Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) is launching the Climate Beacon Newsroom Initiative in partnership with Covering Climate Now and Climate Central.
Donor Name: Solutions Journalism Network (SJN)
State: All States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa
Type of Grant: Program
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 10/10/2022
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Details:
This year-long program (through September 2023) will bring together five newsrooms in the U.S. to work individually and collectively to transform their coverage of the changing climate throughout their organizations. In addition, each newsroom will select a Climate Fellow to take part in the Solutions Journalism Network Train-the-Trainers program (ToT). These five fellows will each create a climate solutions journalism training module that they will use to spread the practice of solutions journalism in covering their changing climate.
This transformational change will be grounded in just transition, which prioritizes equity in responses to address the climate crisis, and will be focused on deep engagement with the communities the newsrooms cover and serve. These newsrooms will serve as models for how other news organizations can permanently transform their coverage of the climate crisis. To achieve this goal, each newsroom will choose a Climate Fellow to take part in the Solutions Journalism Network Train-the-Trainers program (ToT). These five fellows will each create a climate solutions journalism training module that can be used to spread the practice of solutions journalism in covering their changing climate.
Funding Information
The initiative comes with a $20,000 stipend for the newsroom and $5,000 for the Climate Fellows.
Benefits
In addition to financial support, participating newsrooms will receive the following:
- Support to produce and execute projects focused on community needs and that center equity.
- Coaching and support in tracking institutional change within the newsroom.
- Support and coaching in tracking impact on community to measure the effect the newsrooms’ move from their present state of covering climate to one that is focused on solutions and equity.
- One-on-one coaching with SJN staff.
- Workshops in key issue areas conducted by SJN, Covering Climate Now and Climate Central. Workshops will be guided by the needs of five beacon newsrooms, but may focus on increasing their knowledge of climate science; deepening solutions journalism practices; training in strengths-based narrative training and how to cover climate through an environmental justice lens; revenue, audience impact and measurement training; and data training to inform their projects.
Newsrooms will be required to:
- Attend quarterly reviews to present their evolving projects to each other with the stated outcome of sharing their learnings and challenges.
- Attend workshops provided by SJN and its partners.
- Attend monthly 1:1 coaching sessions.
- Complete a solutions-focused project centered on the needs of their community, especially focused on equity and justice.
- Create and implement a “from-to” dashboard to track progress in the newsroom toward permanently changing coverage of the climate crisis.
- Create and implement an impact measurement plan to track how projects enhanced their communities’ knowledge and understanding of, and engagement with local (or other) solutions that specifically impact them.
Fellows will be required to:
- Complete the SJN’s Train the Trainer program. (virtual)
- Create a climate solutions training module for future “Train the Trainer” programs.
- Create and implement a “Train the Trainer” climate solutions plan and host at least one training six months after the end of the initiative. SJN will support trainers to find ongoing training opportunities within newsrooms and journalism support organizations.
- Provide resources and tools to other trainers. Trainers will add their resources, tools, data and workshop materials to SJN’s training library for use by other trainers around the world.
- Every effort will be made to make certain quarterly meetings, coaching sessions, workshops and training are conducted based on the availability of the newsrooms and their staff.
Criteria
All U.S.- based newsrooms ready to shift their climate reporting coverage toward rigorous, evidence-based reporting on solutions to the climate crisis are encouraged to apply.
Selection criteria
- Demonstrated commitment to covering our changing climate with a focus on equity and justice.
- Demonstrated service to historically marginalized communities/ newsrooms led by and serving people of color.
- U.S. newsrooms only (including U.S. territories)
- Commitment to shifting permanently the newsrooms’ coverage of climate from unsolvable and apocalyptic to rigorous evidence-based reporting that holds business, government and other stakeholders accountable and catalyzes communities to take action.
For more information, visit Solutions Journalism Network.
