Journalist, author and environmental activist Bill McKibben spoke last Wednesday in Ruffato Hall as the keynote speaker for the “Journalism That Matters” conference held on campus Wednesday and Thursday. In the address, McKibben discussed the importance of activist journalism and raising awareness of environmental change.
McKibben was awarded the Anvil Axis of Freedom Award, given out each year by the Media, Film & Journalism Department and the DU-based Charlotte A. Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media. The award was presented to him by Ed Estlow.
The Anvil Axis of Freedom award is given each year to someone whose work demonstrates “commitment to freedom, ethics and integrity,” according to the Estlow center website.
“I’ve gotten to see many, many parts of the lifecycle of journalism in our time, and some of it is very sad,” said McKibben.
McKibben is a regular contributor to newspapers including the New York Times, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, National Geographic and Mother Jones. He has written several books on the subject of climate change. He is also the founder of the website 350.org, a grassroots organizational side advocating for climate control.
Though McKibben worked as a journalist writing for the New Yorker prior to his first book, he said his introduction to climate change in the 1980s shifted what he wanted to do in his role as a journalist.
“It’s (climate change) probably the single biggest example of a story we haven’t managed to get right,” he said. “I understood, quickly, that this was the most important story there was in the world.”
McKibben said American people are unaware of the impacts of climate change, and called for journalism to serve as a “warning” of its effects.
“We are sleepwalking off the edge of a cliff and our warning system, journalism, has failed to warn us about that,” said McKibben. “Our job as journalists is to tell people about the most important things that are happening in the world so they can act.”
McKibben worked for the New Yorker before publishing his first book on the environment, “The End of Nature”, in 1988.
The transition changed McKibben’s role as a journalist from that of unbiased commentator to activist, he said. McKibben believes this is an important role for journalists.
“Something interesting of the world we’re moving into with the rise of citizen journalism is that is becoming more possible and more respectable to do that that kind of work,” said McKibben. “To say ‘I actually care about the outcome of this.’”
McKibben said it is important people become aware of the “threat of climate change.”
“Now the choices we have to make are much starker and we have to move more quickly,” said McKibben.
He also said journalism and journalists had a responsibility to bring the issue to attention.
“The natural outcome of good journalism is to make people care to go do something about something,” said McKibben. “I think I was right when I said this is probably the story of our time, maybe of all time.”
He also said the progression of the issue would be a test for journalism in upcoming years.
“We’ll find out whether the journalistic method was a good idea, whether it works or not.”
