Announcing Dart Center Europe's Inaugural Workshop for Climate Journalists

April 15, 2024
Apply Here

The World's On Fire: Best Practices for Reporting on the Environment and a Changing Climate, Application Deadline: 15 May, 2024, 5pm GMT

A woman holds a dog in her arms as forest fires approach the village of Pefki on Evia (Euboea) island, Greece's second largest island, on August 8, 2021. - Hundreds of Greek firefighters fought desperately on August 8 to control wildfires on the island of Evia that have charred vast areas of pine forest, destroyed homes and forced tourists and locals to flee. Greece and Turkey have been battling devastating fires for nearly two weeks as the region suffered its worst heatwave in decades, which experts have linked to climate change. (Photo by ANGELOS TZORTZINIS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Applications are open for the inaugural Workshop: Best Practices for Reporting on the Environment and Changing Climate, hosted by Dart Center Europe and City University of London. This unique programme is for practising journalists with a minimum of two years specialising in climate and environmental reporting. Accepted applicants will help craft strategies for building the resilience of journalists covering this global crisis. 

The two and a half day Workshop on 3-5 July, 2024 in London will bring together a cohort of up to 15 journalists with a faculty of experienced researchers and clinical psychologists, providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas, knowledge sharing and peer-learning. 

This Workshop is the first step in a conversation aimed at more clearly understanding the emotional and psychological effects of covering the climate crisis and environment. Through briefings, facilitated sessions and group discussion, this Workshop aims to deepen knowledge of emotional trauma and psychological injury and examine ethics and craft challenges.

Accepted applicants are invited to cohort dinners the night of 3rd and 4th of July 2024.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the workshop. 

To encourage applications from the European continent we are offering two £900 travel/accommodation bursaries to freelance journalists (if you are applying for the bursary please state this clearly at the start of your letter of interest). 

All other applicants are expected to cover the cost of accommodation and travel to and from the workshop (or have it covered by their employers).

ELIGIBILITY

Participation in the Workshop is free-of-charge to accepted applicants and open to practising journalists with at least two years of experience specialising in reporting on the climate and environmental issues in all formats (print, broadcast and digital reporters, photographers, editors and producers). 

All sessions are conducted in English. Participants must be fluent in spoken English.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

To apply please fill out the application form linked HERE

In order to submit a completed application, you will need:

  1. Letter of interest, max 1000 words

Your letter should discuss:

  • If you’re applying for the bursary please state this clearly at the start of your letter of interest 

  • Your eligibility as a practising journalists with at least two years of experience specialising in reporting on the climate and environmental issues 

  • Why you would like to attend this workshop 

  • What you hope the outcome of attending the workshop could be, how might it impact you and your work 

  • What experience that you could bring that might be useful to share? [e.g. How covering a specific story has affected you; how you have managed / not managed to deal with the impact of reporting on this issue; how being in the newsroom or in a community of reporters has helped or made things more difficult?] 

  1. Resume/CV
  2. Up to three relevant work samples (Work samples must have been published or broadcast within the last 24 months by a professional news outlet. If your work samples are in a language other than English, please submit two sets – one in the original language and another in English translation. For non-English audio, video or multimedia, you may submit a translated transcript.)

TIMELINE

  • The application deadline is 15 May 2024, 5pm GMT
  • Notification of acceptance by 31 May 2024
  • The Workshop will be held on 3 - 5 July, at City, University of London (evening reception on 3 July with sessions throughout the day on 4,5 July)

ABOUT DART

Dart Center Europe (DCE) is a not-for-profit organisation based in London and is the regional hub for the US-based Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma, a resource centre and global network of journalists and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict, and tragedy. Affiliated with the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York, Dart has for more than 20 years been leading the global conversation on what resources, training and support journalists and filmmakers need to cover traumatic events ethically, effectively, and safely.

Through our work we advocate for ethical and thorough reporting of trauma; compassionate, professional treatment of victims and survivors by journalists; and greater awareness by media organisations of the impact of trauma coverage on both news professionals and news consumers.

ABOUT CITY’S JOURNALISM DEPARTMENT

The Journalism Department at City, University of London is ranked 1st in the UK for graduate prospects in media and communications (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022). The department has a mission to generate world-leading research on global social justice and inclusivity in journalism that brings lasting benefits to the industry. We provide a supporting, creative and vibrant research environment for students, staff, and visiting scholars