Hello #ClimateArena, I am here in Budapest. Please drop me a line to say hi, to talk collaborations, solutions, commissions, to grab a drink, or indeed to ask my tips for the city, which I’ve been exploring @journalismarena.eu

EU funds saunas, sport and dance in name of just transition | Context by TRF Critics raise alarm about EU's Just Transition Fund, fearing fraud, misuse and a green light for flimsy projects

I've found a questionable use of the EU's €26.7 billion Just Transition Fund to pay sauna festivals, axe throwing centres, and dance marathons - sparking fears that billions of euros are going to waste - or worse.

My report for @contextnewsroom.bsky.social‬

www.context.news/just-transit...

Row over health of Indian Ocean tuna Independent scientists have raised concerns over research that suggests yellowfin fishing is sustainable – those involved disagree

I've been digging into the extremely fishy decision in December 2024 to classify yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean as no longer overfished. Critics say the EU’s powerful, billion-dollar fishing lobby is behind it.

My story for @dialogueearth.bsky.social

dialogue.earth/en/ocean/row...

Where is the money the EU promised workers to go green? | Context by TRF Flagship EU fund to support fossil fuel workers and communities risks mad spending rush, says exclusive European Commission data

Less than 3% of the EU's flagship €26.7 billion Just Transition Fund - intended to shift communities away from fossil fuels, retraining coal miners etc - has been spent, despite running for more than four years.

My exclusive for Thomson Reuters Foundation
www.context.news/just-transit...

Europe in overdrive to deescalate Trump trade war Presented by Uber By NICHOLAS VINOCUR with ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Tweet @NicholasVinocur @swheaton @suzannelynch1 | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser GREETINGS. I…

I am among more than 140 journalists across Europe that have signed an open letter today urging the European Commission to stop undermining transparency laws.

We call on the EU to uphold the right to access information, so that requests are handled fairly and timely

www.politico.eu/newsletter/b...

At Casa Nova in Catalonia, low waste and humanitarianism go hand in hand At his restaurant in Catalonia, chef Andrés Torres creates food with a minimal environmental impact — and funds humanitarian work in the process.

I profiled Andrés Torres, the visionary Catalan chef and humanitarian activist, for @NatGeo. He spent years living with Indigenous peoples in Latam, drove to Ukraine as the war broke with 500 bags of groceries and now runs a 98% self-sustainable restaurant
www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/artic...

A lot of good points made by @melbunce.bsky.social. Crisis reporting tends to be "sporadic, episodic" focusing on western lives.

But humanitarian reporting can aim for moral equivalency – all lives have equal value, use local sources, report on the longer term angles

@journalismfestival.com #ijf25

Les PFAS, une famille de 10 000 « polluants éternels » qui contaminent toute l’humanité Les substances per- et polyfluoroalkylées, des produits chimiques de synthèse, sont très répandues dans notre vie quotidienne comme dans les usages industriels. Alors que leur grande résistance les re...

@stephanehorel.bsky.social speaks about her pioneering work into PFAS - forever chemicals - an "emerging threat" with unsure science. They worked with scientists to create "expert-reviewed journalism" and even wrote a journal article

@journalismfestival.com #ijf25

www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeur...

@fabiola-torres.bsky.social of Peruvian public health outlet @saludconlupa.com talks about how industry “buys scientific credibility”, funding associations and ”consumer representatives” to spread their claims, and how tobacco companies are funding vaping through "no smoke" campaigns

Science for sale: Philip Morris’s web of payments to fund tobacco… Whistleblower lifts the lid on tactics used by tobacco giant to push its flagship product

Chrissie Giles of @tbij.bsky.social worked on this story about Big Tobacco's influence on science in Japan, the "cosy relationship" between Philip Morris and the Japanese government and how they found a whistleblower

@journalismfestival.com #ijf25

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024...

Really good panel about reporting on big industries like tobacco, fossils fuels and the "vast harm" they create.

Ben Hallman of @theexamination.org speaks of “corporate determinants of health” and how industry shapes public health narratives.

@journalismfestival.com #ijf25

Hundreds of girls tell CNN they feel unsafe online but have no one to turn to for help. This is what they want to change Hundreds of young women and girls from around the world told CNN they want much better support to stay safe online, sharing that they regularly face dangers – daily for some – and feel solely responsi...

@carlottad.bsky.social of CNN As Equals worked on a project about how girls face digital threats online, platforming the voices and perspectives of those affected. Her team partnered with the NGO Plan International, surveying 600 girls across 9 countries for this edition.cnn.com/interactive/...

@misbahsk.bsky.social, an antimicrobial resistance reporter at @tbij.bsky.social, says that her team decided to focus on photography and imagery to tell the human stories of this global issue, working closely, even collaboratively, with case studies "to show the power of the people themselves"

Excellent panel on effective approaches to impact #ijf25 @journalismfestival.com

@lamthuyvo.bsky.social of Documented says their main audience is immigrant communities in NYC. They do "listening"/needs assessments, service journalism alongside investigations, even printing materials to distribute

@ferg.social of the consultancy Fathm says that climate reporting is more likely to cut through when framing it differently.

"Reporting on how your grandmother’s favourite recipe is threatened because the ingredients she uses are threatened by climate change"

#ijf25 @journalismfestival.com

Danish outlet Zetland, a digital media with 50,000 members, focuses on solutions but also on positivity, according to the founder and editor-in-chief @leakorsgaard.bsky.social

"Give hope. You have to show that you love the world"

#ijf25 @journalismfestival.com

I'm at #ijf25 @journalismfestival.com and first session is on how newsroom leadership can drive better climate reporting.

AFP's Phil Chetwynd says they created a “Future of the Planet” team, including transport and agriculture, to boost cross-desk collaboration, 700-800 staff received training

I'm really really excited to be part of this @seekinitiative.bsky.social collaborative journalist-citizen project, in my case working with residents of a poor Parisian banlieue suffering from extreme heat, and can't wait to see what all the fellows produce

seekinitiative.org/announcing-t...

'Without the seed banks, it would have been disastrous' Seed banks are helping Central American farmers adapt to climate change – and preserve their history

I wrote about how community seed banks are taking root, helping farmers in Central American farmers adapt to climate change and protect heirloom seeds
nexusmedianews.com/central-amer...

EU Islamophobia chief says leaders are failing Muslims Marion Lalisse, European Commission coordinator for combating anti-Muslim hatred, describes ‘witch hunt’ against people speaking up for Muslim rights

I've been digging into the EU's policy on Islamophobia - what is actually being done to fight it? - for @hyphenonline.com. Rights groups, researchers & even the Commission's lead expert spoke of almost no funding and political will and of attacks by the far right

hyphenonline.com/2025/03/13/e...

The antiwar community caught in the crossfire of Ethiopia’s Amhara conflict For two years, Awra Amba has been caught up in a war raging between Fano fighters and Ethiopian government soldiers.

My report for @aljazeera.com from Awra Amba, a utopian and pacifist community in the central highlands of Ethiopia.

They have won awards for their peacemaking and conflict resolution - but they have been caught in the crossfire of Ethiopia's latest civil war.

www.aljazeera.com/features/202...

Announcing the 2025 Cohort for our Childhood Forced Migration Journalism Project

I'm really happy to be selected for this reporting institute and looking forward to meeting this incredible cohort!

dartcenter.org/resources/an...

SEJ Webinar: Celebrating 35 Years of SEJ — What Comes Next? The next #SEJWebinar will kick off our celebration of SEJ’s anniversary with a panel of longtime SEJ members who helped build the foundation of our organization to reflect on our mission and what make...

On February 12, next Wednesday, I'll be speaking on a panel about the future of environmental journalism, to mark the 35th anniversary of @sejorg.bsky.social. You can register here (13:00 ET/20:00 CET) www.sej.org/calendar/sej...

Where to find the best croissants in Paris Pastry-lovers take heed – here's where to find the best croissants in Paris!

I took on another painstaking assignment for @lonelyplanet in which I ate my bodyweight in croissants and other pastries in Paris and rated my favourite/most interesting ones www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/bes...

Meet the muxes of Juchitán, Mexico’s Indigenous third gender Zapotec folk — Having existed since the pre-colonial era in southeast Oaxaca state, a global rise in LGBTQ+ hate is seeing an age-old culture face…

Here's my dispatch from Juchitán, Oaxaca State, home of Mexico’s third gender: the muxes.

This Indigenous, gender noncomforming community existed before European colonisers arrived, but their battle for rights goes on amid rising LGBQ+ hate.

For @huckmag.com

www.huckmag.com/article/muxe...

How hammams became Parisian From the Grand Mosque to Aux Bains Montorgueil, Turkish steam baths have been embraced by the French capital and are popular with tourists

I wrote about how hammams aka steam baths, brought by north African migrants, have become part of Paris culture over the years, with a (woeful) recent assist from Emily in Paris. Can't complain about the on-the-ground research for this @hyphenonline.com assignment hyphenonline.com/2025/01/14/h...

Thank you Jesse, that's very kind!!

‘Forgotten’: How one Mexican city struggles against big industry for water A Coca-Cola plant pumps millions of litres of water in San Cristóbal de las Casas. But locals say their faucets run dry.

Here's my dispatch for @aljazeera.com from San Cristóbal de las Casas, a city in south Mexico dubbed the world capital of Coca Cola. Due to the ubiquity of sugary drinks, residents are suffering from obesity, malnutrition, and more recently, water shortages
www.aljazeera.com/news/longfor...

The Year in Cheer 144 ways the world got better in 2024.

I'm very happy to have contributed a number of articles to @rtbcheerful.bsky.social's Year in Cheer: 144 ways the world got better in 2024 reasonstobecheerful.world/the-year-in-...

Thank you, Erik. It's been a decent year, which also included a trip to the Galapagos. Your recent assignment looked great!