TMR 2023: Why aren’t Indian newsrooms prioritising climate change reporting?

Climate change and environmental issues are significantly underreported in Indian newsrooms, with reportage often lacking depth. How can editors and reporters address the challenge of effective storytelling in this context?

These were the themes of “The Climate Change Beat”, a panel discussion at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. Moderated by journalist Nidhi Razdan, panellists comprised Naresh Fernandes, editor of Scroll; and independent journalists M Rajshekhar, Disha Shetty and Rishika Pardikar.

Nidhi talked about dwindling resources in mainstream television media, while Disha said journalists must be trained in reporting on climate and health. Rajshekhar said climate news stays on the margins, despite being a public health issue. 

“We need to look at climate change through every beat,” Naresh said, “whether it’s sports, food or politics.”

Watch.

Listen to the conversation here: