Sustainable journalism can simply mean actions taken by media organizations to reduce their carbon footprint when gathering and reporting news to the public. Yet there’s another context to sustainable journalism, which focuses on addressing media practice of sensationalizing news in order to gain more views; and in the process attract more advertisers.
Understanding Sustainable Journalism
Sustainability in journalism should apply to a broader view that delves not only on for-profit news reporting. It should also be about sustaining the quality of journalism to keep the audience regularly interested, which in due time would mean longevity attributed to quality reporting.
Sustainable journalism is news reporting that aims to accurately deliver to the public, information that greatly concerns household and business decisions.
Although it cannot be helped that certain developments and future activities are known only to few government officials, sustainable journalism should strive to monitor how these officials are using sensitive information to benefit from their stock trading.
In being able to provide accurate news about the investing activities of these government officials, ordinary investors will have the same revenue earning potentials that can help them sustain their own money-making opportunities.
Generally, the sustainability actions of media organizations are aligned with the 17 development goals outlined by the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there are sectors that want sustainable journalism to include actions that will make sure world leaders will keep their vows and commitments to fulfil and make good on their promises. Rather than focus on political bickerings and propaganda, sustainable journalism should focus on what government administrations are doing in relation to the fulfilment of sustainability goals in every industry.
Prominent world leaders have spoken in the COP 26 in 2020, yet the UN Secretary General himself does not fully understand the importance of the mining industry, While the UN official is calling for the shutdown of mining sites, he has overlooked the fact in the current thrust for the manufacture of electric vehicles and other energy-efficient appliances, the minerals and elements unearthed by mining industries are of great importance.
Why Sustainable Journalism is Different
Sustainability in journalism is not as easy as in construction sites, being one of the largest users of energy and perpetrators of soil degradation. A sustainable society is economically, ecologically and socially balanced which those in the construction can easily fulfil through minimal designs, by harnessing the circular economy in obtaining materials, as well as by protecting the earth by using protective ground mats
In journalism, sustainability goals of individual journalists could be different from the sustainability mission of their respective media organization. As journalists, they should focus on using their journalism prowess in keeping the people informed of what the officials they voted into office are doing to advance their community’s causes.