Successful ‘Climate Solutions Journalism’ course offered strategies and tools for ‘more hopeful’ reporting

News stories about climate change are often depressing, focused on doomsday scenarios that don’t necessarily draw in readers. Whether dissatisfied with this negative coverage or simply searching for innovative ways to improve their climate reporting, more than 1,000 participants from 108 countries took the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas’ recent course, “Climate Solutions Journalism: A Community-informed & Equity-focused Approach.” 

“My favorite part was learning how to make climate journalism less scary and more hopeful,” said one of the participants of the online, two-week course, held Aug. 19-Sept. 1, 2024. The English-language course, which will soon be available on-demand for anyone who was unable to take it in August, is part of the Knight Center’s Journalism Courses program, which offers multilingual courses and other training to journalists around the world.

Led by instructor Hugo Balta, the Climate Solutions Journalism course challenged journalists to move beyond traditional problem-focused reporting. Participants learned to highlight community responses to climate challenges, empowering them to inspire meaningful change through their journalism.

“Everything was superb, but especially the concept of changing the perception about journalism and journalists through solutions journalism,” one participant noted. 

Another participant said they appreciated learning to “focus on solutions rather than pointing fingers at problems to engage the public about climate issues.” This sentiment resonated throughout the course, emphasizing its success in providing a new way of covering climate change.

The course featured insights from expert guest speakers, including Emmy award-winning meteorologist Steve MacLaughlin from NBC6, who discussed the benefits of solutions-focused journalism, and independent journalist Swati Sanyal Tarafdar, who shared tips on engaging audiences with climate coverage. The video interviews with both speakers were highlights for many participants, who described these sessions as standout elements of the course that provided actionable tips for effective climate storytelling.

Do not worry if you missed this course!  An on-demand version of the course will soon be available, allowing more journalists and media professionals to explore this important topic at their own pace.

If you’re interested in similar courses, click here to explore more educational opportunities with the Knight Center.