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Role of Media in Disseminating Information on Climate Change - Advice;Experiences.
Open till 15 February 2010
Dear SE members,
I am a member of the media, interested in reporting on issues related to climate change, thus I share this query for suggestions on how to enhance the role of media in addressing climate change. I believe that how we deal with the threat of climate change depends largely on how we understand the issue of it.
The year 2009 perhaps will be remembered as the ‘Climate year’, and this is no accident. There has been an active media campaign in order to raise public awareness and involve as many people as possible in the climate negotiations and other issues, because these decisions affect every person in the globe.
Climate Change is a relatively new concept in developing countries. Bhutan is behind in terms of awareness, largely due to the fact that Climate Change is a vast subject that includes science, economics and politics, and so it is easy to misinform and very difficult to understand and write about. Moreover, there is a tendency to overlook these issues firstly because they are laden with scientific jargon and secondly because we prefer stories about crime, violence and scandals, because that is what sells at the end of the day. For these reasons, journalists need to acquire the skills to translate the scientific jargon content on climate change into simpler language easy to understand for the lay audience. We also need to possess the skills to make our stories interesting so that they sell.
There is a need to involve people of Bhutan in climate discussions in order to strengthen the basis for negotiations in the coming climate discussions, and there is a need for other groups besides the government to follow and analyze the negotiations. We also need to inform and involve the rural communities on the causes behind the weather changes that they are witnessing over the years. There is also a need for us, as a society, to be more conscious of the impact of our lifestyle on the climate, the risk that we are in, and the changes that we can make.
In the face of generating this level of awareness in Bhutan, television, radio and print media have a vital role; however, there remains a dearth of coverage on climate change issues. Few journalists take up climate change reporting, and most newspapers and the television do not present these reports as their most important item. One reason for this is journalists face difficulties accessing information related to climate change, and lack skills to present whatever technical information they get in an interesting and simple manner while still not oversimplifying and misinforming their readers/viewers.
Considering all these points, I would like suggestions from members on:
• How the media can play a more active role in raising public awareness in Bhutan on climate change? Please also share experiences from other countries where the media has raised awareness on climate change.
• What are some ways media personnel in Bhutan can better communicate scientific data about climate change in simple, interesting language?
• Ideas how the media can report on climate negotiations in a manner that makes it seem more relevant to readers?
Finally, are members aware of any financial assistance that is available for media personnel to attend trainings and seminars on climate change?
Your suggestions especially on how to make climate issues (especially the technicalities) more interesting and relevant would be very useful to media persons reporting on climate change. Awareness of the media's role would enable us to orient our reports and organize learning sessions to increase general awareness and concern. These learning sessions/trainings would also be helpful for Bhutanese media persons who are new to this topic and have little knowledge on what exactly “climate change” is.
Regards,
Dipika Chhetri
Bhutan Today, Thimphu
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