Media Freedom in Focus | Earth Day reflections: Italy's climate reporting dilemma

As our planet grapples with the devastating effects of climate
change, the indispensable role of environmental journalism
becomes increasingly apparent. Yet, the right to cover
environmental issues remains under siege, not least in Italy:


In the last months of 2023, articles dedicated to the climate
crisis in the main Italian newspapers decreased compared to the
previous months. 

At the same time, advertisements from polluting companies
reached record levels, increasing the print media’s dependency on
them at a moment of historical low sales. 

Meanwhile, in the evening TV news, “influenced by the Meloni
government's impact on Rai” according to Greenpeace Italy, space
for those opposing the ecological transition has doubled.



How can journalists inform the public effectively when the fossil
fuel industry has a growing influence on the media platforms? On
Earth Day, we confront this question head-on.
Guests:

Barbara Trionfi, former Executive Director at IPI and current
Fellow, is the author of the report Climate and Environmental
journalism under fire. 

Marta Frigerio is the Editor-in-Chief of RADAR Magazine, a
media focusing on environmental issues that is a part of
Greenpeace Italy’s new initiative Free Press for Climate.



Producer and Host: Beatrice Chioccioli, Europe Advocacy Officer
at the International Press Institute (IPI)


Editor: Javier Luque, Head of Digital Communications at IPI
Other episodes in this series:

Media Freedom in Focus: Untangling media capture in Greece

Navigating Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Act – Media
Freedom In Focus

Related links:

New IPI report reveals safety crisis faced by climate and
environmental journalists

Voices for Climate - The first network of voices against
greenwashing

Environmental journalism: pursuing quality coverage of a
global crisis



This podcast series is part of the Media Freedom in Focus
project, sponsored by Media Freedom Rapid Response(MFRR), which
tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media
freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries. The MFRR is
organized by a consortium led by the European Centre for Press
and Media Freedom (ECPMF) including ARTICLE 19 Europe, the
European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Free Press Unlimited
(FPU), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Osservatorio
Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT).