In this episode of Decoding Disinformation, we explore the alarming trend of attacks on meteorologists and climate journalists, who are increasingly targeted for their science-based reporting on climate change. The conversation highlights the political motivations behind these attacks, the impact on climate journalism, and the broader implications for democracy and public trust in science. Christian Jakob, an investigative journalist for taz and author of the report ‘“Parasites or system whores”: How the truth about global heating provokes hatred of climate journalists and weather presenters‘, discusses the challenges faced by meteorologists like Özden Terli, who are caught in the crossfire of political and social media hostility.
The episode’s main takeaways:
- Meteorologists are often targeted for their climate reporting.
- Public broadcasters face significant backlash from far-right groups.
- The climate crisis is a major focus of anti-press mobilization.
- Many journalists are reconsidering their roles due to hostility.
- The discrediting of facts is a strategy used by populists.
- The erosion of trust in media threatens democracy.
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In this episode:
- Guest: Tajana Broz, Programe Coordinator at Faktograf and author of the investigation.
- Producer & Host: Javier Luque, head of digital media and online safety at IPI.
Related links mentioned in the episode:
- The Observatory of Disinformation Narratives Against the Media
- IPI-led Decoding Disinformation project
Other episodes in this series:
Season 3
Episode 1: Climate journalism and disinformation: The floods in Valencia
Episode 2: The silent storm: Environmental journalism in Italy
Episode 3: Operation “Grinning Squinting Face”: Attacks on Faktograf’s Climate portal
Episode 4: Weather forecasts under fire: Attacks against science-based climate reporting
Season 2
Episode 1: How Austria’s far right sows distrust in media
Episode 2: France at tilting point as journalists face far-right disinfo attacks
Episode 3: A perfect storm: Climate journalism under attack in Croatia
Episode 4: Operation Overload: Draining fact-checkers’ resources
Season 1
Episode 2: How journalists investigate the far right
Episode 3: Fact-checkers targeted by populists in Europe
Episode 4: When disinformation campaigns fuel hate and harassment
Episode 5: Alexander Roth – Smeared and threatened by the far-right next door
Episode 6: Franziska Tschinderle – Attacked by Orbán’s state media
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This podcast series is part of the project Decoding the disinformation playbook of populism in Europe, which is supported by the European Media and Information Fund, managed by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Disclaimer:
The sole responsibility for any content supported by the European Media and Information Fund lies with the author(s) and it may not necessarily reflect the positions of the EMIF and the Fund Partners, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the European University Institute.