By Tyler Harris, SIG Chair
As ag editors, many of us have been there. It often happens when you’re reporting on a climate or extreme weather-related topic: someone – maybe even the person you’re interviewing – questions the validity of climate science. Other times, it comes in an email or message on social media.
The truth is, most of us are writing and producing content for an audience that has its share of climate deniers. The question is, how do we, as ag editors, navigate this age of science denial in a way that also helps our audience do their job of producing the food that feeds the world? Can we talk about climate change, and mitigating the impact of weather extremes resulting from climate change, without calling it climate change? Is there a way to openly acknowledge the scientific consensus surrounding climate change without losing our readers’ interests? It’s a daunting task, and there is no single right answer.
Fortunately, the Ag Communicators Network is full of experienced ag journalists who have covered climate change and weather extremes from various angles. At noon (CT) on Jan. 28, two of these journalists will discuss their experience in the first webinar of 2020. The webinar, hosted by the Editors SIG, will feature Gil Gullickson, executive editor of crops technology at Successful Farming, and Chris Clayton, ag policy editor at DTN/The Progressive Farmer. Both have written about climate change, and the topic of climate denialism itself, and have been quoted by national media outlets on the subject.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, tune in to the Zoom link provided to learn about how two veteran ag editors have covered climate change and how the discussion surrounding climate change has changed over time. If you can’t tune in on Jan. 28, archived webinars are available online at agcommnetwork.com.
If you have an idea for a topic you’d like to learn more about in future Editors SIG webinars, or are interested in presenting in a webinar, reach out to Betsy Freese at betsy.freese@meredith.com, Shauna Hermel at shermel@angus.org, or Tyler Harris at tyler.harris@farmprogress.com.