Ex-Reuters journalist: Wire service not interested in climate change stories

David Fogarty, a former reporter at Reuters for nearly 20 years who left earlier this year, writes for The Baron about what he saw happening at the wire service in terms of climate change coverage.

Fogarty writes, “In April last year, Paul Ingrassia (then deputy editor-in-chief) and I met and had a chat at a company function. He told me he was a climate change sceptic. Not a rabid sceptic, just someone who wanted to see more evidence mankind was changing the global climate.

“Progressively, getting any climate change-themed story published got harder. It was a lottery. Some desk editors happily subbed and pushed the button. Others agonised and asked a million questions. Debate on some story ideas generated endless bureaucracy by editors frightened to take a decision, reflecting a different type of climate within Reuters – the climate of fear.

“By mid-October, I was informed that climate change just wasn’t a big story for the present, but that it would be if there was a significant shift in global policy, such as the US introducing an emissions cap-and-trade system.

“Very soon after that conversation I was told my climate change role was abolished. I was asked to take over the regional shipping role and that I had less than a week to decide.

“I decided it was time to leave.”

Read more here.

A Reuters spokesperson provided the following statement:

“Reuters is committed to providing fair and independent coverage of climate change that complies fully with our Trust Principles. Reuters has a number of staff dedicated to covering this story, including a team of specialist reporters at Point Carbon and a columnist. There has been no change in our editorial policy.”