Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald to expand climate coverage with gifts from community leaders
Coverage of the critical issue of climate change in South Florida will expand in the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald thanks to the support of donations from community leaders.
The Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Foundation has provided a leadership gift of $200,000. Additional funding comes from Florida International University in collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and philanthropist Ken O’Keefe.
“Climate change is one of the most critical issues of our time — especially here in South Florida,” said Louis Wolfson III, a foundation trustee, during a Zoom announcement of the initiative on Thursday. “Our family has lived, worked and supported positive change in South Florida for generations, and plans to do so for generations to come. We want to help ensure the future for generations of all South Floridians.”
His family, Wolfson said, first arrived in Key West in the late 1800s and settled in Miami in 1917.
“We’ve basically seen every streetlight go up and every sidewalk go down. And we, like most all other Miamians, we love South Florida. We love the tropical weather, our natural resources, our unique flora and fauna and our outdoor way of life. It’s what makes South Florida so special in such a vibrant area.”
But that future is threatened by climate change, he said, and propelled the family to make the gift to fund local journalism.
“This is a responsibility and an obligation for all who love our way of life,” Wolfson said. “This will be an interactive initiative, one of engagement. So bring it on. After all, we are all living in ground zero.”
The Wolfson Foundation donation will support a full-time multimedia engagement reporter at the two South Florida McClatchy publications for two years.
FIU collaboration
A second grant from FIU, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and O’Keefe will create a two-year editing-and-teaching climate post to be shared by the Miami Herald and FIU’s School of Communication + Journalism. Chicago-based philanthropist Ken O’Keefe, who grew up in Miami, has donated additional funds needed for the first year.
“Collaborating with the Knight Foundation and the Miami Herald — while leveraging the university’s strengths in environmental resilience and in journalism and media — benefits the diverse communities we serve,” said Brian Schriner, dean of FIU’s College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts, in a statement. “This enables us to better raise awareness and be informed about our environment and the critical issues that impact all of us.”
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The additional positions will expand on extensive coverage already provided by veteran Miami Herald climate reporter Alex Harris, giving readers the most comprehensive news and analysis of the challenges — and potential solutions — of rising seas and increasing temperatures.
In South Florida, climate change affects everyone: workers, homeowners, renters, small and large businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, hoteliers, cruise lines, real estate professionals, marine enthusiasts, said Monica Richardson, executive editor of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.
“South Florida is ground zero for rising seas,” said Richardson. “But because impacts are sometimes gradual, residents don’t always recognize the urgency. Those who do sometimes feel powerless. Our job is to provide accurate, up-to-date reporting that will inform public policy, and help our readers understand how climate change affects them and what they can do about it in their own lives.”
Getting residents, readers engaged
The Miami Foundation helped facilitate the gifts, which reflect a national trend for outside funding to support essential locally produced journalism.
“We rely on strong journalism to keep us informed and engaged about what matters,” said Miami Foundation President and CEO Rebecca Fishman Lipsey. “There is no issue that matters more to the health and future of greater Miami than our climate resilience and if we do not have the resources to report effectively on that, we will not be able to build the public will and consciousness necessary to address the issues that are coming our way.”
Karen Rundlet, Knight Foundation’s director of journalism, echoed the need for the media to more fully explain to readers and residents just what is at stake.
“It’s essential that Miamians become more informed and engaged on issues like climate change, so they can contribute to effective solutions,” she said.
For O’Keefe, enhancing local climate coverage will help preserve his hometown.
“In the years since I grew up in Miami, its shoreline and climate have changed dramatically,” O’Keefe said. “The community must continue to aggressively mitigate climate effects. The reporting will help keep climate top-of-mind.”
Tiffany Troxler, director of FIU’s Sea-Level Solutions, interviewed by the Herald’s Harris during the announcement, said more media attention can be the key to motivate those who are most impacted by climate change in South Florida — the people who live here — and ultimately persuade them to take the steps needed to address the threats.
“It’s so incredibly important if we’re really going to move the needle, if we’re really going to innovate so that we can get ahead of this and do everything that we can to not only adapt so that we can preserve our economy, but preserve equity to improve quality of life, to ensure that everyone who lives here can benefit from the adaptation actions that we’re planning and investing in,” Troxler said.
Jobs posted
With the support of the gifts, the multimedia engagement reporter and climate change editor jobs already have been posted.
The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald are also seeking funding in hopes to add another climate journalist dedicated to data visualization — a key to helping audiences understand the dangers and impacts of climate change — to its team. The data visualization journalist would also support climate work at parent McClatchy media properties in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Tax-deductible gifts can be made to the Miami Herald Impact Journalism Fund at the Miami Foundation. For more information, contact Jane Wooldridge, senior director for journalism sustainability and partnerships at jwooldridge@miamiherald.com or 305-376-3629.
These grants do not mean those hired receive compensation equal to the gift amounts. In addition to salaries, funds have to offset benefits, fees and other expenses that go along with new hires, Wooldridge said.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 6:36 PM.
