Climate

New report: What does China read about climate?

English

Download “Climate change journalism in China” here

How do Chinese journalists cover climate-change stories – and what opportunities for international cooperation in that field exist for funders, NGOs and governments? Our new report, Climate-change journalism in China: opportunities for international cooperation – produced jointly by chinadialogue, Caixin Media and International Media Support – addresses these questions.

In her foreword to the report, Hu Shuli, editor-in-chief of Caixin Media, writes: “In Denmark, the United Kingdom and other countries, how to combat climate change has become a social and political issue of great importance. Against this background, more and more Chinese journalists, either out of active interest or in order to move with the times, are reporting climate-change issues.”

She continues: “However one looks at it, reporting on climate change represents a golden opportunity for the media. But grasping this opportunity isn’t always easy.”

The report, authored by Sam Geall, deputy editor of chinadialogue, finds that climate-change reporting in China continues to increase in quantity, originality and detail – and divergent opinions on the topic are represented by different outlets. But obstacles remain, including: confusion about the science of climate change; limits on access to information; and a sense that climate-change stories must reflect the “national interest”. 

International cooperation has helped to create a number of opportunities for climate-change journalists, but there are areas for improvement and the author makes specific recommendations to aid the further development of programmes that could encourage deeper, more relevant and compelling journalism about climate change.

Download the free report here to find out more.