Björn Wiman: It is the shovel and not the pointer that is journalism's most important tool

Recently, I happened, during a visit to one of Sweden's largest media house, hear a conversation at the kaffeapparaten. A male journalist with extensive experience from all over the world, conversed with a female colleague about plans for the weekend. The man told me that he would fly to another place in Sweden.

”You feel no flygskam then?” asked his female colleague at a friendly, little applicants.

the Man's incomprehension was monumental.

”Flygskam? Nah what? It is the company who pays.”

commitment and Knowledge on climate change is unevenly distributed even within the corps. But much is also about to change. Since last year's drought, forest fires and heat waves, has the climate in many places, leaving it hidden reserve where they previously had to present. American journalism has taken the first steps toward giving the climate crisis the overall place it should have in the daily news. A strong opinion from the readers and audience has made klimatomställningen to an editorial fokusfråga and contributed to a more modern and sustainable approach on issues relating to travel and consumption.

Still, we are – if one may allow oneself to generalise – a long way from affording the world's largest news the importance it deserves. For example, the descriptions of how global warming is already affecting what we call ”weather” is insufficient, which recently has become clear in the horrific devastation after the cyclone Idai in Mozambique or in the huge floods in the american midwest. Often described these events as isolated phenomena, despite the fact that climate scientists and meteorologists suggest that this type of ”natural disasters” has become both stronger and more frequent due to global warming as man made.

Also on the climate change issue is a conflict of interest, cover-ups and cheating with the receipts. Also here are the corporate executives who earned millions on to deceive and lie,

Recently, reported DN's Michael Kihlberg on a report from the world meteorological institute, who noted that most of the natural disasters that hit the world in 2018, were related to extreme weather and climate events. The former BBC-the meteorologist, Bill Giles recently suggested that the tv's weather reports should become a forum for daily example, if klimatkrisens effects for us humans and the planet we live on.

But the largest and most crucial step still remains to take on the investigative journalism area. In the week I participated in a conversation on the Association of investigative journalists ' annual seminar Dig 19 in Kalmar, sweden with the title ”Why are there so little on the climate?” The question is justified. Despite strong efforts by many individual journalists in both smaller and larger contexts, the most resourceful media devoted too little power to the audits on climate change and instead prioritized the individual perspective, it is about our private lifestyle and consumption habits.

But it is not the pointer but the shovel is journalism the most effective tool, the Mission of the Supervisory disclosure on Swedbank is just the latest example of how journalism can get large, multinational giants to shake. And also on the climate change issue is a conflict of interest, cover-ups and cheating with the receipts. Also here are the corporate executives who earned millions on to deceive and lie, politicians who said one and made a different and high-ranking representatives of civil society sitting on double chairs as lobbyists. It is against them that the investigative power should be directed.

What are the that earns the most to the emissions in Sweden is increasing instead of decreasing? Who takes the political responsibility?

is the open day – both at the highest international level and at the nearest local. Recent high-profile Greenpeace that China has plans to build between 300 and 500 coal-fired power plants by the year 2030 – something which would jeopardise the global warming. How does the Swedish politicians to act at the EU level to stop this global självmordsprojekt? The british think tank Influencemap recently showed how the big oil companies have spent over ten billion dollars on campaigns to mislead the public and stop the binding regulations against the emission of carbon dioxide. How do these connections out in Sweden? Last year, the increased carbon emissions from the Swedish industry with 445.000 tonnes, with SSAB, Cementa and Preem as the largest of the three utsläppsbovarna. What is it that earns the most to the emissions in Sweden is increasing instead of decreasing? Who takes the political responsibility?

But digging klimatjournalistik need not always be about pure environmental issues. During the call on the Grävseminariet in Kalmar, we talked, for example, if the DN:s reporter Lisa Röstlund, who for many years reviewed the Swedish oil company Lundin Petroleum and its links to the suspected crimes in Sudan. Lisa Röstlunds review, in a scary way revealed their recklessness of human life – but in the extension also shown how the judgment of the increasingly anachronistic fossilindustrin is already on the way to fall.

the media reporting on the climate needs to avoid alarmism, and instead of becoming more hopeful and constructive. But nothing can be more constructive than a large disclosure. The genuine hope of the people is not something that can fade up with advice, tips, or recommendations – it is something that arises when journalism is doing what it is best at: revealing the truth about the reality we live in.

It is just putting the shovel in the ground and dig. A whole field is open for review.

Read more by Björn Wimans chronicles of the climate crisis – and about the book ”Late on earth. 33 thoughts on the world's biggest news”.