Pulitzer Center Update September 20, 2024
Journalism That Saves Turtles 🐢
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The project would shed light on the dark reality behind the collapse of the ‘people’s fish’ (small...
Submerge Yourself in Ocean Reporting for Climate Week
As governments and advocates around the world prepare for next week’s Climate Week NYC, in partnership with the United Nations, we are excited that Pulitzer Center-supported investigations continue to have a real-world environmental impact.
Last week, 2023 Ocean Reporting Network (ORN) Fellow Gideon Sarpong revealed in a project for iWatch Africa that illegal sea turtle poaching and trade is thriving in Ghana, despite laws protecting the dwindling population. According to the IUCN Red List, six of the seven marine turtle species are categorized as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered globally. Illegal poaching is “one of the gravest threats,” said Andrews Agyekumhene from the University of Ghana. Although they know it’s against the law, economic pressure has driven local fishers to take desperate measures.
The investigation has already made waves in Ghana. Just three days after the report was published, local authorities arrested Afua Poma, also known as “Maame Turtle,” for her connection to illegal poaching and sale of sea turtles. Three sea turtles were discovered in her possession during her arrest. They were released back into the ocean by police as community members gathered and watched.
“As investigative journalists, our role goes beyond simply telling the story—we strive to spark change,” Sarpong said. “The arrest of Afua Poma following our report is a powerful reminder that shedding light on injustice can lead to real-world action. It’s a victory not just for the sea turtles, but for the entire ocean ecosystem they sustain.”
Ahead of Climate Week, we invite you to dive into our ocean reporting. From the U.S., ORN Fellow Alexandra Talty reports on the seaweed industry, which offers climate and health opportunities but faces funding challenges. From Senegal, ORN Fellow Borso Tall and grantee Tony Bartelme report on how hurricanes are born and fueled by warming waters in the “main development region” across the Atlantic. From the Patagonia region of Chile, Reporting Fellow Muriel Alarcón reports on efforts to save endangered cold-water corals.
We will also be participating in climate-related events: Check out “Climate News That Moves the World” at the Explorers Club in New York City on September 23, our “Managing Marine Resources for Communities and Climate” webinar on September 24, and “How To Investigate Plastic in the Ocean,” a webinar scheduled for September 26.
Seventy-one percent of the globe is covered by water, but most of our environmental news comes from land; the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network aims to create a new “ecosystem” of journalists who bring ocean stories to the surface.
Happy Climate Week,
Impact
Neglected and Exposed, a project supported by the Pulitzer Center, has won a 2024 LION Sustainability Award in the Collaboration of the Year category. According to its website, LION Publishers “strengthens the local news industry by helping independent news publishers build more sustainable businesses.”
The project led by Altavoz Lab is a multi-newsroom collaborative that reported on toxic air pollution in a Texas Latino community. The story was picked up nationally and was co-published in English and Spanish by The Texas Tribune and Radio Bilingüe, among other outlets.
On the project, LION judges wrote: “Altavoz Lab has created a model for operational partnership that goes beyond providing a fellowship. The organizations worked together to boost the impact of the fellows’ project by coordinating participating organizations that provided editorial, audience, and funding support.”
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This message first appeared in the September 20, 2024, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.
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