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The COVID-19 pandemic led to the worst recession since the Great Depression. In its aftermath, governments committed trillions of dollars in stimulus packages to revive the post-COVID economy. Politicians, activists and academia from across the world used this unprecedented opportunity to call for a "green recovery" – investments in environmentally positive initiatives which would invigorate economies while creating transformative pathways toward a carbon-neutral future.
It is the media’s responsibility to ensure that these measures are transparent, inclusive and incorporate the voices of the most marginalized in society, ensuring that nobody is left behind. Journalists must also report on the success of these ambitious plans, relying on accurate data and research.
To help reporters do this effectively, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) has selected 12 journalists from 12 different countries to participate in a three-day media training workshop next month through its Green Recovery Project, supported by the Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation. From 16-18 May, journalists will gather in Stockholm, Sweden, to enhance their understanding of the green recovery and just transition and strengthen their reporting skills on these topics.
The 12 journalists selected to attend the workshop are:
- Arnold Ageta Omayio – Tidal Wave News, Kenya
- Assia Chaneva – Bulgarian National Radio, Bulgaria
- Dewi Safitri – CNN Indonesia, Indonesia
- Isabel Alarcon Peña - YouTopia Ecuador, Ecuador
- Jelena Djukic Pejic - Media Research Center Nis, Serbia
- Matea Grgurinović - Radnička Prava, Croatia
- Melissa Godin – Atmos, France
- Mohammad Ghazal - The Jordan Times, Jordan
- Oonib Azam - The News International, Pakistan
- Rakiya Muhammad - The Guardian, Nigeria
- Rudi Bressa – LifeGate, Italy
- Tusika Martin - Time Media Group, Guyana
The workshop will include two days of classroom sessions, led by EJN’s media trainers and thematic experts, as well as a field trip to learn more about renewable energy in a Swedish context.
EJN’s Executive Director James Fahn will deliver a session on solutions journalism as well as the importance of data journalism and fact-checking. Journalists will also have the opportunity to dive deep into the policy changes, funding and conversations driving the green recovery and just transition, referring to both country-level and regional case studies.
Project lead Charlie Debenham said: “We look forward to welcoming this promising group of environmental journalists to Sweden, to help them better understand how to report on these emerging topics and to share and learn from each other what countries are doing well, and not so well, as part of their green transition.”
Look out for stories from workshop participants, which will be republished on the EJN website in upcoming months.
Banner image: To increase their use of renewable energy, the ports of Stockholm have invested in solar panels. With more than 50% of Sweden’s energy coming from renewable sources, Sweden has the highest percentage of renewable energy use in the European Union / Credit: Jann Lipka via imagebank.sweden.se.
