Environmental Journalists Warn of AI and Access Threats

At the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists Conference in Tempe, reporters discussed how declining public attention to climate news—driven by short attention spans and social media—has made it harder for environmental stories to gain traction. Panelists argued that lack of information, rather than polarization, is the main barrier to climate engagement. Journalists also noted increasing reluctance from sources to speak openly due to fears of political retaliation, further limiting access to vital information. The growing prevalence of artificial intelligence complicates the field, as AI-generated content makes it harder for audiences to distinguish authentic reporting, though the public broadly accepts AI for certain journalistic tasks. As both data access and trust in reporting are threatened, environmental journalism's credibility and effectiveness are at risk. The conference emphasized the need for innovative solutions to maintain the impact and reliability of the field.