Climate News Network is now involved in a fundraising programme aimed at ensuring the survival of its vital service. Kieran Cooke, one of the founding editors of Climate News Network, explains the background:
We’ve been on the go since early 2013. When I say we, that’s four of us – seasoned journalists who founded the service and who have reported on the environment for many years, mostly for The Guardian, the BBC and The Financial Times.
Our service goes to many thousands of readers every day: we offer a free daily news report on aspects of climate change and energy – available to everyone but primarily aimed at helping journalists in the developing world report on these key issues effectively and objectively.
We have developed an international reputation for reporting clearly on often complex topics, avoiding jargon and hyperbole. The stories generated by Climate News Climate News Network are picked up by news organisations and websites around the world: we are now translated into several languages, including Chinese.
We also run training programmes for developing world journalists – one of which was held at the recent COP21 in Paris – and provide mentoring to selected reporters from the poorer countries. Developing world journalists are offered the chance of writing for us and thus given the chance of worldwide exposure: they are paid a small fee for their stories.
The trouble is that we’ve become the victims of our own success.
Demand for our daily news stories is stronger than ever. There’s growing interest in the sort of training our Network offers. This all places too big a burden on the four founders of the Network, who give their time and expertise for free.
We desperately need to employ new people – including journalists to write and edit stories and an administrator/fundraiser to ensure the Network’s long term survival. We also need to be able to call on journalist colleagues to undertake training, most of it overseas.
So far, we have survived through generous grants from two British charity sources – the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust and the Lush Charity Pot.
We now need to establish the Network on a firmer and more sustainable basis.
Climate change is possibly the most important issue facing humanity.
We believe – along with thousands of readers and journalists around the world –the Network’s role is vital. Its balanced and informative reporting is needed now more than ever.
Please support us. You can make a monthly contribution to our work – we are grateful for donations of any size – by clicking on this link and BECOME A PATRON.
We sincerely thank you
The Climate News Network team