Three new faces join the Arena Climate Network, lots of new activities in the pipeline!
We are revitalising our Climate Network to offer investigative and data journalists across Europe a hub for collaboration, discussion and learning from each other. Among our many new activities will be a conference series, combined with training, a mentorship program, and guidance for the setting up of local networks.
Arena launched its Climate Network in 2020: since then we have monitored investigative work on climate issues, brought together climate journalists at our flagship conference, the Dataharvest conference. We have also provided an online working forum, and a rapid communications channel, and supported cross-border climate investigations.
Through this work we saw a great appetite among journalists across Europe to work together on climate topics. And collaboration is our expertise. That is why we decided to step up even more. After securing funds for our network from the European Climate Foundation and Laudes Foundation, we are going into a higher gear.
The Climate Network will serve as an open-access network by and for journalists. It is for journalists who want to focus on all aspects of the climate crisis and who want to do in-depth, investigative work. Our network will nurture and serve a community devoted to exposing financial greed, corruption, and government malaise that fuel the climate crisis.
Together, we will challenge power, combat greenwashing, uncover industry lobbying, and explore how to tell climate stories in a way that can better engage audiences.
Our first goal is to bring journalists, climate scientists and civil tech researchers together in a working conference in late April. There they will network, build trust, and share expertise. Modeled after our very popular Dataharvest Conference, it will combine panel discussion with hands-on workshops: there the participants will plant seeds for future investigative collaboration.
The April conference will be our first and will be followed by a larger one in November which will take place annually.
Throughout the year, we will also facilitate match-making between journalists and offer them guidance on cross-border working. We will support them in their climate investigations by providing in-person training, targeted teaching, specialised mentors, and effective coordination. To carry out this work, experienced journalists Zeynep Sentek and Lorenz Matzat together with veteran trainer Jonathan Stoneman join Arena’s ranks.
We have a lot more planned. If you are interested in joining the Arena Climate Network, visit here to read more about our mission and past work.
You can be added to our Signal group if you want to connect with other climate journalists around Europe. This is where you can get quick answers to your questions, get peer feedback, and even find reporting partners in other countries. If you want to join, write to Zeynep.
Follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can always reach out. We would be delighted to hear from you.
Zeynep Sentek, project director, zeynep@journalismarena.eu
Lorenz Matzat, network coordinator, lorenz@journalismarena.eu
Jonathan Stoneman, lead trainer, jonathan@journalismarena.eu