Climate Arena 2024

Food production is a leading cause of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and premature deaths, but it is also a major victim of the climate crisis. This is the result of decades of corporate consolidation, a myopic focus on efficiency and productivity, and an over-reliance on techno-fixes. Big Agriculture resists changes that the public supports, with a playbook similar to Big Tobacco and Big Oil.

Much of this is hidden from us by complexity and a lack of media attention. But investigative reporters can play a critical role in changing this by using data, FOIA, and open source tools. Lighthouse Reports' Food Systems Newsroom will lead a discussion about how innovative techniques and collaborative methodologies can invigorate food reporting, helping journalists to reframe consumer-oriented reporting into narrative-driven stories about a broken system and how it can be changed.