Visual storytelling for environmental journalism

The project “Visual storytelling for environmental journalism” addresses a common problem in environmental journalism: investigative stories often remain limited to a narrow audience because the data behind them is difficult to understand. Through a three-day training, eight journalists from Serbia will learn how to use digital tools and simple materials for visualization. Each will work on a series of visualizations to present their content as clear and accessible visual stories or explainers for social media.

The project is designed to respond to three obstacles. First, environmental issues cross borders and are often presented with complex datasets that the average reader struggles to follow. Second, audiences – especially younger ones – increasingly turn to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram for information, while journalists rarely adapt their content for these channels. Third, most data journalism trainings are general and do not address the specific challenges of environmental topics.

After the training, a joint e-handbook on climate and environmental data visualization will be presented to the public. In this way, the training experience can serve as a practical guide and an incentive to bring complex environmental issues closer to people in a simpler way.

The project is carried out with the support of JournalismFund