Dangerous times for environment journalists
A new report shows how journalists who cover climate and the environment are being targeted by powerful private and state actors.
I first wrote about the dangers facing environment journalists 14 years ago, after a sudden spate of cases in which journalists had been threatened, attacked or even died in suspicious circumstances after reporting on illegal logging.
The cases were part of a much broader trend. Journalists around the world were being threatened, jailed, beaten and killed for exposing pollution, land-grabbing, wildlife trafficking and other environmental crimes linked to powerful elites or organized gangs.
A couple of years later, after the murder of Cambodian journalist Hang Serei Oudom, I wrote a guest post on
’s New York Times blog Dot Earth. In it I said:The extent of these threats to environment journalists makes a mockery of the 20-year old commitment by almost all nations on Earth to ensure that the public has access to adequate information about the environment and can participate in decision-making about how it is managed.
Press freedom is key to delivering that information but, too often, powerful figures in governments, the military and environmentally destructive sectors see local journalists as nuisances who can be intimidated, bought off or shut up forever.
All these years later, the situation remains dire, as a new report published on 13 February by the International Press Institute (IPI) makes clear. It draws on interviews with nearly 40 environment and climate journalists in 21 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Most have experienced intimidation in the form of physical or legal attacks.
In a press release, IPI Executive Director Frane Maroević said:
This report clearly identifies appalling risks that climate and environmental journalists face because of the stories they pursue. It reveals the systematic and wanton ways used to silence them and prevent the exposure of environmental crimes and other activities that are fueling the climate crisis.
This is a call to action to all of us who care about independent journalism, press freedom and the global climate and environmental crisis. Today we need accurate, independent, and accessible journalism more than ever.
With IPI’s permission, I am reproducing the report’s key findings and recommendations below:
As a result of their crucial and sensitive work, journalists who cover environmental and climate stories face a range of serious threats and attacks. These include physical attacks; arrest and detention; legal harassment; online harassment and hate campaigns; restrictions on freedom of movement; and challenges accessing information.
Certain stories – which vary from region to region – are effectively off-limits for journalists due to the dangers associated with covering them. This censorship silences vital public-interest information and endangers the fight to protect the environment and address the climate crisis.
While the level of risk faced by climate/environmental journalists broadly correlates with the overall press freedom situation in the country or region in which they operate, they face the following additional risk factors:
Powerful players that are linked to pollutive and environmentally harmful activities have enormous economic interests and strong political connections.
Environmental destruction often takes place in remote locations that are dangerous to access and where the rule of law is weak or non-existent.
Local journalists who investigate environmental crimes are especially vulnerable, including to attacks from members of their own community who are either involved in or benefit from illegal activities.
Many environmental journalists are freelancers, thus not having the layers of protection offered by large news organizations.
Journalists covering environmental disasters and the climate crisis are often first responders and face risks for which they may not be trained or equipped.
Polarization around climate and environmental issues generates enormous hostility against journalists, who are often accused of taking sides.
The risks to environmental journalists are compounded by cooperation between private companies engaged in environmentally harmful businesses and organized crime groups. These risks are increased when state actors work in collusion with illegal actors.
Impunity for attacks on environmental journalists is rife, fueling further attacks. When authorities adopt a hostile attitude towards independent journalism or send a signal that journalists will not be protected, the risk of attacks significantly increases.
In cases where attacking a journalist is likely to attract unwanted attention, those seeking to silence the story are likely to target sources instead to prevent them from passing on information.
Carrying out risk assessments and adopting safety protocols and safety equipment is key to reducing risk. However, relatively few journalists and news organizations make use of them, in part because they are resource-intensive, and many freelance journalists and small news outlets cannot afford them.
Greater visibility of a journalist or news organization can contribute to limiting attacks. Membership in journalism associations, networks, can increase visibility and should be encouraged.
Legal harassment, including SLAPPs, is widespread and contributes to self censorship and the consequent loss of vital information on climate and environmental issues. States should urgently adopt anti-SLAPP legislation.
While (pro-bono or donor funded) legal support can reduce the risk or impact of vexatious lawsuits, in particular for freelance journalists and small news outlets, too few journalists have access to it.
Economic pressure – resulting from links between media owners and polluting industries or media dependence on state funding – limits coverage of environmental topics in many countries.
Restrictions on freedom of movement are a serious obstacle for environmental journalists, who often need to travel to remote regions to cover stories on environmental degradation and climate change.
Journalists covering environmental and climate stories often face restrictions or extensive challenges in accessing data that is key to accurate, fact-based coverage of environmental topics. Authorities need to ensure efficient FOI laws and procedures to facilitate this access.
Climate change is a divisive topic and journalists covering climate and the environment are very often caught in the crossfire, exposing them to a range of online attacks and threats. Authorities at all levels need to clearly communicate and demonstrate support for environmental and climate journalists.
States must fulfill their domestic and international obligations to protect and promote the rights of journalists, including environmental journalists. This must include ending impunity for attacks on the press, protecting the safety of journalists at risk, and stopping abuse of the legal and administrative systems to retaliate against environmental journalists.
There is a need for stronger support for local media, which tend to enjoy greater trust among the community they serve, making the impact of environmental coverage even more relevant, but which are especially vulnerable to attacks and retaliation.
Download the full report Climate and Environmental Journalism Under Fire or read the press release here.