KLIMA° vor acht sent a book to the public service broad­casting coun­cils

5 May 2022. Today sees the public­a­tion of the antho­logy *Media in the Climate Crisis*, edited by the KLIMA° vor acht initi­ative. In it, 28 renowned authors explain why climate change poses a chal­lenge for journ­alism and suggest ways out of the commu­nic­a­tion dilemma. The antho­logy is published by oekom-Verlag and is aimed primarily at journ­al­ists and media profes­sionals. It makes a compel­ling case that the media, in partic­ular, must play a key role in minim­ising the consequences of global warming. Public service broad­casters bear a partic­ular respons­ib­ility in this regard. KLIMA° vor acht has sent copies of the antho­logy to the indi­vidual broad­casting coun­cils of the regional public service broad­casters as well as to the ZDF Tele­vi­sion Council.

Initial reac­tions: WDR is returning the books, whilst MDR is happy to distribute them

The WDR reacted partic­u­larly quickly: the entire consign­ment of books was returned to the asso­ci­ation imme­di­ately and without comment. After this course of action sparked a fierce reac­tion on social media, the WDR Broad­casting Council provided the following explan­a­tion: “Unfor­tu­nately, as a matter of prin­ciple, we do not distribute docu­ments from asso­ci­ations to members of the Broad­casting Council.” The copies were returned “following consulta­tion with the chair­person”.

In contrast, the MDR’s committee office responded more cordi­ally, confirming in writing that it had received the books and stating that it would be “pleased to present them” to the committee members.

About the book

Renowned journ­al­ists and commu­nic­a­tion scholars, including Mojib Latif, Maren Urner, Michael E. Mann, Özden Terli, Tanja Busse, Michael Brügge­mann and many others, provide compel­ling evid­ence in *Media in the Climate Crisis* as to why the media are caught up in their own climate crisis. They high­light how this journ­al­istic chal­lenge can be over­come and present solu­tions, ideas and exper­i­ences on how media profes­sionals can respond more effect­ively to the crisis.

KLIMA° vor acht e.V. (ed.): ‘The Media in the Climate Crisis’, 272 pages, paper­back, ISBN: 978–3‑96238–385‑5, print edition €19 / €19.60 (AT), e‑book €14.99 / €15.99 (AT)

Press enquiries and further inform­a­tion: Friederike Mayer, Tel: 0176 20071497; Norman Schu­mann, Tel: 0178 4086086; Email: presse@klimavoracht.de