In a context marked by climate crisis, invasion of megaprojects affecting ecosystems, disputes over water and other problems, disinformation has become one of the main risks for environmental journalism.
Manipulated data, fake news and smear campaigns tarnish efforts to report with rigor and make it difficult for society to understand the magnitude of the problems that arise in each territory.
Mangroves are one of the ecosystems affected by the arrival of mega-developments on the Mexican coast. Source: Itzel Chan.
During the recent Climate Dialogue: “Against the Current: Environmental Journalism against Disinformation”, Julia Manske, director of the Mexico and Central America program DW Akademie, stated that the environmental issue in the media is a challenge, especially since disinformation operates on several fronts, from the denial of climate change by political and business sectors, to the spread of rumors in communities affected by megaprojects or natural phenomena.
Journalists from different parts of Mexico participated in this dialogue who address problems related to mining, water, fishing, jungles or forests and presented experiences of the battle against information confusion.
Most agreed that industries, in coordination with governments, deploy public relations campaigns to minimize environmental impacts, while manipulated versions circulate on social networks that discredit journalistic work.
The phenomenon has serious consequences because it diminishes trust in the press, divides communities and delays urgent action in the face of the climate crisis, for example.
The seas face several challenges, including the overexploitation of species. Source: Itzel Chan.
One of the speakers in this dialogue was Carmina de la Luz, fact-checker at Pictoline and screenwriter of the television program Climate Report, who shared the method she used to make the report “Disinformation on Climate Change, the case of the energy transition in Mexico”.
The journalist highlighted that together with other colleagues, they analyzed 333 journalistic texts that addressed the issue of energy transition and at least in all of them they found disinformation with false, inaccurate, manipulated or misleading content, and in this case, the main actor to misinform is the federal government.
Faced with situations such as these, the journalists attending this meeting agreed on the urgency of creating verification strategies, transnational alliances and collaborative narratives to counteract disinformation.
“Work needs to be reinforced with reliable data, narrative rigor and closeness to communities,” said Carmina.
* This article was written by Itzel Chan, who covers coastal communities thanks to the support of the Report for the World program .
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