How can Australia emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with the environment as well as the economy in mind? This is the focus of the next collaborative journalism project by The Guardian and the Australian Science Media Centre with support from the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
“The pandemic has devastated our economy but also presents a unique opportunity to invest in climate action,” said Lenore Taylor, editor of Guardian Australia. “The potential for clean jobs and technology to stimulate the economy is an idea not just advanced by climate activists, but by banks, energy companies and major investors. The Guardian is committed to fully exploring it in its Green Recovery series.”
Today, The Guardian released the first video in a six-part series that explores the many ways we can come out of the pandemic in a positive and sustainable way.
Collaborative journalism involves experts working alongside journalists to create unique and trustworthy content.
“By bringing a range of independent experts into newsrooms, either physically or virtually, we believe that they can play a powerful role in helping journalists report on issues that really matter to Australia,” said AusSMC CEO Dr Susannah Eliott. “Exciting things can happen when experts become collaborators and not just the angle in someone else’s story — while it benefits both experts and journalists, the public is the ultimate beneficiary.”
The Australian Science Media Centre and Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas have supported six video explainers as part of The Guardian’s broader Green Recovery series covering a range of topics such as green housing, the circular economy and clean communities.
JNI Executive Director Mark Ryan said the initiative would help journalists work with subject matter experts to produce compelling, but most importantly, fact-based reporting.
“It’s a great example of how collaborative journalism can be applied to complex issues and share knowledge across the community,” he said.