The online program "Reporting Climate Change - Microcredentials for International Journalists" is realised by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO in cooperation with COPEAM - Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual, and with the support of the MUR -Italian Ministry of Universities and Research.
The project is inspired by the results of the European MCE project (mce.eadtu.eu/index.php) financed by the European Commission and implemented within the EADTU - European Association of Distance Teaching Universities in cooperation with some of the most qualified European Open Universities.
The program follows the European Commission's guidelines on the recommendations shared with the Member States for the creation of innovative types of academic certification of competences that meet the new needs of students, the labour market and society in general.
Specifically, the program fits into the university educational offer as SLP - Short Learning Program, a short and innovative academic program with a vocational character, which provides a fast and flexible solution for the acquisition and certification of specific skills in the field of journalism and climate change; an academic and internationally recognised framework thanks to its adherence to the ECTS and EQF standards.
The program provides for the award of university credits in ECTS format at the end of the course.
Professional radio, TV, web journalists from the following geographical areas: Europe, MENA, the Balkans and Sub-Saharan Africa.
After participating in this program, journalists will be able to:
- disseminate scientific information on climate change more effectively and make it accessible and understandable to a wider audience;
- raise awareness of the current national and international debate (e.g. national adaptation plans and policies) on the main challenges and impacts related to climate change;
- convey clear and relevant messages, adapted to the local context;
- promote good practices as well as virtuous and responsible behaviour among the public.
Finally, through presentations by distinguished practitioners and scholars, students will be able to better understand terms such as the implementation of climate justice and intersectionality within movement building, with an understanding of how to present and narrate science with journalistic methods in the context of climate change communication in mind.
The course lasts three months, from 25 June to October 2024, for a total of 18 weeks (including teaching, project work writing and final report/essay).
Participation is free of charge for selected students.
The course is open to a maximum of 25 journalists working in Europe, the MENA region, the Balkans or sub-Saharan Africa, selected according to the following criteria:
- Working as a professional journalist (TV, radio, print, online, freelance) for at least 5 years.
- Hold a three-year degree or diploma in journalism
- Be resident in a country of the regions involved
- Have an excellent level of working English
- Have a basic knowledge/experience of climate and environmental issues
- Be strongly motivated to complete the course
Note: Those who are not yet professional journalists but have completed higher education in this field may also apply. Such applications will be accepted if places are available and the other criteria are met. Download the notice of participation
Each student must watch at least 70% of the available video lectures.
The program is mainly based on the individual work of the trainees. The teaching contents will be accessible 24/7 on the UNINETTUNO platform and are organized according to the University's consolidated teaching methodology.
An interactive and exchange dimension is also guaranteed: thanks to the coordination and support of a Professor/Tutor, online lessons will be organized with the whole group of students, for a total of one interactive lesson per module. The Professor/Tutor will coordinate these lessons.
During the program, the Professor/Tutor will ask students to choose a topic as the basis for writing a short project work in English (maximum two pages in MS WORD) for each module of the program (except module no. 7 which contains the case studies), with specific deadlines.
These project works are compulsory for the completion of the program, which will be completed after collecting all the project works in a single final essay (8-10 pages) presenting one's point of view (one's vision, ideas, future activities, proposals) related to Reporting Climate Change, and how journalists will use the knowledge acquired during the program bearing in mind one's professional experience so far.