New UNESCO and OSCE RFoM manual strengthens environmental journalism amid rising disinformation

For journalists, the challenge is therefore not only to explain complex environmental phenomena in an understandable way. It is also to help the public assess competing claims, understand evidence, identify vested interests and make sense of environmental policy decisions that affect their lives.

This already challenging work can also carry serious risks for journalists and their sources, as big economic and political interests related to issues such as energy, land, mining and logging are often at stake, and illegal practices that harm the environment are widespread. UNESCO's World Trends Report highlights environmental journalists' increasing exposure to threats, harassment, legal pressure and violence. Between 2009 and 2023, at least 749 journalists, media outlets and reporting teams covering environmental issues were attacked in 89 countries. Since 2010, at least 46 environmental journalists have been killed.

This joint publication - based on contributions by a diverse range of leading experts on and practitioners of environmental journalism - addresses issues that many journalists now face on a daily basis in environmental reporting - including misinformation and disinformation, false balance, digital security, legal threats, source protection, solutions reporting and the growing influence of AI.

The manual also addresses one of the biggest questions facing newsrooms today: how to report on environmental crises without leaving audiences overwhelmed and disengaged. It encourages journalism grounded in evidence, context and accountability, while also examining responses and solutions critically. This further highlights that, in the face of environmental crises, reliable information is by no means a luxury. It is a condition for public understanding, accountability and informed decision-making.

The launch comes amid growing international awareness of increasingly connected environmental crises and information challenges. UNESCO's Global Roadmap for Information as a Public Good in the Face of the Environmental Crisis , welcomed by the International Programme for the Development of Communication, calls for stronger support to public-interest journalism, media literacy and access to reliable information. Discussions at the COP30 in Belém also reflected growing recognition of the importance of information integrity to effective environmental governance.

The launch of the joint publication was accompanied by the webinar Santa Marta and the Future of Climate Journalism , co-organized by UNESCO and Covering Climate Now. Bringing together journalists, editors and media trainers from different regions, the discussion explored many of the challenges addressed in the manual, including information integrity, audience engagement and the evolving role of environmental journalism.