On March 9, the Land PortalThe Solutions Journalism NetworkRealized the webinar Communication about Land and Environmental Issues: The Solutions Journalism ApproachParticipants from Nigeria, Tanzanian, Namibia, South Africa. Ethiopia, Zimbabwe. Kenya. Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo.
The webinar had two objectives. One was to understand more about the role journalism plays in inclusive access and protection of land and water. Another goal was to show how the Land Portal could prove useful. To collect dataGlobally, we work to create knowledge and defend land rights. The Land Portal and Solutions Journalism Network have partnered to create new solutions for land and environmental issues. They also aim to challenge public perceptions and encourage public engagement on these topics.
Participants included Romy Sato (coordinator of the network of Land Portal researchers); Nieves Ziga (researcher and engagement consultant for Latin American Land Portal); Alfredo Casares (Spanish journalist from the Constructive Journalism InstituteSwait Sanyal Tarafdar is an independent journalist based in South India. Mavic Conde is a Filipina expert on agroecology and the environment.
Romy Sato is responsible for the coordination of the Land Portals network. The portal was established in 2014 to help people find democratic land and other solutions for the environment. solutions journalism. It contains over 66,000 publications on land and environmental issues. There are a number of thematic reports as well as compiled material on the following themes: Land Governance on Africa’s Continent, Indigenous Land Rights, Territorial Governance, and Gender. You can filter publications by date, author, location, author and date.
Nieves Ziga sees the greatest environmental challenges in Latin America as deforestation and climate change. The 2019 edition of the Newsweek is a paralyzing read.New York Timesheadline Climate Change is Accelerating, Bringing the World Dangerously Close To Irreversible Change” or the 2021Guardianheadline Major Climate Changes Inevitable and Irreversible – IPCCs Starkest Warning YetThe public is not encouraged to act but to conform to what appears by the title of this article to be inevitable and unchangeable. People are negatively affected when pessimism or a focus on problems dominates the traditional media narrative. Ziga says that this is because of the dramatic discourse of the unchangeable and inevitable. Researchers from the Reuters institute for the study of journalismReaders often reject news stories because of this.
These headlines make us think: What can I do to stop these irreversible changes in my life? Many people ignore the problem and feel depressed. The Reuters Institute has done a study that shows news is a major reason why people avoid it. Nieves Ziga
Ziga explained that journalists should be aware of the public demand for solutions and the potential of journalism to help us realize our dreams. Solutions journalism is about more than reporting positive events. It is about telling the whole story and not just focusing on the problems, but also how to solve them. Ziga states that solutions journalism is based on in-depth analysis of potential community solutions.
Environmental journalism is often based on scientific research. This is important for credibility. However, it can also make it difficult for people to connect with science. We lose the chance of bringing the story closer to reality. Our role in the world is to recognize the power and importance of journalism and information in creating visions of mission. Nieves Ziga
Alfredo Casares is a Spanish journalist who works at the Constructive Journalism Institute. He consults on solutions journalism, and is also the author of Time for Constructive Journalism (La Hora del Periodismo Constructivo). The book discusses how to apply constructive, solution journalism to environmental and land problems. According to the author 64% of BBC Under 35-year-olds want to see positive news that solves everyday problems. According to the Reuters institute, young Europeans desire to be able to contact news that inspires them to change.
Casares believes that journalists and media have the most important role in presenting and sharing solutions to problems that the public considers unsolvable. This includes reporting hope, successes, and new ideas. Journalism can help society have hope through facts and lead to mobilization and collective action. He points out that journalism is not advocacy, even though it can identify solutions. It does not identify solutions but merely provides information.
This is a situation where there is a lack of reliable information, a lack of trust in the media, and social polarization. One of the consequences is the rejection of news. People feel overwhelmed, they feel that we focus too much on conflicts and dramas, that solutions are underrepresented in the media, and we describe the world as a worse place than the one we live in… Our responsibility as journalists is two-fold: one, we, the media, help the population to form an image of the world, but we also help them to make an image of themselves in the world, in addition to the [image]They can play an active role in society by being active citizens, not passive spectators. If we share our learning and new ideas, maybe people feel inspired to mobilize and take action. Alfredo Casares
Casares believes that solutions journalism must be accurate and based on scientific evidence. He also believes that it should always respond to real problems with innovative solutions. This type of journalism focuses on finding solutions to the problem. The problem is shown along with solutions. Casares says it is important to examine the limitations of the solutions. Platforms such as the are a great tool for professionals. Solutions Story TrackerHave compiled over 13,000 community-based solutions from global society that have made the news and can be used to help people around world.
Casares claims that solutions journalism can also have positive impacts on journalists and other media professionals. Many report feeling empowered and encouraged by Casares to act, writing stories and working with positive and purposeful agendas. They feel motivated to make a difference in the world and see their work as having a significant social purpose.
Solutions journalism also covers the issue, but not from the point-of-view of the problem. Instead, it is viewed from the perspective of solving social problems. Solutions journalism is better because you can explain problems from different perspectives. You help the reader understand the problem through your answer. Journalism should inspire hope and not fear. Alfredo Casares
Swati Sanyal Tarafdar (an independent reporter) covers South India’s social and climate justice, environment and health. This region is rich in fertile areas and large agricultural areas. It also suffers from pollution. This region is affected by climate change because of its deforestation and large numbers of cattle. It also suffers from extractivism, pollution of water and land, as well as garbage. However, she tells stories from the point-of-view of natural resources, environmental justice, and those who have to deal with problems.
These people, who live in ancestral lands, have been telling the world for decades that the environment has been suffering. In my work, I try and talk to people, including farmers, workers, and women, to get their perspectives about the environment. They are the ones who are most overlooked, but they can make the most contributions, as they are at the bottom of the problem. Already many people have been displaced by climate change. Areas that used to produce are no more producing, there is drought or excessive rain. We continue to ignore the most dire warnings of climate change. Swati Sanyal Tarafdar
Tarafdar says that one reason for the apathy is the disconnect between how we understand and how they are reported to society via traditional journalism. According to Tarafdar, the best way to make the audience care is to share information that motivates and inspires them, as well as local solutions. Journalism that engages is built on four pillars.
- Offers a solution (to a problem);
- Consider scientific evidence
- Innovative ideas are possible
- Analyze limitations
Journalists are responsible for demonstrating where the solution was created, how it was implemented, the scientific principles behind it, and how to reproduce it. It’s about helping people to change their lives, provide answers, inspire, entertain, mobilize and create their own solutions. It’s about telling positive stories that inspire real change. Tarafdar states that solutions to reported problems are the most impactful stories.
People care more about things they can influence and inspire. Swati Sanyal Tarafdar
Tarafdar believes that it is a political value to use solutions journalism to raise evidence to discuss the political stagnation surrounding the problem. Another value is to understand limitations of community solutions in order to demandbased upon those limitssystemic solutions by the government to be implemented. This will make the governing authorities accountable.
Solution journalism is often criticised for its tendency to divert attention from the problem and minimize government responsibility. Tarafdar says that once a solution has been found, people in similar regions can be inspired to see that change is possible. This allows them to hold governments accountable and shows that there are solutions, and that adopting them is a political decision.
Mavic Conde, a Filipino expert on the environment and community innovations in food system, was the webinar’s last panelist. According to her, agriculture and land rights can be seen as two sides of the same coin. A key component of development should be agriculture, especially in native and indigenous communities. campesinoIt is essential that solutions journalism coverage be expanded to territories.
Contrary to global agricultural production, agroecologyPolyculture is a method of exploring the interdependence of species. It involves democratizing land access and food production; reducing the exploitation and conflict with native peoples and environmental degradation; protecting biodiversity and having less environmental and climate impact; prioritizing food security and profit over food security; respecting traditional local practices for sustainable production rather than implementing intensive technology. Conde states that ecological principles are applicable to all forms of food production.
Agroecology can be viewed as a solution to the climate crisis. It is a process that relies on four main pillars: ecological equilibrium, social equity, cultural vitality and economic viability. Agroecology refers to the management of agriculture as an eco-system. Its principles include cooperation, mutual aid and sustainability. It lowers production costs by valuing local seed banks over large-scale monoculture production.
Agroecology provides a farmer with a sense of belonging to the land where he grows crops. He understands that he is part of the ecosystem. Mavic Conde
Conde explained that the Philippines is suffering from a wide range of climate crisis impacts, including flooding, water contamination and rising temperatures. Solutions journalism is a powerful tool for responding to environmental problems in the Philippines. She said that news reports that focus on solutions have the greatest impact in the country.
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