In partnership with JNI and the Australian Science Media Centre, News.com.au has launched Time is Now, a series focusing on the impacts of climate change.
The Institute supported the series by helping to bring journalists and scientists together in the newsroom to work collaboratively.
The series examines how climate change affects Australians’ lives, the myths around climate change and bushfires, and what people can do to make a difference. News.com.au editor-in-chief Kate de Brito said: “If there was any positive to emerge from the tragic bushfires of summer it was seeing how much Australians cared about each other and their country including the many species of animals and plants lost to the fires.”
“Climate change is a divisive topic but what brought Australians together was not discussions about carbon credits, rather their shared love of this great country and a new focus on creating a more sustainable future.”
“We began working with the Australian Science Media Centre in early December and we are grateful to them and the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas for their support in accessing the skills and knowledge of scientists and researchers who work in this area.”
Australian Science Media Centre chief executive Dr Susannah Eliott said the centre was delighted to work with news.com.au and the Judith Neilson Institute on the collaborative project.
“Issues such as climate change and extreme weather are vitally important to Australia and it’s critical that we get clear and accurate information from our media outlets. Bringing scientists and journalists together to work collaboratively on these important topics will help all Australians get the information they need,” Dr Eliott said.
Judith Neilson Institute Executive Director Mark Ryan said: “putting more scientists in newsrooms can help journalists better inform their readers with evidence-based reporting.”
“Ultimately, the aim is to build a broad base of shared knowledge across our community and this initiative is a small step towards that goal.”
What the scientists say
University of NSW senior lecturer and ARC Future Fellow at the Climate Change Research Centre Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick said: “It’s not just a future problem. We are seeing real changes now which will only worsen as warming continues to climb.”
University of Sydney professor of geography and natural disasters Dale Dominey-Howes said: “For decades, the experts have predicted precisely what the impacts and effects of a warming planet would be – and now those forecasts are the everyday lived experience of millions of Australians.”