ZURb1423 Climate change journalism

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Žaneta Gregorová (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Radovan Plášek (seminar tutor)
doc. Mgr. Lenka Waschková Císařová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Lenka Waschková Císařová, Ph.D.
Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Boris Rafailov, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Media Studies and Journalism – Faculty of Social Studies
Prerequisites (in Czech)
ZURb1106 News writing &&( ZURb1107 Feature writing ||NOW( ZURb1107 Feature writing )|| ENSb1281 Environmental Journalism )
Předmět je určen pro začínající novináře a novinářky, kteří již absolvovali kurz ZURb1106 Zpravodajství a ZURb1107 Publicistika nebo ENSb1281 Environmentální publicistika.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to help male and female students to better prepare for their future journalistic practice in the context of advancing climate change, which has become a relevant topic for the Czech media in recent years. Graduates will gain insight into the issue of climate change and learn which institutions are working with it in the Czech Republic, where to look for current and relevant topics and contacts. They will also get to know how domestic newsrooms approach the topic of climate change and what the work of climate journalists and others who write about climate and related topics looks like in practice. Throughout the semester, students will work on texts that they will be able to consult with the editors of selected Czech media (in 2024 it will be Seznam Zprávy), who will eventually edit them and offer them for publication in their editorial offices, if they reach the required quality. The course is organized in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Prague, whose long-term goal is to raise awareness of the impacts and solutions of climate change.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students will obtain information about climate change, thanks to which they will better understand the specifics of journalism oriented in this way. And thanks to editorial supervision, they will learn how to think about the processing of this topic and will be able to create a journalistic text focused on this topic.
Syllabus
  • Course schedule: 1 March 10:00 – 12:00 Getting to know the course content and each other, Introduction to climate change journalism 1 March 13:00 – 15:00 Critical analysis, first glimpses of topics 1. 3. 15:30 – 17:30 Relevant and current topics in the field of climate change, threats and solutions in adaptations and mitigations (mitigating the effects of climate change) 15. 3. 10:00 – 12:00 Debate on topics, creating a pitch for the editor 15 March 13:00 – 15:00 Meeting with the SZ editor, clarification of the topic and genres 15 March 15:30 – 17:30 Practice of climate journalism in the Czech media 12 April 10:00 – 12:00 Practice of climate journalism journalism in the Czech media 12.4. 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Collective debate on almost finished texts – the principle of peer review, i.e. mutual evaluation (three days before the seminar, i.e. no later than 9 April, we will assign someone else's text to a selected colleague from the course; the given reader verifies and evaluates whether the text is comprehensible, readable, whether it lacks important background); discussion of the most fundamental problems in word processing; mutual suggestions to improve the texts; course evaluation
Literature
    recommended literature
  • https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/oxford-climate-journalism-network
  • https://ipi.media/climate-journalism-new-ipi-study-identifies-challenges-and-opportunities/
  • https://publications.iadb.org/en/2022-guide-climate-change-journalists
Teaching methods
Lecture, sharing of ideas and discussion, peer to peer review, writing text.
Assessment methods
Discharge conditions: 1. Participation in the course (attendance + active participation in discussions) 2. Active preparation for lessons in the form of partial tasks for the final text and active communication with the editors 3. Submitting the final text and incorporating editorial comments In order for participation in the course to make sense, regular attendance is necessary, as presentations and consultations with external guests cannot be replaced by any other form! Estimated semester load: writing a final text of approximately 5,000 characters, which corresponds to approximately 2.7 standard pages, on a topic closely related to climate change, its manifestations, impacts and solutions in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and especially in the regions; the text will be based on consultations with the editors, reflecting their comments on the choice of topic and practical processing, it will be based on classic journalistic genres, the selection of which can be adjusted during the work on the text. Absences will be monitored; it is possible to choose them twice per semester. They are counted after the end of registration, i.e. from the third week. If the reasons for the absence are medical, you must apologize in advance or on the day of the course. In case of switching to online teaching, the course will take place on the scheduled dates via the Zoom platform. Instructions for the final work: At the introductory meeting, we will discuss course completion conditions, major milestones and names of climate journalism and perform a critical analysis to guide you, the student body, to select an ideal topic that you will enjoy working on. At the end of the first day, we will try to place the topics in the context of ongoing climate change so that everyone leaves with an idea of ​​the topic they will be addressing. At the second meeting, each of us comes up with a few ideas for processing the topic (and preferred genre), which we will discuss with the teachers. Together we will develop a pitch for Seznam Správy, and then you will meet with the editor and choose the topics in the end. We will end the day with a lecture about the reality of the work of a climate reporter from a selected Czech media. An essential condition is that the article must not be based exclusively on computer work. An essential part of its preparation is the active collection of data in the physical space and the inclusion of relevant actors in the text. We will leave the form of collection to your choice (personal interview, field trip, phone calls...); we recommend a combination of several techniques. The article must be deepened on the basis of scientific findings (or be directly based on them). Of course, suitable photo material of higher quality (not just phone photos), or infographics. Between the second and third meeting, you have a month to process the topic and its subsequent editing by the Seznam Zpráv editors. The editor is expected to see the text at least once, comment on it and send it back to you before the final meeting. In the final collective debate, you should then discuss only the biggest problems you encountered while writing the final text. At this stage, you have almost finished the text, you give it to your colleagues from the course to read. The text range is about 5000 characters with  spaces (+/- 500). The ideal range will be determined by the editor based on the selected topic and genre. The deadline for handing in the final version of the text to the appropriate drop-in office in  IS is 24:00 on April 21.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every other week.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2025/ZURb1423