The case for ‘green pen journalism’ in an age of globalisation and liberalisation

This article is about India and the lessons journalists in African countries could learn about climate change from this country's recent economic and media globalisation. Such globalisation has marginalised questions of sustainability and environmental justice – concerns which remain largely unaddressed by India's English and Hindi media. As an example of a lack of journalistic attention to environmental issues, the media coverage of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG), held in Delhi, is discussed. The media extensively covered financial irregularities and government corruption, but failed to cover (or misrepresented) the environmental costs related to the games. The article concludes with the author advocating a ‘green pen’ model of journalism, which would cover all perspectives on the environment, including the global problem of climate change, and would increase journalism education on climate change and sustainability.