The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has made a free online course available for reporters who cover climate change — a step-by-step guide to getting the science right, pushing back against disinformation and greenwashing, and staying safe in the field.
FAKTA
- The free online course is called “Reporting climate change: tips from the IFJ” and was launched on World Environment Day, 5 June 2026.
- It was created by journalists Kevin Burden and Letícia Maria Klein as part of a project funded by Union to Union (UTU), within the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change.
- One chapter teaches journalists to challenge misinformation and greenwashing: be wary of oversimplification, choose credible sources without conflicts of interest, and avoid false balance — “you should never give climate deniers a platform”.
- A safety chapter advises journalists to draw up a safety protocol, find a trusted local guide, and tell a colleague their plans before going into the field — and stresses employers’ duty of care.
- The course runs through nine chapters, from “Why we all need to be climate reporters” to “How to go further”.
A climate reporting course built for the disinformation age
The IFJ argues that journalists carry a critical responsibility to report the scientific evidence and the impacts of climate change accurately, so citizens can make informed decisions. That role is growing more urgent, it says, as misinformation and disinformation campaigns — often linked to economic and financial interests — try to undermine the scientific consensus and delay climate action.
“Accurate reporting remains essential. But in an era of organised disinformation, context, scrutiny, and perspective are just as important as facts,” the IFJ writes.
Challenging disinformation and greenwashing
The chapter on fighting false claims gives practical advice: explain systems and power, look closely at whose interests are involved, include affected communities — especially workers — and give context rather than facts alone. Journalists are urged to choose credible and authorised sources without a conflict of interest and to avoid false balance on settled science.
Staying safe in the field
Environmental reporting can be dangerous — UNESCO counts at least 46 environmental journalists killed since 2010. The course sets out basic safety steps: draw up a safety protocol, find a trusted local guide, tell a colleague about plans before going into the field. It also stresses the employer’s duty of care: media organisations should have safety protocols in place and provide climate reporters with protective equipment and specialist safety training.
What the course covers
The nine chapters move from the big picture to the practical: why everyone needs to be a climate reporter, what is happening to the world and what is causing it, what the world is doing about it, where to find climate stories and who to speak to, how to fight misinformation and greenwashing, how to stay safe — and how to go further.
For newsrooms sending reporters to COP31 in Antalya this November, the timing could hardly be better.
Read more climate stories at Watan News. Sources: the IFJ’s course announcement, ReportingClimate.com and EU DisinfoLab on climate disinformation.
