Global climate crisis. Not on the programme. Not in the news media. Let’s change that.

Preamble 

In April 2026, in Perugia, the Media Innovation Studio at the University of Lancashire convened the Unofficial Green Room alongside the 20th International Journalism Festival, co-hosted with the Thomson Foundation and the University of Helsinki. As part of the Sustainable Innovation and Leadership Accelerator (SILA), the conversation brought together those asking what more journalism can do — and those interested in supporting real progress — to focus on action

The discussion centred on three simple questions: What’s blocking us from reporting the climate crisis as it deserves? Who’s getting it right and what are they doing differently? And what are we not doing that we could start tomorrow? The conclusion was clear: we don’t have a knowledge gap on environmental issues — we have a priority gap. This document reflects that shared starting point and will be taken forward through SILA’s work across insights, education and training, and public, policy and scholarly engagement.

Why this matters

The challenge is not understanding the environmental crisis.
It is overcoming the newsroom priorities, cultural framing, and political pressures that continue to push it down the agenda.
Five Principles for Getting the Environmental Crisis onto the News Agenda
1. The environment is a news priority, not a specialist interest
The defining story of our time must shape editorial judgement across all desks — not sit in a silo.
2. Relevance is how urgency reaches audiences
Environmental stories gain traction when they connect to people’s lives — their health, jobs, homes, and communities.
3. The environment belongs everywhere in the newsroom
Politics, business, culture, sport, and local reporting all carry environmental dimensions.
Treat it as a lens, not a beat.
4. Consistency builds authority
One-off stories are easy to ignore.
Sustained, explanatory reporting based on a systemic approach builds trust, credibility, and impact.
5. Change is collective
Shifting the agenda requires shared commitment — across journalists, editors, producers, and organisations.

What this means in practice

• Integrate the environment into every relevant story — as standard, not as an add-on
• Focus on agency and solutions, not just risk and impact
• Strengthen links between journalists and credible expertise
• Track pledges, policies, and accountability over time
• Invest in local reporting and community voices, especially those most affected
• Report on systems, not just events — connecting causes, consequences, and responses
• Make visible the unequal impacts on vulnerable communities
• Work across beats to connect the environment with politics, business, health, migration, and conflict
• Build understanding of how decisions in one area create consequences across others (systems linkages / ripple effects)
• Assess and reduce the environmental impact of our own operations — from production to distribution

An invitation

We invite those participating in this conversation to sign, test, and take forward these principles — within your own organisations and in collaboration with others.

Convened by the Media Innovation Studio, University of Lancashire, UK, and the Thomson Foundation, working group partners in the Sustainable Innovation & Leadership Accelerator (SILA) initiative.