One of the challenges facing us as a sustainability community is how to get our messages out to the broader public. In the past few years, many of us have remarked on how local media coverage of sustainability issues – in print, on cable, broadcast and web – has been drastically reduced and much of what is published is either superficial in nature or not Lehigh Valley-focused. In considering why that might be the case and, more importantly, how that could be addressed, one of the realities to accept is that very few local outlets have anything even remotely equaling a reporter who is assigned to the “sustainability/climate change beat” on a regular basis. Whether that’s a matter of economics or editorial choice is open to debate, but either way it presents us with a challenge.
How might we tackle the problem? Here’s one solution that’s worth a try. Sustainability is, in many ways, a part of so many other issues. For example, climate change is a factor in transportation, health, safety, education, politics and so much more. These are all topics that are covered by local reporting. But local reporters, often responsible for multiple issues and already overwhelmed by staff shortages, don’t necessarily have the time and resources to investigate more than the basics of a story.
So let’s help them out. The proposal is to create a resource list of local experts in various areas of sustainability that can be provided to local media outlets. These individuals would have clearly identified areas of expertise and would be willing to respond promptly to media inquiries about their area when a story comes up. For example, when a township is debating turning a golf course into warehouses, a reporter might turn to someone on the resource list who has expertise in how increased truck traffic will affect air quality, how zoning laws affect a township’s ability to control warehouse building, what kinds of mitigation actions could a township legally require. Rather than have to go find those experts, the reporter could find the public health expert, the planning policy expert and the built environment expert on the resource list, perhaps making it more likely that those views will be incorporated into the article because they’re easier to obtain.
The list would be curated and updated on, say, a six-month basis. Experts would volunteer to make themselves available to the media for these kinds of issue-specific questions. With the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan and the hoped-for passage of the Build Back Better Act, there will be lots of projects undertaken in the next couple of years that will have a direct impact on the effects of climate change in the Valley. We need to make sure that residents hear about them and understand how they will affect their lives. If we can provide the people who can flesh out the basic story beyond how many jobs will be created and how many months the roads will be closed, wouldn’t that be a win?
That’s the outline of the idea. Two questions/requests. What do you think of the idea? You can respond in the comments. Suggestions, improvements, criticisms, all welcome as long as they’re presented with civility. And, who would you suggest as a resource for that list? It can be yourself. It can be an expert you know or work with. It can be someone with very specific knowledge of a niche area who might be really hard for a reporter to find. Please send those suggestions as an email, rather than including them in the comments. We don’t want to put anyone on the spot.
Just one caveat – this list is not designed as a marketing tool. It’s for the free transfer of information to media members who can then report more accurately and deeply on the sustainability issues facing the Valley and the responses to those issues.
Tell us what you think. Let’s start a conversation.