Capacity building: how prepared are journalists in Jamaica and the Bahamas for climate coverage

Climate change presents a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of people living in the Caribbean. Journalists play an essential role in disseminating crucial information on climate and environmental phenomena that directly affect Caribbean peoples. But how prepared are journalists in the Caribbean to provide quality climate and environmental coverage? We answer this question through insights collected from 19 journalists in Jamaica and The Bahamas, via a semi-structured interview protocol. We analyze interviewee responses using the Individual and Organizational levels of Reese and Shoemaker’s ([Citation2018]. “A Media Sociology for the Networked Public Sphere: The Hierarchy of Influences Model.” In Advances in Foundational Mass Communication Theories, 96–117. Routledge). Hierarchy of Influences model, exploring the factors that influence climate and environmental reporting training for these Caribbean journalists. This research found that due to a number of factors, including their perceptions and experiences, there is a major lack of journalists with specialized training to cover climate and environmental stories.