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As the extreme weather events increasingly impact livelihoods and trigger displacement in the region, information for making decisions on climate change mitigation and adaptation is becoming all the more important. Audiences in Southeast Asia are particularly keen on hearing and reading about climate change, as demonstrated in a  conducted by Meta and Yale University.

With the support of the Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and the Safety of Journalists, 91�鶹������Ʒ���� been working to equip media organizations in the region to report on and respond to the effects of climate change. As part of the “Climate Change in News Media” training programme, which ran from March to September 2023, 14 selected media organizations in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Timor Leste were trained over a six-month period on how to optimize their climate and environment reporting by strengthening the use of online sources and digital tools, such as fact-checking, data visualization, satellite imagery, cartographic regression and the like.

UNESCO selected the participating media based on their applications and to ensure a mix of mainstream media, media that are specialized in related fields, as well as start-up media. Involving decision makers in the project ensured that the media organizations could subsequently implement the new tools and strategy.

The programme began with a two-day intensive training session on environmental journalism, focusing on strategies, investigations, constructive journalism, and collaborative cross-border projects. Throughout the summer, the selected media organizations engaged in mentoring and post-training support sessions towards the production of news stories, and in August two senior representatives from each of the 14 media organizations participated in a bootcamp in Puncat, Indonesia.

Following the training, each media developed their own institutional strategy for climate change and environment coverage, produced and broadcasted or published investigative stories and constructive journalism reports, and undertook collaborative projects to cover cross-border climate stories. 

Narasi Newsroom, in Indonesia, developed institutional strategies and strengthened programming with investigative and solutions-oriented stories on climate change or environment, and improved the use of digital tools and technologies in news gathering and production. These skills are illustrated in the report titled “The Fish Thieves Who Return to Jokowi's Second Period”, which gathered over half a million views.

Also in Indonesia, Magdalene initiated a project to work together with influencers and Youtubers to reach a large audience with constructive climate journalism, while Tempo – the most respected and influential investigative media in the country - initiated training in constructive journalism for all staff.

GMA, the largest and most reputable media network in the Philippines, decided to implement a whole strategy on climate coverage, developed after the bootcamp. Meanwhile, FYT projected the platform “Lifesaver.ph” to develop and concentrate all climate content in an early warning mechanism in partnership with users, universities, and government institutions for future hazards.