Journos challenged to expand climate change reporting

THE print media has been challenged to expand their scope of climate change reporting as all areas are equally important, and no area should be predominated.
A senior research fellow with the National Research Institute (NRI),  Nalau Bengeding, during the presentation of his case study on media coverage, said the print media had done well to cover 94 % of the positive stories on climate change and related issues while only 6% reported were negative since last year.
Mr Bengeding told the PNG Media Council conference last week that The National newspaper had a record coverage of 200 climate change articles from January to December 2008 while Post-Courier had a record of 182 news articles.
However, he found out that 48% of the total climate change stories published in both newspapers were focused on the contents, themes and emphasis of conferences, seminars, speeches and interviews by bureaucrats and the government.
Mr Bengeding said although news on seminars and conferences were important, the contents of these news were of little importance to the grassroots who would be severely affected by the effects of climate change.