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Press photographer captures smoky Australian Parliament during the 2020 bushfires: Don't minimize the seriousness of the situation
Photo: Rohan Thomson/Getty Images
Pictures of children eating ice cream and bathing should no longer be used to illustrate heat waves that are being exacerbated by climate change.
This is one of the recommendations emerging from a charter signed by more than 500 journalists in France.
In the statement released on Wednesday, they pledge not to treat climate change as a single issue, but to consider its impacts across all reporting.
(Read the charter as a PDF here, here in English)
Even this summer, which was marked by drought and forest fires, the connection with climate change was "rarely" mentioned, said Loup Espargilière, one of the authors of the charter.
Around 30 editorial offices and several journalism schools are also committed to the charter, including the international broadcasters RFI and France 24.
Not only climate change, but also the strategies in the fight against its effects should be examined more closely and questioned.
Journalists are called upon to continuously educate themselves on the subject and to convey the scientific findings in an understandable way.
The editorial departments involved want to ensure that their CO₂ emissions are reduced without neglecting on-site research.
This means, for example, using environmentally friendly means of transport and relying on local journalists.
Advertising for climate-damaging products should be avoided as far as possible.
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feb/AFP
