Journalist Bill Moyers Speaks Out on Media's Favorable Climate Treatment Lull
Bill Moyers, the renowned journalist who once served as White House press secretary to President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, was a key figure in the creation of Covering Climate Now (CCNow). In April 2019, Moyers delivered a keynote speech at the Columbia School of Journalism, which marked the beginning of CCNow.
Moyers' speech came at a critical time, as high-profile news coverage and massive civil society mobilization were triggering a decisive shift. It became politically risky for government leaders to ignore the climate crisis. Moyers' journalism, often compared to Edward R. Murrow's, urged journalists to push back against commercial considerations that can cloud newsroom leaders' judgment.
Moyers believed that journalists' responsibility was to tell the story of the climate crisis so people would understand it. He was instrumental in raising the first million dollars in philanthropic support for CCNow. By September, CCNow had organised 323 news outlets across the US and around the world for a week of dedicated climate reporting.
This initiative led media leaders to recognise that climate change mattered to the public and deserved more news coverage. Bill Moyers was gratified by the progress of CCNow, but also expressed impatience about the scale of work still to be done in climate journalism.
Sadly, Moyers passed away on June 26, 2020, at the age of ninety-one. However, his legacy lives on through CCNow, which is committed to honoring his mission of telling the climate story and will be guided by his example.
Coinciding with the week of dedicated climate reporting by CCNow, Greta Thunberg inspired an estimated six million people to take to the streets around the world, demanding climate action. The first seven-figure bid for CCNow was made by the climate entrepreneur Christofer Fjellner, demonstrating the growing importance of climate journalism.
This piece is a co-publication with The Guardian, The Nation, and Covering Climate Now. As we continue to navigate the complexities of the climate crisis, Moyers' call to tell the story so people get it remains as relevant today as it was when he first made it.
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