EVENT SUMMARY
Scientists warn we must rapidly decarbonize the economy over the next couple of decades or the humanitarian and economic toll of climate change will be catastrophic.
Yet American media outlets, if they cover climate change at all, often don’t treat it with the same urgency. And when they do, it is often cast as a partisan issue, or a boutique concern for coastal environmentalists. In well-intentioned efforts to appear fair, or to represent all viewpoints, deliberate misinformation can be given the same validity as actual science, creating a misleading narrative that confuses the public.
Should journalists and news organizations treat climate change with the same urgency that scientists do?
Join Fresh Energy for an interactive panel discussion, led by Professor Jane Kirtley of the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law, to address this question. Similar to our popular Power Pairing events, Fresh Energy’s Power Panel will put four local leaders in the hot seat to engage in important dialogue around key energy issues.
WHEN
Thursday, June 27, 2019, 5:30 – 7:30 PM CST
WHERE
Day Block Event Center, 1103 S Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55415
TICKETS
$16 Fresh Energy members/Government employees/Students
$20 General Admission
*Ticket price includes program, appetizers, and 1 drink ticket.*
Everyone is welcome! Please contact Leigh Onkka at 651 726 7572 should you need assistance in covering the entry fee. Scholarship funds are available to help make sure this event is accessible.
MODERATOR
JANE E. KIRTLEY is the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota, where she directs the Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law. Jane has practiced law in New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., and was a reporter for newspapers in Indiana and Tennessee. She earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her Bachelor and Master of Journalism degrees from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
PANELISTS
SOPHIA BENRUD is a black multiracial queer community organizer, postpartum doula, and chef currently residing in Minneapolis. Sophia works as the environmental justice organizer for Black Visions Collective—building connections between indigenous black people of color and climate and environmental justice issues while weaving the current movement into food and healing justice, as well as labor and immigration rights. Sophia’s goal is to transform the current movement while uplifting and centering directly impacted communities.
ELIZABETH DUNBAR has been a reporter for MPR News since 2009 and currently covers the environment, energy and climate change. Elizabeth has helped shape how MPR News approaches coverage about climate change — that it’s a reality not up for debate. Most recently, she has pioneered new ways for MPR News to engage audiences on complex environmental issues, including using dialogue journalism to bring rural Minnesota farmers and Twin Cities consumers into a discussion on the future of agriculture.
NIKO GEORGIADES is a founder and journalist member of the independent media organization Unicorn Riot and serves as the director of operations for WE WIN Institute, a youth-serving nonprofit in Minneapolis. As a journalist and content creator for Unicorn Riot, Niko provided extensive documentation of the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. For Unicorn Riot, Niko showcases stories from communities not focused on in mainstream media that are persevering—or resisting—through social or environmental struggles.
KEN PAULMAN is the director and founding editor of the Energy News Network, a nonprofit news service based at Fresh Energy covering the transition to a low-carbon economy. Ken has overseen the growth of ENN from a Midwest-focused news portal in 2010 to a nationwide news organization now publishing more than 450 original articles per year. Ken is among a small group of nonprofit news leaders advancing editorially independent public-interest journalism within the climate advocacy space.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EVENT?
If you have questions about the Power Panel or becoming a sponsor, contact Martina Holmes at holmes@fresh-energy.org or 651 726 7577.