Climate Change: Newsrooms Must Hold Decision-Makers Accountable

Newsrooms the world over are facing the challenge of covering climate change, its impact, and life on earth, Sophie Huet-Trupheme, Global Editor-in-Chief, Agence France-Presse (AFP), said during a session titled ‘Climate change and its impact on the newsroom’ held in Dubai on Wednesday.

The session was held on Day 2 of the 20th edition of the Arab Media Forum (AMF). “Life on earth is at stake,” she reiterated, “and that’s not an opinion.”

AFP’s Huet-Trupheme told prominent writers, thought leaders, opinion-makers and executives of leading media organisations that “climate change will define our children’s entire life, and it is important for media to tell them the truth with facts, figures and quality journalism.”

If climate change is the defining, vital issue of our time, how can we ensure that we keep the issue on top of the news agenda, she asked.

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Are our newsrooms ready for the climate challenge? Are we doing enough to fight misinformation and greenwashing? “For decades, climate change has been a side story in our newsrooms,” said Huet-Trupheme. “Covering it as anything more was considered activism.”

She noted, “as journalists and a media community, it is essential to raise awareness about the issue and hold decision-makers accountable.”

The AFP Global Editor-in-Chief added that it was the media’s “duty to inform the civil society the best we can,” adding that there was “a growing level of interest in such stories from AFP’s clients” and from the younger audience.

She said it was important to think about the formats of such news stories to catch the attention of the younger audience.

“Explainers, great visuals, photos, videos, and graphics are very useful to attract this audience,” she said. AFP, she said, had launched new formats with great images and easy-to-read text on social media platforms to attract this section of the audience.

Walking the talk

“The public is also expecting accountability from the media explaining what should be done to win the climate fight,” she said. “That means we must establish standards in our companies to measure and reduce our carbon footprint.”

Media houses must assess their buildings, travel policies and data centres to ensure a smaller carbon footprint. “At AFP, we are at the beginning of the process, but it is essential for our credibility,” she said.

“Climate change affects every area of our organisation, and this change is systemic. It is not just about producing more dedicated content or climate journalism. This is a total paradigm change."

The two-day AMF is being held in Dubai under the theme ‘The Future of Media.’ AMF 2022 aims to highlight the media sector’s most critical challenges.

This year’s Forum focuses on the need for continuous development to attain a better future for the Arab media sector, realise its ambitions, and tackle the challenges.

The theme of the 20th edition of the AMF stems from the Forum’s core mission to catalyse the advancement of media in the Arab world. Launched by the Dubai Press Club (DPC) over 20 years ago, the AMF is one of the major events in DPC’s annual calendar of events.

The Arab world’s largest media gathering, AMF has emerged as the most comprehensive platform for knowledge exchange in the Arab media community.

The annual platform, which attracts thousands of prominent thought leaders, has steadily evolved in scope and reach to encompass a broad international outlook.

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