At Media Party X, Jillian Green from South Africa’s Daily Maverick detailed how a severe drought in Cape Town prompted the newsroom to rethink its environmental coverage. Rather than relying on sporadic reporting, the outlet adopted a mission-driven strategy by launching “Our Burning Planet,” a specialized climate unit informed by academic research to target critical crises across food, water, and energy.
To make complex environmental issues accessible, the unit pairs investigative rigor with a multidisciplinary approach. Green highlighted how combining editorial talent with project managers, product developers, and marketers—while distributing content through newsletters, webinars, and bite-sized social media—allowed the team to bridge skill gaps and connect deeply with diverse audiences.
This intentional focus yielded significant results, achieving a proven policy impact alongside rapid audience growth. By exposing environmental wrongdoing, the unit successfully halted illegal mining projects and unauthorized power ships, while quadrupling its climate readership within a single year to demonstrate the power of invested journalism.
Don’t miss the full presentation! Watch Jillian Green’s Keynote at Media Party X.
