Climate Blueprint: Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Climate Stories

At this critical juncture in the climate crisis, and as climate journalism itself is being challenged, it's important for outlets to have clear evidence of the impact of their reporting — to know what's working for their audiences, what's not, and where to improve. Impact extends far beyond big policy changes to include things like the realization of one's power, hope, a sense of connection, and civic engagement, all of which are essential to society's ability to address the climate crisis. Designing processes to stay in touch with our audiences and solicit feedback helps to paint a fuller picture of what makes the most effective journalism.

Inspired by “The Climate Blueprint for Media Transformation,” published in summer 2024 by the Solutions Journalism Network and Covering Climate Now, this ongoing discussion series covers pressing topics, like this one, related to climate journalism. In our fourth roundtable discussion in the series, called “Don't Underestimate the Impact of Climate Stories,” we'll discuss the importance of understanding your journalism's impact, how to track impact and report it back to audiences, and why this work is so critical for ensuring that climate journalism becomes more of a priority within newsrooms. Panelists include Nina Ignaczak from Planet Detroit and Heather May from the Great Salt Lake Collaborative. The project's editor, Breanna Draxler, will moderate.