understood how bad it was,” wrote Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark. “Then, brick by brick, they built a foundation of lies to justify doing what they know, deep down, to be wrong.”
Holding government officials accountable to the facts should not be controversial in a democracy, and it is nothing short of imperative in the face of the climate crisis. Here, journalists might find useful a method Lakoff developed called “the truth sandwich.”
Simply stating a false claim, even in order to refute it, is problematic, Lakoff argued, because it gives implicit legitimacy to the claim — that’s just how the human brain works. Instead, a truth sandwich begins by stating the truth, follows it with the lie being debunked, and concludes with a restatement of the truth. The idea is to disarm the lie by surrounding it with truth.
A climate change example might read: “Scientists have repeatedly stated that burning oil and other fossil fuels makes wildfires like those now devastating Los Angeles more frequent and severe by worsening droughts that dry out vegetation. Trump wants to increase oil production and falsely blamed environmental regulations for leaving LA fire hydrants without enough water to fight the blazes. Local officials cited aging infrastructure as the real reason some hydrants ran dry.”
As journalists, we have the expertise to immunize the public against disinformation and make the climate connection to extreme weather (something not enough initial reporting on the LA fires has done). But to do our work, we also need the public’s help, notably by heeding Lakoff’s advice to financially support journalism grounded in truth. A free press is essential to both democracy and climate progress, but it can’t persist if journalism is treated as a free good.
From Us
The Climate Station. Polls show that audiences in the US, in red and blue states alike, want more climate coverage. That’s why CCNow created a tailored, four-session training program for local TV reporters, managers, and newsrooms. Learn more and apply here.
Locally Sourced. The latest edition of Locally Sourced, CCNow’s biweekly newsletter for local journalists, digs into heat pumps, the cheapest, cleanest, and most energy-efficient way to both heat and cool a home. For the second year in a row in the US, this climate-friendly option outsold gas furnaces — a story ripe for local outlets everywhere. Check out our Locally Sourced archive and sign up to get it every Tuesday.
Fundraising, ICYMI. In late December, CCNow was proud to announce that, in the fourth quarter of 2024, we raised in excess of $750,000 to support our work helping journalists to tell the defining story of our time. See the press release, as well as information about how to donate.
Noteworthy Stories
Tragic irony. Rising seas brought on by climate change could pose a major threat to some of the world’s largest oil ports, includes ones run by companies or countries that have played spoiler in international climate proceedings, according to new research. Scientists called their findings “ironic,” with one adding: “Refusing to turn off the oil taps means keeping the taps on for sea level rise.” By Damian Carrington for the Guardian…
Trudeau’s exit. Long-serving Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who announced plans to step down pending his Liberal Party’s selection of a new leader, presided over a litany of climate progress — including a historic reduction in the country’s carbon emissions — while also, in some ways, doubling down on fossil fuels. Journalists Carl Meyer and Fatima Syed assess Trudeau’s climate legacy, from the actions that have had a definite impact, for better or worse, to those whose impact is yet to be seen. For The Narwhal…
Shell shocked? Within decades, warming seas could bring an enormous system of oceanic currents — as critical to Earth’s health as the circulatory system is to the human body — to a sudden and catastrophic halt. Experts have struggled to pinpoint when exactly this may happen, but now a group of scientists believe answers might lay in the lines and molecular makeup of centuries-old clam shells. By Sarah Kaplan for The Washington Post…
Rising heat, falling wages. In India, a new study shows that, during heat waves, every 1 degree Celsius above historical average temperatures corresponds with a 14% drop in earnings for members of the country’s so-called “informal economy” — manual laborers, street vendors, and waste and scrap dealers, for example. The loss, which can total nearly half of individuals’ normal earnings, comes at the very same time that spending needs, for water, medicine, and more, spike. By T. V. Padma for Mongabay India…
Transaction failed. A cascade of large American banks have withdrawn from the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, a UN initiative launched in 2021 to bring the financial sector in line with global carbon emissions reduction targets. The departures of Citi, Bank of America, and JP Morgan, among others, come at a time when companies face pressure from Republican lawmakers to abandon environmentally and socially conscientious practices, which they decry as “woke” capitalism. By Alastair Marsh and Saijel Kishan for Bloomberg…
Resources & Events
To kick off 2025 as the “International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation,” UNESCO and the World Meteorological Association are hosting a masterclass for journalists covering all things glaciers. The class is set for January 16, from 1–3pm Central European Time (7–9am US Eastern Time).
The Uproot Project is launching a resource library, as “a space [to] share resources for environmental journalists from underrepresented communities, requested and created by [their] peers.” Request or pitch a resource.
Jobs, Etc.
Floodlight is hiring a director of audience and an investigative reporter (both remote; applications due January 19). ProPublica is hiring a climate reporter (multiple locations). Politico is hiring a food and agriculture reporter and a climate finance reporter (both Arlington, Va.). Nevada Public Radio is hiring an Indigenous affairs producer & reporter. The Detroit News is hiring an auto industry reporter (Detroit, Mich.). WAMU 88.5 is hiring a senior supervising producer for its program 1A (Washington, D.C.).
Mongabay is hiring for its Y. Eva Tan conservation reporting fellowship, with a dozen fellowships up for grabs, six working in English and six in Spanish (remote; applications due January 19). Grist is hiring for its annual fellowship program, with positions open for climate news, climate solutions, and Indigenous affairs (multiple locations; applications due January 21).
Report for America is accepting applications for their 2025–2026 cohort. Corps members will be placed in more than 100 newsrooms, and the environment is among the top beats for which the program is hiring. Applications are due February 3. Learn more and apply.
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