Manuel Flores walks on a dry area that shows the drop in the level of Lake Titicaca, Latin America's largest freshwater basin, as it is edging towards record low levels. REUTERS/Claudia Morales
Applications are now open for the next two cohorts of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network (OCJN), our immersive programme to support journalists from all over the world in improving the impact and quality of their climate journalism. The deadline to apply is 13 October at 23:59 UK time. If you are interested, you'll find everything you need to know in this link.
As that deadline approaches, we wanted to share how members from our most recent cohort – which ran from January to June 2024 – felt after finishing the programme and what they got out of it.
We bring together 100 reporters and editors from all over the world (our average cohort has people from 58 nationalities) for a six-month online learning experience. This is an opportunity for everyone in the newsroom: our members are managing editors, climate reporters, culture correspondents and sports journalists. What unites them is their desire to learn more about how to cover the most important issue of our times.
“The OCJN has created a community for journalists and editors where climate knowledge can be shared with a focus on building thought, understanding, dialogue and network,” said Mitali Mukherjee, Director of our Journalist Programmes.
Once with us, our members dive in. We offer 12 mandatory seminars with world-leading experts that provide a backbone for the programme. Members that joined our January to June 2024 cohort had lectures with the likes of Dr Friederike Otto on attribution science, Dr Geoffrey Supran on misinformation and Dr Kiswendsida Guigma on climate and health.
Members also have access to nearly 30 optional sessions to cover the essential ideas and skills climate journalists need. These are headlined by scientists, policymakers, and business leaders and by the world’s best climate reporters and editors, who share their craft. We cover greenwashing and gender, sports reporting and how to transform a newsroom.
Finally, some of those sessions are strictly member-to-member spaces: story clinics, fireside chats and speed socials that helps us create a sense of community.
“This felt to me like a once-in-a-career opportunity to join like-minded people in the urgent work at hand. It grounded me in the basics — Scope 1, 2 and 3, for example — and it introduced me to both frontline journalists and generous experts,” said Sue Allan, editor at Politico Canada.
Our data suggests as much: 94% of our members said they felt much more or more motivated to report on climate change following their experience with the OCJN, while 95% said they felt much more or more prepared. “We have seen that being part of the OCJN increases confidence around climate reporting, preparedness for reporting and contextualising critical events with a climate lens,” Mitali said.
Here is a glimpse of what spending six months at the OCJN felt like for our members this year, and what they got from it.
"My participation in the Oxford Climate Journalism Network has been instrumental in advancing my career as a climate journalist. The combination of knowledge, skills, and networks acquired through OCJN has empowered me to produce more informed, compelling, and impactful climate stories.” – Innocent Kiiza, assistant editor, Rwenzoridaily, Uganda.
“The diversity and depth of perspectives on climate reporting have been eye-opening. I've genuinely enjoyed the wide range of lectures and often come back to my notes just because there have been so many great lectures and stuff to remember! I feel so much more equipped to tackle climate reporting and write impactful and captivating stories.” – Louise Krüger, Freelance Journalist, Svalbard, Norway.
“Having no formal training on climate journalism, the OCJN course was able to plug some of the knowledge gaps I have in the topic. From basic information about the greenhouse gas effect to human-induced climate change, the course was able to go beyond assumed knowledge and ensure that journalists like me knew the basics before advancing to other topics.” – Hannah Fernandez, Chief correspondent, Eco-Business, Philippines.
“[The] key thing for me was simply greater knowledge of the subject. I did not come to this as a subject matter expert, so even lecture 101 was extremely helpful. I think the broad sweep of climate change issues was great, including some of the optional lectures. It was also interesting to me to be introduced to many of the experts and organisations which I was unfamiliar with.” – Arif Ansari, senior editorial advisor, BBC News.
“I learned a lot from the speakers. I valued that they were top professionals in their respective fields and most of the lectures were fascinating to follow: both the content and the presentation, and also the questions and answers.” – Álvaro Caballero Cortina, reporter, RTVE, Spain.
“I believe that the program allows specialists and non-specialists to have a deep understanding of climate change. The choice of lecturers was also successful. They answered all the questions clearly, which is a very good thing.” – Nermeen Kotb, investigative journalist, Al-Ahram, Egypt.
“The OCJN was like a huge newsroom, [in which] I could connect with reporters from other countries. When Marco Silva of the BBC did a story on a methane leak, I got in touch with him and followed it up with an explainer in The Indian Express. Munima [Sultana], from Bangladesh, and I cover two sides of the world's largest delta, the Sunderbans, and have exchanged numbers. We may collaborate on a story.” – Dipanita Nath, Art, culture and lifestyle correspondent, The Indian Express, India.
“What makes OCJN especially valuable for me is the international network of colleagues based all over the world. On the one hand, this allowed for an international exchange of perspectives on a global crisis—something that I was missing while working at a national newspaper where domestic politics often dominate the discourse. On the other hand, I now know where to go in the future to find colleagues in other countries for cross-border collaborations.” – Alicia Prager, climate journalist, Der Standard, Austria.
“Before joining this program, I was unaware that climate issues intersect with various aspects of life. I was amazed to learn how climate issues could be relevant to entertainment news and the sports section. These insights refreshed my thinking, inspiring me to explore other areas (e.g. how extreme hot weather changes people's diets, which eventually leads to potential health problems) when pitching story ideas.” – Siaw Chan Chong, journalist, Malay Mail Online, Malaysia.
“[I got] A plethora of knowledge, resources, ideas. From basic education to reporting on climate events to getting to hear some of the best minds in the areas of climate change, I have been influenced in various ways.” – Nagraj Gollapudi, News editor, ESPNcricinfo
"It was such an eye-opener! I am not a climate journalist but from the OCJN I have learnt to look at my beats from a climate lens, which is exactly what I was hoping for. The networking opportunity provided by the platform is just invaluable.” – Ishita Ayan Dutt, Resident Editor in Kolkatta, Business Standard, India
“As a culture reporter, it expanded how I think about climate change in terms of what I cover, and I really do think about stories (and life in general) differently. I thought carving out the time would be hard, but I quite looked forward to our sessions! I miss it now that it's over.”– Holly Gordon, digital producer, CBC Music, Canada
“The program did enrich my storytelling of climate change. From the most recent session on climate change and mental health to the first seminar on climate change and audiences, I learnt how to tell my stories better, including the sources to pick for my stories and the images to pick for my stories.” – Lilys Njeru Mutinda, health and science reporter, The Nation, Kenya.
“This newfound knowledge directly helped me tackle a recent story about a local politician downplaying the urgency of climate change. Using the techniques learned in the OCJN program, I was able to effectively expose misleading claims and present a balanced perspective with credible scientific evidence.” – Emma Black, senior reporter, Newswatch, Liberia.
“The OCJN's annual event on covering extreme heat was the inspiration for me to devise The Japan Times' first ever heat coverage strategy, with upper management backing the themes and considerations outlined in it as well as agreeing to form a temporary team this summer focused on this issue based on my proposal. Much of the strategy was based on the content of those extreme heat talks as well as other OCJN seminars.” – Chris Russell, Senior News Editor, The Japan Times.
“We have set up a climate desk at PTV News, and my participation in OCJN has helped me streamline its operations and improve the quality of our climate reporting.” – Shahid Wafa, News editor, Pakistan Television Corporation.
"Not only has the OCJN helped shape my climate reporting, but I've also been able to incorporate what I've learnt through the programme in my work as an editor. For example, making small edits to other writers' news stories to link plastic production to fossil fuel use; to avoid using vague terms with little meaning such as 'green', 'clean' and 'sustainable' unless they can be defined in the context of the story; and to remind readers of the fact that every fraction of a degree of global warming that we can avert matters.” – Clare Watson, science journalist and fact-checker, Australia.
“As editor of the daily newsletter Arepita, I always analyze whether each of the topics we are going to work on has a perspective that includes climate change. I have also opened my range of options to think about future journalistic work, taking into account cultural diversity and ways of understanding climate change for each culture”, María Fernanda Rodríguez, newsletter editor, Soy Arepita, Venezuela.
“With the additional knowledge and thanks to the course, the management asked me to give a workshop for all our journalists in order to boost their knowledge about climate change" – Yoeri Maertens, journalist, Belga News Agency.
“Last April, in the middle of a severe heatwave striking Vietnam, I provided a training session on climate solution reporting to local colleagues in Vietnam (I am a certified trainer of Solutions Journalism Network), where I was able to incorporate climate justice and climate psychology learned from OCJN sessions.” – Nhung Nguyen, freelancer, Vietnam.
“I particularly enjoyed the fact that our time was respected. The duration of each session never exceeding the scheduled time helped me plan better. The fireside chats were awesome too. The recorded sessions were also excellent as it allowed one rewatch to understand the discussion better, especially when the [mobile] network was not reliable.” – Chika Onyesi, editor, DailyPost, Nigeria.
How can you apply for our climate network? Complete this form and provide a letter from your editor confirming you have their support. This letter should state that your outlet will allocate time for you to participate in our activities. It can also include information on why your manager thinks you are a good fit for the programme. We'll select 100 journalists for the cohort joining us in the first semester of 2025 and 100 more for the one joining us in the second semester. The deadline to apply is Sunday 13 October at 23:59 UK time. You'll find everything you need to know in this link.
In every email we send you'll find original reporting, evidence-based insights, online seminars and readings curated from 100s of sources - all in 5 minutes.
In every email we send you'll find original reporting, evidence-based insights, online seminars and readings curated from 100s of sources - all in 5 minutes.
