Stories about the environment are not going anyway; in fact, recent research indicates the climate is the second-highest concern amongst Gen Zs and Millenials.
The trouble is that it can be a doom-and-gloom story, leaving audiences feeling unable to do anything about such a large-scale problem. Newsrooms need to think carefully about how they frame climate stories.
Yusuf Omar, co-founder of Seen (formerly Hashtag Our Stories) shares with WAN-IFRA five ways to change the narrative around climate change storytelling. Create stories that young viewers will want to share with their friends.
What makes them do this is inspirational, emotional and oftentimes surprising content. Think about covering something else than just recycling, try to find unusual projects to address climate change in different parts of the work and report on its impact (as well as limitations). You can also show how climate issues tie in with other topics, such as war, health, food or fashion.
"If you’re going to explore topics that they are interested in, you can reel them in and expose them to the broader climate story," says Omar.
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