The global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now today announced the winners of the 2023 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards, which are rapidly becoming the industry standard of excellence in climate journalism. More than 100 distinguished journalists from around the world chose the 2023 winners from nearly 1,100 entries submitted by colleagues in 29 countries. See all the winners with links to their work at coveringclimatenow.org/awards
This year the judges selected three Journalists of the Year for extraordinary and growing bodies of work. They are: Manka Behl, who reports for The Times of India from the frontlines of the crisis in one of the world’s most climate-important countries; Damian Carrington, whose science-based reporting for the Guardian explains that politics and corporate power, not a lack of green technologies, are what block climate progress; and Amy Westervelt, whose prolific, multi-platform reporting for Critical Frequency exposes how fossil fuel companies continue to mislead the public and policymakers alike.
“Every news outlet on earth can learn from the engaged, hard-hitting journalism that Manka, Damian, and Amy bring to the climate story,” said Mark Hertsgaard, executive director of Covering Climate Now. “It’s reporting like this that arms the public with the power that knowledge gives.”
CCNow’s Journalism Awards recognized six Special Honors Winners this year — whose work has appeared on PBS’s Frontline, Bloomberg, VICE News, ProPublica/New York Times, Deutsche Welle, and Al Jazeera English — for rigorous investigative reports, eye-opening exposes of climate injustice, and much-needed analyses of climate solutions.
“Audiences need to know not only that the planet is on fire but why that’s happening and what can be done about it,” said Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of Columbia Journalism Review and chair of the CCNow Journalism Awards judging committee. “This year’s winners exemplify the best in public-spirited journalism.”
Additional winners include large outlets like Hearst Television, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Agence France Press, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as smaller enterprises such as TBS Seoul, which takes the prize for best documentary. International best-selling author Naomi Klein won in the Commentary category, while Ishan Kukreti of the Indian nonprofit Scroll.in won in Long-Form Writing. Two Emerging Journalists and two Student Journalists were also honored for promising debuts on the climate beat.
Covering Climate Now is a global journalism collaboration with more than 600 news outlets partners that reach a total audience of over 2 billion people. CCNow launched an annual awards program three years ago as part of its larger effort to identify and spread standards of excellence in climate journalism. Grounded in the conviction that more and better news coverage is itself an essential climate solution, CCNow offers journalists and newsrooms — free of charge — a weekly newsletter with reporting tips and noteworthy stories, intensive trainings in climate reporting, and journalist-only webinars and Slack space where colleagues can share ideas and foster community. More information at www.coveringclimatenow.org.