威力彩玩法

Ugochi Anyaka Oluigbo knows a thing or two about climate reporting.聽

A 15-year veteran of the beat, she created Nigeria鈥檚 most popular environmental TV news show, hosted the BBC World Service鈥檚 Environmental Radio Programme, and currently co-hosts Djoliba, a weekly African radio program, on RadioX Basel, Switzerland.聽

She鈥檚 also a contributor to Drilled, an award-winning climate accountability reporting project, where she鈥檚 produced gripping audio journalism, like this on the Ogoni 9 tragedy. It鈥檚 a powerful account of the 1995 execution of nine Nigerian activists, including Ken Saro-Wiwa, who led peaceful protests against Shell鈥檚 devastating oil operations in Ogoniland.聽

Anyaka Oluigbo was scheduled to speak at 威力彩玩法's 10 year anniversary conference, but unfortunately was unable to attend. So 威力彩玩法 caught up with her over the phone, where she laid out her key tips for international journalists wanting to follow in her accountability journalism footsteps, all while maintaining the human angle.

1. Start with the people

The heart of a good climate story lies with the people living through it.聽

鈥淢y work focuses more on telling the stories of those who have been subjugated, not listened to, not heard enough,鈥� she said.

Anyaka Oluigbo鈥檚 journalism is always concerned with those directly impacted, getting beyond the abstract, and addressing the real human costs of climate change. For example, in her聽Ogoni 9 audio investigation, she spoke to activists and community members in Ogoniland, where decades of oil spills have devastated the environment and displaced countless families.聽

2. Follow the money

To uncover the full story, you have to follow the money.

With Drilled, Anyaka Oluigbo investigated how fossil fuel companies and corporate interests have quietly shaped environmental narratives. One investigation focused on Impact(Ed), an educational media company launched by the TV conglomerate Discovery, Inc. in 1997 to provide educational programming to students across Africa and the Global South.聽

With oil companies listed as sponsors of the programming, Anyaka Oluigbo wondered how fossil fuel influence might have been trickling down into the educational TV shows. She confronted the company with her findings.聽

鈥淲hen we spoke to the CEO of the company, he told us that they they聽do not let corporate sponsors dictate their content and do not accept tobacco funding, and will rethink their relationships with fossil companies like Shell and Chevron,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut they are still in business with them.鈥�

3. Make crucial connections

Don鈥檛 miss the forest for the trees.聽

In her reporting on the for the Peabody-nominated documentary podcast Scene on Radio she linked the root causes of climate change, poverty, and mass migration. The podcast highlighted the struggles of farmers like Dao Salimata, whose cocoa crops have suffered from extreme heat and disease. While C么te d鈥橧voire is the world鈥檚 largest exporter of cocoa beans, many farmers earn less than $1 a day, driving families to leave their homes in search of聽 better opportunities abroad.

"Lately, there鈥檚 this noise about, 鈥榳e don鈥檛 want immigrants anymore.鈥� But are we really asking the question: why are they coming to our countries? How are we connected to the problems that they鈥檙e having? How is my good life funded by the lives of people in this country?" she said.

4. Dig deeper and fact-check

Tight deadlines can make it tempting to rush, but Anyaka Oluigbo emphasises the importance of being thorough on this beat.聽

鈥淪ometimes I cannot fact-check myself, so when I write something, I would always have someone else go through it and pick out the things that [one] would question,鈥� she said. Whether it鈥檚 a colleague or a fact-checking tool, adding a layer of scrutiny is crucial for ensuring accuracy.

5. Don鈥檛 sacrifice safety

Climate reporting comes with risks in many parts of the world. It鈥檚 crucial to take safety precautions seriously.

Whether that means finding a trusted fixer, like Anyaka Oluigbo did while reporting in C么te d鈥橧voire, or being discerning about when to report on-the-ground versus online, her ultimate advice is, 鈥渄on鈥檛 die for a good story.鈥�