Australia: Independent/regional media critical in fight against climate misinformation

Australia's information ecosystem is under threat from a growing proliferation of misinformation and disinformation on climate change, according to the Senate report into the issue. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) urge the Australian government to urgently take heed of key recommendations concerning support for regional and independent media and media literacy.

Climate change or the environment is one of the top topics Australian audiences specified among misinformation they encounter online. Credit: AFP

The Senate's select committee on information integrity on climate change and energy's final report, The Integrity Gap: Restoring Trust in the Climate and Energy Debate, released in March, explores climate and energy mis/disinformation in the "digital town square" - how it is being financed, produced and disseminated, as well as its impacts on domestic and international media narratives. It noted that climate change or the environment is one of the top topics Australian audiences specified among misinformation they encounter online.

The Senate's select committee received 243 submissions and conducted ten hearings to inform the report's findings. The committee heard from a broad range of submitters that debate about climate change and energy should not be silenced, but equally that a multifaceted strategy was needed to address its growing impact on public trust.

In terms of the media's role in the issue, the report's findings underscored the need for tactical actions (like fact-checking) as well as 'longer-term bets' for structural reforms (by supporting local journalism and media literacy) and support for the development of a not-for-profit news sector by enabling news organisations that produce public interest journalism to be eligible for deductible gift recipient status.

Australia has been selected by the IFJ as a key focus country under a UNESCO-funded global project which aims to strengthen journalists' capacities, build public trust in climate reporting, and lead a unified, union-driven global response to climate disinformation. In its mapping, IFJ found that climate disinformation in Australia is particularly propagated by misleading narratives, climate obstruction, politicisation, greenwashing, industry and vested interest influence, low media literacy exploitation and Al­driven falsehoods.

Misinformation and disinformation (44%) is the third major challenge journalists encounter when reporting on environmental issues, according to a survey conducted by the IFJ in December 2025. Nearly half of respondents identified lack of training (49%) as the primary challenge, closely followed by limited time and resources (48%).

MEAA said: "A robust and healthy regional news and independent media sector is clearly critical to combatting information integrity deficits in Australia. Local media outlets are often some of the most trusted information sources, but these sources are in financial precarity so they must be supported to remain viable and continue this work in the public interest."

The IFJ said: "Information integrity is crucial not only for the future of journalism, but the future of democracy. Societies must have trustworthy information to shape the future."