In observance of World Press Freedom Day, the PUP Journalism Guild led off another PeryodisTalks, “The Environmental Crisis Chronicles: Unveiling the Truths from the Frontlines,” at the College of Communication (COC) Audio-Visual Room, on May 24.
The event highlighted the challenges and welfare of journalists in reporting environmental issues with esteemed speakers Aileen Camille Dimatatac, Photojournalist and Communication Consultant, and Imelda Abano, Founder of the Philippine Network of Environment Journalists (PNEJ).
(Photos by Jann Conrad Bonifacio/The Communicator)
Media in Environmental Issues
Dimatatac pointed out that due to a “lack of training” and “lack of expertise,” journalists are hesitant to cover environmental stories.
She stated that there are now a lot of workshops available for media reporters, such as PNEJ, which offers training and support to journalists to enhance their skills and knowledge on specialized topics like environmental issues.
“Iyon ang maganda ngayon. Actually, ang swerte niyo nga. Kasi we, ‘yung mga professors ninyo together with our special guests na inimbitahan natin sa labas, we gave you a[n] overview of this very specialized topics,” Dimatatac explained.
Dimatatac noted that the transition to digital can be both “bad" and “good.” She shared the reality of declining numbers of newspapers caused by digitalization and the difficulty of getting space for environmental reports because of a “lack of demand.”
She added that digitalization creates a platform for the environment, such as Rappler and Philippine Star, which have specific pages for climate change.
“Ang kagandahan ngayon kasi papunta tayo sa digital, mas may space na ngayon for specialized stories.”
Dimatatac also asserted the crucial role of journalists in being creative in delivering environmental issues to hook the masses on the matter.
She advised everyone to read, improve their skills, and familiarize themselves with various environmental terms, including climate change, plastics, conservation issues, and more.
Welfare of Journalists
Meanwhile, Abano centered her discussion on the safety of journalists in environmental reporting by tackling the threats, attacks, and other risk factors journalists encounter in covering.
She emphasized the importance of assessing oneself, the event location, and creating a plan before going to the field.
Abano recalled her experience covering illegal logging in Tuguegarao, Cagayan when she started as a journalist. Despite wanting to pursue the story, she had to kill it because of the danger after receiving threats from big companies.
“Pwede mo siyang ipasa sa iba na mas veteran kung sa tingin mo may threat,” she said.
As the senior coordinator of Internews Earth Journalism Network, she presented that they provide one-on-one mentoring and training in maintaining journalists' physical and digital safety matters.
In the last part of her lecture, Abano tackled the value of having a “support system” from fellow journalists and organizations that protect and ensure the safety of the practitioners in covering events.
Article: Kristine Jhoy Castulo
Graphics: Lourence Angelo Marcellana
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