What journalists must do: connect dots and offer agency

Episode 4 turns to one of the most foundational markers of emergency leadership: telling the truth. Host Erin Blondeau brings together Donya Ziaee, Chris Hatch, and Seth Klein to examine why honest, urgent communication is essential in a crisis, and why Canada isn’t getting it. They dig into the failures of mainstream media, the rise of independent outlets, and the influence of fossil fuel advertising. The conversation makes the case for clear, evidence-based reporting that includes context, solutions, and a sense of agency, not doom. Truth-telling, they argue, is what allows societies to mobilize, and what’s been missing for far too long.

Links & references:

• Zero Carbon - Weekly climate newsletter by Chris Hatch
• Dissecting the climate denial machine: culture wars and the climate countermovement - Break in Case of Emergency
• Mapping right-wing activism, corporate lobbying and climate denialism - Break in Case of Emergency
• Fossil Fuel Ads Make Us Sick - CAPE campaign 
• Quiet Alarm: A Review of the CBC’s Climate Reporting - Report led by SFU's Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERi) and CEU
• CBC must strengthen its case on climate for our (and its own) survival - Seth Klein (video)
• CBC must strengthen its case on climate for our (and its own) survival - Seth Klein (column)
• Crisis, what crisis? We need a climate emergency information agency - Seth Klein
• Is Suzuki right that it's 'too late'? We are in an era of simultaneous wins and losses - Seth Klein
• The climate movement must shift gears or it's done - Seth Klein
• What do Canadians really think about climate change?: A summary of public opinion research for communicators - Re.Climate

More on the 6 Markers of the Climate Emergency:

• Watch our video: 6 Markers of Climate Emergency Action  
• Listen to all 6 episodes of our special series & the 6-marker overview episode from March 2025.
• Learn more about the 6 markers at www.davidsuzukiinstitute.ca/6-markers-of-climate-emergency

Credits:
Produced by Erin Blondeau and Doug Hamilton-Evans. Written and hosted by Erin Blondeau. Music by Anjali Appadurai. Audio editing by Blue Light Studios. Artwork by Geoff Smith.