By Lenah Bosibori
Nairobi, Kenya: In marking celebrations of World Press Freedom Day 2024, journalists from Kenya convened virtually on May 3rd for an enriching X-Space panel of discussion.
The forum was facilitated by TUKO.co.ke to discuss how better to report climate change issues as Kenya struggles with floods that have claimed 229 lives leaving thousands displaced.
The X Space dubbed, “Media’s Role Towards a Sustainable Environment Amidst Climate Change,” shed light on the crucial convergence of media, climate action, and press freedom.
The X Space hosted by Amondi Aroko, featured insightful contributions of journalists from different Kenyan media outlets: Lenah Bosibori, Climate Reporter from Talk Africa; Victoria Masaya, Freelance Journalist from Africa Media Hub Solution; Fridah Naliakaa, Sub-editor at Royal Media Services; and Masolo Mabonga, Head of Current Affairs Desk at TUKO.co.ke.
While exploring the gaps in media coverage of climate change, Masolo Mabonga underscored the pressing need for expert climate reporters, stating that journalists reporting on climate change issues need more training as the topic is more scientific.
“One major problem has been training because climate change is very scientific, and while Kenyan media houses have journalists that write about it, most of them are not adequately trained to cover such news effectively,” said Mabonga.
She emphasized the importance of tackling this issue from a grassroots level and training journalism students from the campus level before joining the industry as they will be expected to cover the topic.
Fridah Naliaka on her part highlighted how media houses have not yet prioritized climate change reporting as a significant topic of the publication.
“I can’t remember when a climate change story made it to the front page in Kenya. The most significant problems journalists face need more funding and adequate support,” said Naliaka
However, done is better than perfect. While exploring the current state of media coverage on climate change, Naliaka praised the efforts currently underway by her employer and other media houses.
“At Citizen Digital, we have a climate section where we try to break down the news to its essentials, what it means, and why it matters to our readers. We cut through the technicalities and get to the heart of the story.”
For Lenah Bosibori, the issue is more in-house than anything, especially for freelance journalists like herself. She stressed the impossible impact that lack of support has on effective climate change reporting:
“Freelance Journalists experience a lot of prejudice when covering news; most times, they are not accorded the same respect as mainstream journalists, meaning that they rarely get access to information the way a journalist affiliated with mainstream media would,” said Bosibori
She stressed a lack of access to accurate information from sources like the government due to bureaucracy and secrecy.
“Doing stories on climate change as a freelance journalist requires extensive research and sometimes access to private spaces and businesses. As freelance journalists, we rarely get straight information from scientists and researchers, meaning it’s hard to publish a compelling story, especially when the matter is sensitive,” said Bosibori.
Press freedom and covering climate and environmental injustices.
Mabonga stressed the importance of media coverage of climate change and environmental topics, explaining that there are spaces where press freedom has been essential in uncovering climate and ecological injustice.
She also highlighted a recent story by Kenyan investigative journalist John Allan Namu that exposed the fake fertilizers that the Kenyan government has been selling to Kenyans at a subsidized price. This is an important endeavor meant to support and restore local agriculture.
“The immediate effect of the publication of this story was the Cabinet Secretary responsible going out of his way to discredit a celebrated journalist like Allan Namu as a crook instead of answering questions, even though the story ultimately came out true,” said Mabonga.
“Since 2017-2022, over ten climate change reporters in the world have been killed in the line of duty. Fifty more have been detained, tortured, and harassed because of the critical stories that they are publishing concerning climate change,” added Masolo.
According to Masolo, this harassment has played an essential role in degrading the role of the media in supporting climate change across the globe.
“Climate change is a global issue, and governments are getting money from donors and later misuse it. Journalists covering such stories are in danger of silencing, especially when their companies have no budget. Media houses are also getting sued in court for publishing stories, and they do not have the resources to support such a long-term suit, so they end up deleting the story instead of handling the matter head-on,” added Masolo.
But all is not lost. As media adapts to the realities of digital advancements, there are more opportunities for media to thrive in climate change reporting.
Victoria Masaya believes journalists must balance educating the masses on environmental issues and respecting the limits of press freedom.
“Journalists reporting on environmental issues can prioritize accuracy, relying on reputable sources and fact-checking to combat misinformation. They should consider the effects of over-sensationalism and over-simplification of information on relaying the importance of a topic covered to a community,” said Masaya.
She also urged journalists to use funding and grants available from NGOs or climate change impact organizations to develop their stories.
“There is room for collaboration between news houses, civil societies, and NGOs in creating content and sharing news,” said Masaya.
Further, Masolo urged journalists to adhere to the code of conduct when telling complex environmental stories to avoid lawsuits that may put them into financial difficulties.
“The balance for journalists lies in the code of conduct and that is to be objective and accurate. As Larry Madowo says, our role is to cover Africa accurately, not positively,” added Masaya.
Naliaka on her part proposed a forward-thinking approach to leveraging technology, stating, “Artificial Intelligence can help environmental journalists cover some stories. For example, I use satellite images from Google to look at the different areas in the country to see how human activity or climate change may have affected the environment. It is cheaper than traveling to said places, especially when there’s no budget,” reiterated Naliaka.
