Stories on the state of the Mediterranean – New initiative of Earth Journalism Network
Our partner Earth Journalism Network (EJN) has launched a new two-year project: the Mediterranean Media Initiative. The initiative trains and connects journalists in North Africa and southern Europe to carry out a joint investigations into the management and protection of the Mediterranean Sea.
Waters under pressure
A recent estimate is that over 87% of Mediterranean fish stocks are overfished. Overfishing has severely disrupted the fragile balance of marine ecosystems. Sufficient media coverage is indispensable to convince the general public and policymakers of the importance of laws and regulations that protect these fragile ecosystems. Unfortunately, this media coverage is not a given in the Mediterranean region. EJN will therefore help journalists produce such stories.
Independent reports
EJN encourages journalists with so-called story grants – funding to create a story – to produce independent reports on the current state of the Mediterranean Sea, highlight potential technological innovations and investigate crime and corruption. The journalists will work on topics such as ‘loss of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea’, ‘endangered marine species’, ‘illegal fishing’ and ‘the impact of sea-bed fishery’. As part of the project, EJN is also building partnerships with established and emerging media outlets and is working towards establish a network of French-, Spanish-, Arabic- and English-speaking journalists and experts.
Our People & Nature Program
In our People & Nature program, we pay special attention to the Mediterranean Sea, the most overfished sea in the world. In order to protect the biodiversity of this region, one of the things we concentrate on is the creation of marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries. We support EJN because media attention can also strengthen the work of other organizations, including those that campaign against overfishing and illegal fishing. We would also like to increase local journalists’ knowledge in these areas.
