How to defend public interest in climate commnuication?

The ethical and professional norms of journalism, which ensure fact-checking and connect different points of view and alternative reality versions, must be revived and adopted in the new digital forms of networked communication,  Pavel Antonov receommends. The Executive Editor and co-founder of BlueLink.net spoke to climate communications experts from Central and Eastern Europe gathered at the British Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic. As a representative of a country with serious achievements both in addressing climate change and in responsible and independent journalism, the British ambassador   Matt Field, hosted a workshop entitled   “Climate in Central Europe: Communication and Ambition“.

The forum brought together representatives of academia, think tanks, NGOs and British embassies from 9 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Antonov presented  an in-depth analysis of the achievements and weaknesses of public climate communication, based on scientific analysis,  and rooted in data collected during  BlueLink’s field work in Bulgaria of  . The organization functions as a “network for thought and action” for civic activity and, among other projects, supports the Climate Coalition in Bulgaria.

Antonov (photo above) observed a departure from the traditional norms of journalism. These norms require factual, scientifically based coverage of the news, separation of facts from comment and opinion, and  and of editorial content from the publication's revenue. Another principle of classical journalism requires fact-checking, verification of sources and mandatory presentation of the opposite point of view - an important principle for creating a comprehensive and inclusive picture of what is happening in the audience, Antonov stressed.

There is nothing "social" about digital social network communication, the expert pointed out. Internet-based content sharing platforms have no normative commitment to public interest and have always resisted attempts to be legally regulated to protect it. Their sole purpose is to generate profits. That is why the use of TikTok for election manipulation and the recent declared withdrawal of X and Facebook owners from f  guaranteeing the truth and verifying the facts that are distributed on comes as a no surprise, Antonov explained.

However, society must be protected from the misuse of false, misleading and openly manipulative information in order to adequately respond to serious challenges such as the consequences of climate change. In addition to supporting European efforts to regulate disinformation, BlueLink will support the restoration of the normative commitments of watchdog journalism and the introduction of similar ones in the digital sphere, Antonov said.

Among the current attempts of the organization in this direction, Antonov emphasized:

  - strategic strengthening of communication impact by the Climate Coalition - the first and most numerous informal community in Bulgaria of civil and business organizations to counter climate change;

- improving young journalists' understanding and application of professional norms such as fact-checking and sourcing, handling scientific evidence and presenting a opposing viewpoints - through training and editorial work; and

- broadening the understanding of  climate-related processes and facts among affected communities and social groups, regardless of their political, ideological  and religious views.

The Prage forum participants shared experiences, expertise and examples of best practices from their work and discussed the challenges and opportunities in the region when it comes to communicating climate change. Several comments addressed question of how to create and communicate scientific data in an understandable way.

Others highlighted the challenges of successfully conveying climate policy messages to the media at a time when climate change is not a top concern for many in the region. “We saw a very strong demonstration of the power of getting the right people together, asking them the right questions and actively listening to their answers,” said the British Embassy in Prague.

As part of the forum, in a panel discussion on “Climate ambitions in Central Europe and the cost of inaction” Anna Walters from the Foreign Office, Commonwealth and Development, Robert Jeschke from the Center for Climate and Energy Analysis (CAKE) - Poland, and Peter Holub from the Czech Ministry of the Environment participated.

“A big thank you to everyone who accepted our invitation. You have been truly inspiring!”, the British Embassy in Prague wrote on LinkedIn.
 

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