Workshop In Bhubaneswar: Role Of Journalists To Minimise Effects Of Climate Change Stressed

Bhubaneswar: Odisha journalists can promote awareness on climate change affecting the state to minimise the effects of natural calamities, said David Moyer, Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Hyderabad.

Speaking at a tw0o-day workshop for journalists working in regional media to provide resources and best practices for covering climate change, Moyer said, “Climate change is affecting not just the United States or India, but the whole world. One of the biggest challenges for countries is to tackle climate change issues.”

In Odisha context, he said like other regions, climate change is drastically affecting the state. “We read reports of increased instances of forest fire and flooding in the past few decades. Journalists can build awareness on these issues so that individuals and organisations can work with their respective governments and contribute to minimise the impacts of climate change.”

He further said the prime objective of this series of workshops for journalists is aimed at providing tools and techniques to Odia language journalists so that they can provide their readers in-depth reports and analysis of the climate change impacts that would result in building awareness among the masses in this region.

Tanaya Patnaik, Executive Editor of Sambad group, said, “Newsrooms need to exercise strong editorial will for issues relating to climate change. Climate change is not limited to talking about the subject alone but encapsulates business, tourism, and politics. So, it is important to find a link as a journalist.”

Subhra Priyadarsini, Chief Editor, Nature India, who was one of the resource persons for the workshop, said, “Climate reportage in India’s regional media often relies on field anecdotes. Skilling journalists to incorporate scientific evidence in their stories, and fact-checking to sift through a maze of information (and disinformation), is imperative.”

The workshop, organised by US Consulate General, Hyderabad, in partnership with VIEWS, an NGO based in Odisha, concluded in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. It was the first of 10 workshops, with three each in the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and a final one for all participants in Hyderabad.

From Odisha, 13 participants from reputed media organisations will benefit from the training workshop. The journalists were trained by reputed resource persons and leading journalists from the field, in a multi-session workshop covering all aspects of climate change – fact-checking, gender, and engaging the audience.

A special session on weather and disaster reporting was also conducted by Umasankar Das, Scientist-C, IMD, Bhubaneswar. S Bheema Rao, Executive Director of VIEWS India, also spoke at the workshop.