Miami Herald climate coverage gets a boost with gift from MSC Cruises
Climate coverage at the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald has received a supportive boost thanks to a gift from MSC Cruises.
The Geneva-based cruise line, with ships departing from Miami, has contributed to the nonprofit Miami Herald Impact Journalism Fund at the Miami Foundation in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The gift will help support local multimedia coverage of climate change.
The donation to the fund, which was announced Tuesday, is the latest effort to bolster news coverage through private-sector support. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all content.
How the funds will be used
The donation will be used to support an existing climate reporting position, which connects the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald's digital audiences with information about climate change, its impacts on South Florida and potential solutions.
'To amplify the message around climate and the environment, collaboration between media and companies like ours is key,' said Lynn Torrent, president of MSC Cruises North America. 'This partnership and critical investment reflect our belief that local journalism plays a vital role in shaping a more sustainable future.'
The gift is part of an ongoing commitment to sustainability initiatives by MSC, including the restoration of Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas, 60 miles from Miami, where the cruise line established a new Marine Conservation Center and expanded the MSC Foundation's Super Coral Program to support coral research and restoration, Torrent said.
'Supporting climate journalism complements the work we are doing at sea and underscores our long-term vision for a healthier planet and thriving port communities,' Torrent said.
The Herald newsrooms will use the gift to expand climate coverage.
'We are grateful for the support from MSC Cruises and its long leadership in sustainable practices,' said Alex Mena, executive editor for the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald. 'This gift will enable us to expand our work connecting multimedia audiences with actionable information about the South Florida environment that is so critical to all of us who live and work here.'
This position is also funded by support from the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Foundation.
Readers can access the content through the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald's digital platforms, such as the websites, a free weekly climate newsletter and posts on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
The multimedia climate reporting position is part of the Miami Herald's four-person climate coverage team, which includes two positions funded by the company and two by private philanthropy. Other contributors to the Miami Herald's climate coverage include Florida International University's Caplin School of Journalism in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and the David and Christina Martin Family Foundation.
KNOW MORE: Biscayne Bay is polluted. Miami-Dade hopes this new technology will help clean it up
'Through this collaboration, we can ensure the conversation around climate and sustainability stays front and center,' Torrent said, 'and that it drives both awareness and meaningful change.'
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This is where an alkaline solution is added to seawater to raise the pH level. Done at a controlled, very local level, such as in the tanks in the oyster hatcheries, this can be effective. But many scientists are concerned that the ocean geoengineering industry is growing far too rapidly. At the end of the day, CO2 is going up, pH is going down, and that's an urgent issue people are not talking about Jessie Turner, Ocean Acidification Alliance 'We shouldn't proceed further along this road without the evidence,' says Widdicombe. 'Can you imagine going to your doctor and they say 'I've got a drug here that will fix you.' If the doctor then says we haven't really tested it and we're not sure about the side effects, would you still be happy to take it?' Jessie Turner, executive director of the Ocean Acidification Alliance, worries that geoengineering may also cause people to lose sight of the obvious. 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Many are hoping that this week's UN ocean conference in France will provide a vital opportunity to discuss the problem with heads of state and get it more firmly on government agendas. 'At the end of the day, we know CO2 is going up, pH is going down, and that's an urgent issue that people are not talking about,' says Turner. 'It's an overlooked consequence of carbon in our ocean that governments can no longer afford to overlook in mainstream policy agendas, and the time to address it is running out.'
