Environmental reporting | Why local matters: Sources

This course is designed to give journalists the skills required to investigate local environmental stories and recognise if and how they are linked to the biggest issue facing the planet: climate change.

About

This course will guide you on how to expose the political and economic drivers behind many local environmental issues and where to turn for reliable data, sources and information. Interrogating the role of the journalist and treading the line between impartiality and activism is an important part of the course. You’ll be guided through some key terminology to help with understanding and expert data and environmental reporters will help you recognise the unique role local journalists have to play in changing the narrative around climate change. It’s a critical time for local reporters trying to explain environmental issues to their audiences. This course aims to give you the tools to do that job.

Learning outcomes

• You will be guided on best practice for sourcing accurate information on environmental stories and provided with a sourcing toolkit.
• You will find out about the importance of data journalism to environmental and climate change stories and how to use data effectively and responsibly.
• You will learn how to recognise the political and economic factors behind many environmental stories and why it’s important to find them.
• You will be guided on treading the fine line between environmental journalism and environmental activism.
• You will be introduced to ways you can use the law to your advantage when covering environmental stories and also learn how it can be used against you.