Global warming and climate change are hard realities that face human beings. Pollution levels and ecological degradation have reached unprecedented levels. It is a precarious state. In all this, environmental journalism is doing a difficult task of bringing news and awareness among people about it.
1. There is a lack of environmental as well as scientific training. Reporters, particularly without much specialized training, may ignore complicated as well as complex environmental stories or, even if they try, the results may not be as satisfactory for the readers.
2. Journalists have limited access to data (governmental) on issues related to environmental conservation.
3. Forest mafia threaten professional activities of environmental journalists as well as their personal lives.
4. Particularly, the wildlife journalists need to be able to balance the incongruity which comes as a product of the limited attention which affects news consumers. Society is drifting around consumerism as well as combined with the fact that such environmental stories are often complex as well as difficult to report.
5. The experiences of citizens of the various environmental issues are mostly mediated. This is true, in large part, due to the interests of various lobbies as well as governmental agencies. Private sector (big corporations) also tries to unduly influence the results. The 2 spheres are continually influencing the entire media’s presentation of various environmental issues which putting at stake the public perceptions about the issues.
6. In the recent years, it seems as if media interest in the many environment issues has kept a backseat with regard to the other issues that are impacting the international scene. Wildlife journalists need to deal with the priority of subjects like poverty, politics, economy, as well as international relations.
7. Plus, journalists need to face the lack of training, as well as resources or support from news editorial departments or the sponsors of media houses.
The assessment as well as the recognition of the challenges together with the solutions for them would lead to the creation of a collective and wholesome dialogue as well as deliberation on the various environmental issues which are of public concern and should be.