Partnership Journalism

Amplifiers: Research-based Collaborations

To help close the gap between scientific and public understanding of climate change, Climate Central produces multi-faceted projects using datasets dealing with climate change trends, impacts, and solutions on a highly localized basis. Some of the datasets are generated internally; others come from externally authored scientific papers, typically in conjunction with a paper’s publication in peer-reviewed journals. Working closely with the authors, we use the data and new science to assist in the production of local news stories across multiple regions. There is no charge to the authors or their institutions and the work is explanatory, not promotional. Climate Central is a nonadvocacy organization.

Our partnership-based approach to journalism

Climate Central is a national group based in New Jersey where researchers, science communicators and journalists work together to investigate and explain climate change impacts and solutions. We’re a non-advocacy nonprofit where projects are guided by data and science.

Our journalists collaborate with news outlets nationwide to produce compelling and scientifically accurate feature stories guided and informed by new science and analyses, including Climate Central’s own research. We work with print, digital, radio and television partners. We prioritize working with local and regional outlets.

How it works

A partner outlet contributes local reporting, including field reporting, photography and some editing for a story. We contribute data and charts plus a science reporter and an editor. For a text story, we help craft a feature in a way that puts climate change in appropriate and accurate context. For broadcast media, we provide story and interview suggestions and help develop and review scripts. Climate Central’s researchers assist with fact-checking. We aim to co publish stories at around the same time related research is released. We generally publish several stories from different regions simultaneously.

Our guidelines

• Characters: We don’t produce stories ‘about’ science or ‘about’ new findings. All of our stories are about people, how they’re being affected by climate change, and how they’re responding to it.

• Context: Environmental changes are caused by many factors, among them global climate change. In our coverage, we explain these factors, taking care to not overstate or understate climate change’s role. Our stories explain current and future risks as well as solutions.

• Science: Climate change is poorly understood and often viewed as a political issue. Each of our stories includes a punchy explanation of the scientific fundamentals of climate change as they relate to the issues being covered.

• Compromise: Our partners know their style and local communities, issues, leaders and characters better than we do. We defer to our partners on most final editorial decisions, but insist upon scientific accuracy and context. If we can’t reach agreement on the science in a story, we agree in advance that we will halt the project.

• Credit: We share bylines with print partners and ask broadcast partners to mention our partnership in their coverage.

Contact: John Upton, partnership journalism editor, jupton@climatecentral.org