February 8, 2010 - GGN Talks Green Media with Sara Goudarzi

Sara Goudarzi knows the ins and outs of the green media business. An NYU graduate, this New Yorker is an accomplished environmental writer and reporter. Her work has appeared in National Geographic News, Space.com, CNN.com and many other publications.

She teaches a class on environmental reporting and writing, offered at MediaBistro.com beginning February 3.

Goudarzi spoke with the Green Guide Network about her experiences as a green writer and the state of green media today.

GGN: Why did you choose to become a green journalist?

SG: Well I'm not just a green journalist. I would call myself a writer with a concentration in science, health and environment. My beat was the environment and I tend to gravitate towards those stories quite a bit, partially because I was an environmental engineer before becoming a writer. It was a natural progression - obviously I care about the environment. So when I'm pitching story ideas, a good portion of them tends to be environmental, because I understand it and I went to a program that focused on those three topics.

GGN: Why is green writing and reporting important?

SG: We're sort of in this sensitive time as far as our environment is concerned. Last decade was the warmest on record and last year NASA's climate scientists predicted we'd set a new global temperature record within the next couple of years.  So more than ever, science and environmental writers need to convey such information in a palatable manner to readers, because we need informed and therefore concerned citizens to move effective policies forward.

Also, I feel like, on a more individual level, there are a lot of terms floating around, and not everyone knows what these mean in order to make informed everyday decisions. For example, consumers may ask themselves if they should eat organic or buy fair trade, if there are unregulated or under regulated substances their food and if so, what are they? Should they be buying bottled water? Should they install a green roof on their building? It's a lot of information to take in and environmental writers can help distill these facts for their readers. Also, the government provides incentives for individuals who take steps that are beneficial to the environment. For example, if you make your home more energy efficient, there may be tax credits you might be able to take advantage of. I think folks deserve to know about these programs so they can take advantage of the benefits if they wish.

GGN: What problems do green writers face? 

SG: Well, for one, times aren't the best for papers and many have to cut staff and science and environmental sections. Sometimes you have to look in a larger section of a paper to find news on the environment. But the good news is we have the Internet and so there's another platform, we just have to re gear ourselves as writers for this medium.

We're also seeing more citizen journalism and blogs and such, which is great-some of these blogs are run by very qualified individuals in the field-but I believe you still need trained specialized writers to take on some of the investigative work and dig a little deeper.

The other problem that journalists face is this issue of balance. As a reporter, we're always working to write a balance story, but this is difficult to do. For example, if 97% of climatologists believe "humans are partially responsible for climate change", and I offer the other 3% an equal voice in my story, then I may be confusing my readers, giving the impression that scientists are split on the issue, which is obviously not the case. So when trying to be fair and balanced, you have to be careful. It's a very fine line.

Another problem is green news and environmental news can seem like medicine to the reader. So I think we have to tread carefully in presenting the information. I don't believe in telling readers what to do, but instead, I think our job is to provide facts in an easy to understand manner and allow the readers make informed decisions. I read somewhere that, "our job isn't to convince, but to educate."

GGN: How do you sort fact from fiction when you are writing a story?  What standard do you set for determining a valid or factually correct story?

SG: There are several things you can do. A story always comes from a source, whether it's a journal paper or a scientist, so when you're writing a story, you have to ask yourself, "Is this someone who has produced reputable stories in the past and is this work peer reviewed?" So what I normally do is I pick up the phone and call other scientists or experts in the field, and ask them what they think of those results, and they'll review the work and get back to me. It's really important to do your homework.

GGN: What are the problems with "the green media"?

SG: Environmental news is competing with a lot of other news, some of it very important and some well, let's just say it's sometimes hard to get a story noticed when you're competing with a celebrity's hairstyle and such. So I think the media has this task of writing interesting stories without being sensational in order to get the attention of people.

Also, green writers can be very passionate-which is wonderful, but at times when the passion makes it onto the page, it can sound preachy, which tends to have a negative effect on the reader, which is precisely what we don't want. Some people almost have an allergic reaction when they hear the word "green." So my whole take is "present the facts and allow readers to reach their own conclusions." I think you'll get a lot more readers that way.

Photo credit Anthony Rhoades.