‘Empower journalists to report on climate, combat false narratives’
Journalists, fact-checkers, digital rights advocates, and climate specialists from across the continent gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, for a one-day summit.
The event focused on tackling climate change disinformation and protecting the integrity of public information.
Convened by Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) alongside regional and international partners, the gathering took place under the theme, ‘Fighting Climate Change Disinformation: Information Integrity for Climate Change and the Role of African Media’.
With South Africa preparing to host the G20 Summit – this, for the first time on African soil – the timing of the meeting is significant. Issues of climate and environmental sustainability are expected to dominate the G20 agenda, and local media bodies are working to ensure that information integrity is not left off the table.
Organisations such as the South African National Editors’ Forum and MMA are pushing for the media’s role in combating false and misleading narratives to be recognised as vital to the success of climate action efforts
Reliable information, participants argued, is the backbone of effective climate response. Without it, misinformation can derail policy, mislead the public and weaken global cooperation on issues such as carbon emissions, green transitions and disaster preparedness.
‘Climate change affects every aspect of our societies, and the media has a critical role to play in how people understand and respond to it,’ said one delegate.
There was broad agreement among attendees that African media houses need stronger support, including better tools and training to detect and counter disinformation, especially in an era where false narratives can spread rapidly online.
The summit concluded with a call for coordinated strategies to defend the information space and empower journalists to report on climate issues with depth, accuracy, and accountability.
PICTURE: Ron Lach/Pexels
This article was first published here
