SYDNEY MUBAIWA
KADOMA- The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) last week hosted a training workshop for journalists to strengthen their capacity in covering climate change and environmental issues.
The training brought together journalists from various media houses encouraging them to uphold ethical standards and professionalism in their reporting as part of efforts to combat misinformation and build public trust in the noble profession.
The key objectives included enhancing skills in environmental reporting, promoting data -driven reporting, addressing misinformation and facilitating the sharing of experiences in reporting climate change and the extractive sector.
According to a concept note shared by ZELA, journalists were advised to ensure that they stick to ethical standards of reporting, amplifying their voices on climate change issues.
“A high impact story connects a climate change issue or situation with practical steps the readers can adopt for redress .This includes several steps such as advocacy for positive policy transformation.
“A good climate change story has to acknowledge the severity of the problem and highlight available solutions and the possible actions,”it said.
In a Zimbabwean context, ZELA said a good climate change article should focus on climate change related issues, exact location ,actors and groups involved.
The association encouraged reporters to use simple language so that the readers can grasp the concept and address the issues at hand.
“Language used in climate change stories has to ensure readers understand and relate with the message.
“Journalists should be able to explain terms such as adaptation, mitigation, global warming, greenhouse effect, carbon neutral and carbon markets,” it said.
ZELA urged media practitioners to engage citizens at grassroots level to tell a true story.
“Journalists should engage citizens in the grassroots to tell their own climate change stories. This gives prominence to citizens and grassroots voices as they have first hand accounts,” added ZELA.
Speaking during the training, Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) head of programmes Caroline Kuhudzai expressed concern over growing number of complaints received about unethical journalism practices.
“We have noted an increase in complaints, especially concerning people masquerading as journalists who do not follow the Code of Ethics. It is important for journalists to remain ethical and professional in their reporting so that they can distinguish themselves from the noise,” she said.
According to VMCZ, the number of complaints raised rose from 31 in 2023 to 39 in 2024.
Climate change continues to pose a significant global threat with wide-ranging negative impacts on society and ecosystems with media workers urged to report factually to address the pressing issues.
