A conference at Columbia Journalism School in New York City aims to “forge a path forward together” on climate change coverage..Climate Changes Everything: Creating a Blueprint for Media Transformation will be held at the university Sept. 21 to 22, hosted by Covering Climate Now, Columbia Journalism Review, The Nation, the Guardian, and Solutions Journalism Network..“Join leading journalists from around the world for an unprecedented conversation about how to cover a world on fire,” organizers wrote on the event website..Reporters, editors, and news executives from Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, CBS News, Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism, France Télévisions, the Guardian, South Florida’s NBC 6, NowThis, Telemundo, TIME, The Times of India, and The Weather Channel have already pledged their participation..The conference’s stated goal is “to chart a course for tackling the climate story in ways that drive attention and impact while highlighting solutions and justice.”.Organizers say “Climate Changes Everything will be a participatory event, with networking breaks, a town hall, and working sessions on key conference themes” — all coming at a pivotal time..“We’re at a moment of historic opportunity for journalism. Climate coverage around the world is better than ever, but so much more is needed: more energy, more creativity, more commitment. Let’s forge a path forward, together,” says the event webpage..The agenda includes the following:.Hear from newsrooms innovating to meet the moment: How can news outlets everywhere treat climate change as a story for every beat, not just silo it on the weather desk?Discuss whether news outlets should still take fossil fuel advertising, and how journalists can grapple with climate disinformation.Look ahead to 2024 elections that will have profound implications for global climate action. How can journalists make those implications clear to voters, refute misinformation and hold candidates accountable?Learn from journalists covering and living in frontline communities how to highlight climate justice in our reporting.Recognize that telling the entire climate story means not just including solutions — but interrogating those solutions, so the public and policymakers know which ones actually work.Plus, get a front row seat to interviews with special guests and global climate luminaries..The event echoes other gatherings that tried to get media outlets to sing from the same songbook..In 2019, Jessica Cecil of the BBC founded the Trusted News Initiative (TNI) with a conference in London. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism was a founding member of the TNI, and called it “the world’s only alliance of major international tech companies and news organisations to counter the most harmful forms of disinformation in real time.” .Other founding TNI members included the CBC, BBC, Reuters, AFP, the FT, The Hindu, the European Broadcasting Union and platforms including Microsoft, Facebook/Meta, Google and Twitter..Scientific consensus on climate change was already alleged to be 97% almost a decade ago. In a 2014 CNN interview, Weather Channel founder John Coleman called this a “manipulated figure,” putting him at odds with then-Weather Channel CEO David Kenny..“The government puts out $2.5 billion directly for climate change research every year. It only gives that money to scientists who will produce scientific results to support the global warming hypothesis of the Democratic Party position. So they don’t have any choice. If you’re going to get the money, you’ve got to support their position,” Coleman told CNN host Jake Tapper..“I resent you calling me a denier. That’s a term meant to put me down. I’m a skeptic about climate change.”.Slanted coverage on climate change was already apparent to Coleman..“CNN has taken a very strong position on global warming that it is a consensus. There is no consensus in science. This isn’t a vote. Science is about facts. And if you get down to the hard cold facts, there’s no question about it, climate change is not happening. There is no significant man-made global warming now. There hasn’t been any in the past, and there is no reason to expect any in the future,” Coleman said..“There’s a whole lot of baloney and yes, it has become a big political point of the Democratic Party and part of their platform, and I regret that it has become political instead of scientific, but the science is on my side.”.Tapper said the matter would not be resolved in their discussion, to which Coleman replied,.“Well I know we’re not because you wouldn’t allow it to happen on CNN, but I’m happy that I got on the air and got a chance to talk to your viewers. Hello everybody! There is no global warming.”
