BAKU: As part of Human Development, Children and Youth, Health, and Education Day at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan (COP29), a new series of micro-documentaries highlighting the effects of the climate crisis and its disproportionate impact on the Global South has been released, spearheaded by the CNN. From dwindling ecosystems to rising water levels and vanishing flora, emerging journalists from Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Sierra-Leone, South Africa, the Philippines, and Vietnam have captured and crafted stories of the communities and environments most affected by climate change. This collection of short films is one result of specialized training by CNN Academy, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, to amplify diverse voices and teach and promote accurate and impactful reporting through the Global South Climate Storytelling program.
The stories were created over the course of seven months, during which time each of the participants was guided by a CNN mentor. Mentors provided insights on researching, storyboarding, capturing and editing to ensure the stories were engaging and would appeal to and connect with a vast, international audience. CNN Academy trainers and specialists from across the globe also provided instruction on mobile journalism and self-filming which was complemented with advice on tracking, scriptwriting, and vocal training to enhance the rich visuals with a strong audio narrative.
Becky Anderson, Anchor & Managing Editor, CNN Abu Dhabi, said: “We have been privileged to play a part in honing the already remarkable skills of this group of young storytellers via our CNN Academy initiative. To see these powerful, deeply authentic films informed by some of that training and mentorship gives us an enormous sense of pride, as well as a feeling of confidence that the future of journalism is in good hands with talented, passionate storytellers such as these.”
While these videos were created by storytellers working independently, upon completion all were subject to rigorous levels of scrutiny from CNN’s legal, standards & practices, and fact-checking teams before they were approved for publication.
Kostas Oikonomou Vice President, Content Sales and Licensing, CNN International Commercial, said “CNN Academy goes from strength to strength with key partners around the world, upskilling emerging talent and underpinning vital points of journalism, including how the climate crisis affects the Global South. This is a valued collaboration with The Rockefeller Foundation which has a focus on reversing the climate crisis and shares CNN Academy’s aim of empowering upcoming journalists.”
Eileen O’Connor, Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy, The Rockefeller Foundation, said: “As part of CNN Academy, The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support young storytellers, empowering them to report on the greatest existential threat of our time: climate change. By amplifying voices and perspectives from regions that often go unseen and unheard, as well as providing access to world-class experts and trainings, we are investing in a new generation of journalists. You can see in their stories how committed they are to inspiring climate action in the areas of the world that need it most.”
Participants from the CNN Academy Global South Climate Storytelling program share their reflections on the impact of climate change and the importance of amplifying their communities’ voices through storytelling:
“It was great being in a room full of journalists and environmental activists from all corners of the global south. While all countries had some of the same structural issues, they also had unique local challenges that were interesting to learn about. It was the perfect environment to develop storytelling skills that showed us how we can translate local issues to global concerns that everyone should be paying attention to.” ― Esha Mitra, India Esha Mitra: “It was great working with my mentor, Ram Ramgopal, who has been in international news for many decades but also had an understanding of my context given we were both Indian. Luke Henderson’s more external perspective was beneficial specifically for that reason and Glen’s (Mulcahy) technical expertise was essential to delivering the final product.”
“My experience at the CNN Academy helped me to be part of a community of storytellers dedicated to shedding light on climate change. I also really enjoyed the climate simulation training module. The sheer amount of details the organisers put into creating an entire virtual world for the simulation was truly fascinating. As I started to work on my report, my mentors pushed me to challenge myself, to help me bring my report to life. Every single feedback from them helped to bring new perspectives to the report and helped me to better narrate the climate story.” ― Krithiga Narayanan, India
The full collection of work from the Global South Climate Storytelling program can be watched at cnn.com/world/cnn-academy. For more information see academy.cnn.com
