Environment reporters face harassment and murder
Green Blood study finds climate change reporting is ‘inherently dangerous’
Thirteen journalists who were investigating environmental issues have been killed in recent years, according to a new study from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The CPJ says many more journalists covering climate change are facing violence, intimidation, harassment, and lawsuits. As it investigates another 16 deaths, it believes the tally of murders may be as high as 29.
The Guardian points out that such a figure would make this field of journalism “one of the most dangerous after war reporting”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The CJP report, entitled Green Blood, has focused particularly on the mining industry. Three journalists have died while reporting on the sector in the Phillippines.
There have also been deaths in Tanzania, which has slipped 25 places on the World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders. It now ranks 118th out of 179 countries.
“Journalists [in Tanzania] are attacked without reason,” Ryan Powell, a media development specialist working in Africa, said. “Police will harass journalists, and people do not interfere.”
India is revealed to be one of the most dangerous places to be an environmental journalist – three of the 13 identified as having been killed were from the country.
Shortly before his death in 2015, the Indian journalist Jagendra Singh wrote on social media about threats he believed he faced for investigating sand mining in northern India.
“Politicians, thugs, and police, all are after me,” he warned. “Writing the truth is weighing heavily on my life.” Since his death, two other journalists have been killed while investigating sand mining in India. Karun Misra died in February 2016, and Sandeep Sharma was killed in March 2018.
The other reporters named in the Green Blood study died in Panama, Colombia, Russia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia.
Bruce Shapiro, the director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, says: “Environmental issues involve some of the greatest abuses of power in the world and some of the greatest of concentrations of power in the world.
“I’m hard put to think of a category of investigative reporters who are routinely dealing with more dangerous actors. Investigative reporting on the environment can be as dangerous a beat as reporting on narco smuggling.”
CPJ executive director, Joel Simon, says: “Reporting such stories for national and international media often involves travelling to remote communities and confronting powerful interests. This makes it inherently dangerous.
“This is not a new issue, but it has become more acute as climate change has accelerated and environmental change more directly impacts people’s lives. I don’t see that changing any time soon, which is why it is so important to report on environmental issues despite the risk.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
India elections start amid violence, hate speech accusations
Talking Points Narendra Modi seeks a third term while critics worry about the future of the country's democracy
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'Biden is smart to keep the border-security pressure on'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu worries mount as virus found in milk, cows
Speed Read The FDA found traces of the virus in pasteurized grocery store milk
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What is cloud seeding and did it cause Dubai's severe rainfall?
The Explainer The future is flooded
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Ottawa climate talks: can global plastic problem be solved?
In the spotlight Nations aim to draft world's first treaty on plastic pollution, but resistance from oil- and gas-producing countries could limit scope
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is rock flour and how can it help to fight climate change?
The Explainer Glacier dust to the rescue
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The growing thirst for camel milk
Under the radar Climate change and health-conscious consumers are pushing demand for nutrient-rich product – and the growth of industrialised farming
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why curbing methane emissions is tricky in fight against climate change
The Explainer Tackling the second most significant contributor to global warming could have an immediate impact
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
How the EU undermines its climate goals with animal farming subsidies
Under the radar Bloc's agricultural policy incentivises carbon-intensive animal farming over growing crops, despite aims to be carbon-neutral
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why are people and elephants fighting in Sri Lanka?
Under The Radar Farmers encroaching into elephant habitats has led to deaths on both sides
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published