The wildfires in the summer of 2022 have been a catalyst for change in the media coverage of the climate crisis. In France, 39 % of the population still do not believe that human activities are the main source of climate change.
Critics of the media say all newsrooms should play a crucial role in informing the public on the basis of scientific consensus, providing solutions for the ecological transition, and not support climate-skeptic theories.
Our correspondant attending a journalism conference in Tours, Camille Tribout, discussed the necessity for media to better cover climate and biodiversity issues with Laurie Debove, chief-editor of the independent media La Relève et la Peste. She’s also the co-author of a charter for a journalism that meets the ecological crisis (Charte pour un journalisme à la hauteur de l’urgence écologique) initiated in September 2022, a guide for journalists to improve their practices.