US Embassy, rural municipality reps open NFSJ multimedia workshop in Helambu

KATHMANDU, MARCH 1

Representatives from the U. S. Embassy and Helambu Rural Municipality jointly inaugurated a five-day multimedia storytelling workshop for journalists in Helambu, Sindhupalchowk.

The workshop is being organized by the Nepal Forum of Science Journalists with funding support from the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu. The workshop is designed to equip journalists with advanced multimedia storytelling skills, offering a platform for the evidence-based coverage of climate and environmental issues.

Inaugurating the workshop, Regional Environment, Science, Technology and Health Officer for South Asia Patrick Gan welcomed all the climate journalists gathered in Helambu for the workshop on multimedia storytelling skills, offering a platform for the evidence-based coverage of climate and environmental issues. “Your participation here is a testimony to your interest and dedication to climate crisis issues and the environment,” he said.

Saying that addressing climate change is a core priority for the Biden administration, he further mentioned that the U.S. government was working on many initiatives to engage the global community on this shared challenge including climate journalism.

According to him, Nepal is also facing numerous environmental crises: Glaciers are melting, native species’ ranges are shifting to higher altitudes, and extreme precipitation is becoming more frequent.

The country faces increasing threats from soil erosion, flash floods, droughts, and other environmental problems. “Women, youth, indigenous communities, and religious minorities bear a disproportionate burden of these climate-related disasters as well as bear the brunt of climate-related policy decisions.”

Back in 2021, Sindhupalchowk experienced a major climate-related flood in Melamchi that caused both significant human casualties and economic loss. “Increasing local community awareness of climate change and actions they can take to reduce the impacts of climate-related disasters will be critical to increasing climate resilience at the local level,” the Embassy representative added.

According to him, by creating stories and media based on scientific evidence, journalists will be on the forefront of dispelling misinformation and disinformation about climate change, and empowering local communities to join the national and global discourse on climate, hold government institutions accountable, and participate in climate policy dialogues to ensure their voices and needs are considered.

As journalists play a critical role in increasing the public’s understanding and awareness of these important issues, creating science-based media pieces that leverage storytelling can provide a powerful medium to convey these complex issues in a way that is more easily understood, Patrick shared.

More importantly, being able to frame these issues in a local social and cultural context, and in local languages, will go far in increasing community climate adaptation and resilience, he added.

“In this day and age of social media and instantaneous news coverage, the media wields tremendous power and responsibility to report professionally and truthfully, and I hope that this training provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to create meaningful stores about the climate crisis and other environmental issues. But above all, truthful and accurate reporting is key.”

According to Patrick, we must invest in media literacy and education, empowering citizens to critically evaluate information and strengthen our democracy. Additionally, collaboration between governments, civil society, and technology platforms is crucial to develop effective strategies for identifying and combating disinformation.

“Your stories will not only help to raise public awareness and motivate communities to join hands to mitigate climate crisis, but they also help to drive local and national policies and programs to combat climate change, Patrick concluded, saying, “At the end of this training program, I am sure that you will be equipped with a set of tools and techniques to assist you to write more effective investigative reports and articles on climate change and environment.”

Ward chair of Helambu Rural Municipality Pemba Lama Hyolmo underscored that Helambu residents were bearing the brunt of climate crisis. “Journalists should raise issues from the ground to help communities for the mitigation of adverse impact of climate change,” he said.

Program director and founding president of NFSJ Chhatra Karki shared the objectives of the multimedia storytelling workshop. Trainers including Dr Nani Raut from Kathmandu University, Rabiraj Baral and Nasana Bajracharya will provide practical skills of climate journalism for the participants, he informed.

More than 15 working journalists are taking part in the workshop, according to NFSJ President Rajan Pokhrel. The workshop will continue till March 4.