On the global anniversary of Earth Week, Local Media Association is excited to announce the expansion of the Covering Climate Collaborative, a partnership among local newsrooms reporting on climate change and six science partners. As the collaborative celebrates its second anniversary, we’ve added newsrooms in key states to better cover the story of climate change in 2023 and beyond.
“Human-caused climate change is a planet-sized problem but we experience its effects locally, in our communities,” said Frank Mungeam, LMA chief innovation officer and founding director of the Covering Climate Collaborative. “LMA is excited to welcome these additional local newsrooms to this effort, and provide them with essential editorial, science and sustainability support.”
In the first quarter of 2023, the Covering Climate Collaborative welcomed Word In Black, a collaborative of 10 Black-owned publishers, and its new climate justice reporter, Maya Richard-Craven.
“I look forward to working with the climate collaborative to find sources for Black-centered stories,” Richard-Craven said. Prior to joining the Word In Black team, Richard-Craven was an editorial fellow at Sierra Magazine, and then Audubon Magazine. Her work focuses on the intersection between race and the environment.
In March, the Covering Climate Collaborative welcomed the Mountain West News Bureau, a collection of NPR stations including Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, KUNR in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana and Wyoming Public Media, and other affiliate stations across the region.
Reporters at the Mountain West News Bureau already cover local stories of climate impacts and solutions, and give existing collaboration members new opportunities to expand their reach and reporting impact. These teams will join the expanded “West” region, which includes newsrooms from Arizona to California.
“Climate change is a complex topic, so it has to be examined from many angles. That’s why the Covering Climate Collaborative is so important,” said Dave Rosenthal, managing editor, Mountain West News Bureau. “This new partnership will allow the Mountain West News Bureau — a collaboration of 14 NPR stations — to significantly expand its network of journalists and other experts.”
WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina, is joining the Southeast region, bringing its dedicated climate reporter to the group.
“WRAL is thrilled to join the Covering Climate Collaborative,” said Ashley Talley, WRAL enterprise executive producer. “Our climate change reporter, Liz McLaughlin, is already doing great work on how North Carolina is impacted, and being part of this collaborative will help expand our coverage and our reach on an incredibly important topic.”
Founding partner The Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina, has hired a new climate and environment reporter, Clare Fieseler, Ph.D., who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the beat, and joins the collaborative with a wealth of knowledge and experience from the research side of the climate beat.
“I’m happy to be covering the climate beat and relaunching the climate newsletter at The Post and Courier,” Fieseler said. “After a decade working as a scientist studying climate impacts, I’m happy to be reporting on these and other topics at such a storied paper. I’m excited to join LMA’s climate collaborative to work with other newsrooms in the Carolinas and the rest of Southeast to do some more investigative work, too.”
About the LMA Covering Climate Collaborative
The more than 35 local news outlets participating in the LMA Covering Climate Collaborative include Pulitzer Prize-winning publishers recognized as leaders in local climate reporting, four broadcast TV groups, multiple public radio stations, as well as digital-native climate websites. The partners are grouped into five regional hubs.
We are proud to partner on this effort with key science and journalism partners, including Climate Matters, Climate Communication, SciLine, the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, and Solutions Journalism Network.
About Local Media Association / Local Media Foundation
Local Media Association brings all media together to share, network, collaborate and more. More than 3,000 newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, digital pure-plays, and research and development partners engage with LMA as members or constituents of our programs. As a 501(c)(6) trade association, LMA is focused on the business side of local media. Its programs and labs focus on revenue growth and new business models. LMA helps local media companies develop their strategies via cutting-edge programs, conferences, webinars, research and training.
Local Media Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable trust, serves as the innovation and transformation affiliate of LMA. Incorporating our four strategic pillars — business transformation, journalism funded by philanthropy, industry collaboration, and sustainability for publishers of color — LMF helps provide local media companies the strategies and resources for meaningful innovation and impactful journalism projects.