Lensa Iklim CET Report Launch: Key insights on climate and energy reporting in Malaysia’s mainstream media
The launch of the Climate and Energy Transition Reporting in Peninsular Malaysia’s Mainstream News Media report, also known as the CET report by Lensa Iklim was held on 25 February 2023 at the SDG Centre Kuala Lumpur.
Lensa Iklim programme and initiative by Klima Action Malaysia — KAMY, and supported by the European Climate Foundation
The event was attended by journalists, media practitioners, editors from news media, and cohorts of Lensa Iklim. The objective of this launch was to not only present the report but also provide a platform for journalists to speak about climate-related issues and discuss the report’s findings.
The launch event included a panel discussion with Sumei Toh (Lead Researcher Lensa Iklim), Nadiah Rosli (Freelance Journalist), Aidila Razak (MalaysiaKini), and moderated by Wong Siew Lyn (Macaranga).
We need more human stories in climate & energy reporting
During the panel, lead researcher Sumei Toh highlighted some key points about how news related to climate change and energy transition is covered in the media. She discussed that news related to floods and lawsuits against the government tend to gain the most media coverage, and business news is often about who’s doing what, who’s paying for what, and how much.
“Gas, hydrogen, and electric vehicles are receiving positive media coverage, but there is little discussion about the larger issues surrounding these emerging industries, such as carbon capture technology” — Sumei Toh, Lead Researcher Lensa Iklim
Toh also noted that journalists should look beyond the headlines to provide a more comprehensive understanding of issues such as EVs and solar, including exploring the potential of sustainable energy schemes for residents. She mentioned that human interest stories are often missing from news coverage, and highlighted the importance of understanding greenwashing. Finally, Toh emphasized the potential for journalists to do more in-depth reporting and uncover untold stories related to climate change and energy transition.
Breaking away from single-sourced stories
Siew Lyn highlighted Sumei’s point that 50% of stories are single-sourced and emphasized the need to diversify sources, with politicians and government officials making up 33% of sources.
Aidila Razak discussed the issue of journalists not having enough time to fact-check stories and find counterpoints to claims made by sources due to overwhelming workload. She suggested that ownership should be taken by the reporter to inform the news desk if a story is not good enough and requires clarification or further investigation.
She highlighted the need for a dedicated climate desk in newsrooms to provide better coverage on climate-related issues, but acknowledged that many newsrooms do not have the resources for such a desk. In such situations, Aidila encouraged everyone to pitch in and suggest improvements to stories. She emphasized the importance of not relying on a single source for long-form articles and recommended seeking out multiple perspectives to add nuance to a story.
Finally, she highlighted the increased availability of experts who are willing to share their views and suggested that reporters take advantage of this by not taking the easy way out.
How business news can incorporate climate lens in their reporting
A lot of energy transition stories are reported by business desks. Business news must incorporate a climate lens into their reporting, moving away from the single-source approach. Nadiah Rosli suggested that freelance journalism is a good way to avoid single-source reporting. She emphasized the importance of intersectionality and understanding the science behind the stories.
Nadiah recommended using science to challenge interviewees and to understand the accountability and transparency within businesses. She encouraged journalists to write about how businesses monitor their offsets and how local people are impacted by issues.
Nadiah also suggested more in-depth reporting on different industries, making connections between economic issues and their relevance to people’s livelihoods, and seeking sources
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the journalists who attended the Lensa Iklim report launch and showed their support for better climate and energy media coverage in Malaysia. Your presence and engagement with the report are critical to our mission of upskilling and empowering journalists to better report on climate and energy transition.
This report aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on the Right to Information by examining the state of climate reporting in Peninsular Malaysia’s mainstream news media. By analyzing the quality, quantity, and accessibility of climate information in these media outlets, the report seeks to identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations for media practitioners to better report on climate and energy transition. Ultimately, the report’s goal is to facilitate greater access to reliable and accurate climate information for all Malaysians, so that they can make informed decisions about their lives, their communities, and their future.
You can download the CET Report here !
Now open to public: KAMY Resource Hub
We also announced the launch of KAMY’s new Resource Hub, which includes additional materials and tools to support your reporting and research on climate & energy issues.
Access the KAMY Resource Hub on klimaactionmalaysia.org/resourcehub
With this resource hub you can:
- Find key climate experts in Malaysia that you can reach out to (NGOs, scientists, etc.) **Coming soon**
- Find key players within the international and national bodies that may help you gain sources/data for your reporting (financial institutions, think tanks, academia, etc.)
- Find references & summaries to current climate and energy policy outlook nationally and internationally (National policy on climate change, etc.)
- Glossary, key jargons simplified in energy and climate. (Carbon offset, BECCS, etc.)
The KAMY Resource Hub will be continually updated. So be sure to check back often and stay up-to-date with the latest information.
