Pulitzer Center Makes Waves in Ocean Reporting

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New Report Charts a Course for Storytelling That Raises Awareness

The ocean is a vital yet hugely overlooked part of environmental reporting. Editors consider it expensive, time-consuming, and often dangerous, while reporters see it as a “niche” topic—something that needs special expertise.

Since 2023, the Pulitzer Center has been seeking to change this dynamic by building the capacity of reporters and newsrooms to cover ocean issues with its unique program of fellowships and grants, supported by education and audience engagement.

To support and guide our newest initiative, we commissioned Making Waves, a report that reflects on the current landscape of ocean reporting and explores opportunities for better storytelling.

With researchers Bianca Fermiano and Paula Goerg of the Areja Institute, we have identified a vicious cycle where the media needs more funds, training, and support to pursue ocean stories; while media consumers need to show more interest, knowledge, and engagement to justify the investment of resources.

The research is based on 11 in-depth interviews with ocean experts; a journalist survey with 78 respondents from 30 countries; keyword research to learn how people search for ocean stories and what interests them most; and digital analysis focused on the global volume of ocean stories and how audiences respond to them.

Key findings show that:

The biggest needs cited by journalists to report more on this topic are:

• Funding 
• Greater ocean literacy
• Collaboration with other journalists
• Better access to sources

The three ingredients for a strong ocean story are: 

• In-depth, scientific accuracy
• The inclusion of diverse perspectives and underrepresented voices
• Powerful visuals

One in four participants could not name a prominent outlet for its consistent coverage of ocean stories, while nine out of 10 journalists say the coverage of ocean news in their region is insufficient.

Despite the ocean’s importance to planetary health, media coverage often lacks depth and fails to maintain public interest and awareness. Coverage tends to be reactive rather than proactive, with spikes around specific events (i.e.: oil spills) but little sustained attention. The media needs to stop treating the ocean as a topic that is separate from the climate crisis and emphasize its role in the wider environment.

The report name-checks the journalists and outlets that are covering ocean issues well. It examines stories and topics that have been successful in engaging readers and making an impact. It contains recommendations on how to engage with particular topics in different regions and with different audiences. It identifies the biggest threats to the ocean and the impacts that are being seen, environmentally and socioeconomically. The research also recommends ocean themes and topics that could be more deeply tackled in storytelling.

The Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network, a yearlong fellowship program that is now in its second iteration, is identified in the report as a valuable contribution to ocean journalism: “It has the potential to enhance the depth and quality of reporting, bringing opportunities to local journalists and stories, raising awareness, and encouraging the general public and policymakers to act.”

We want to share this report with journalists and newsrooms in the hope that it will lead to more and better ocean storytelling. It will also be useful for NGOs, academics, and policymakers who want more coverage of their ocean work and would like to better understand what journalists are looking for in a story.

Through the report, we learned more, not only about the media landscape, but also about how communities can feel closer to the issue and be inspired to take action. For this reason, organizations working on ocean-related issues can be better informed about strategies to engage audiences while reading the report. They can also find recommendations on how to navigate the ocean storytelling in a way that also takes into account coastal communities, their livelihoods, and culture.

Ultimately, we want this information to improve ocean reporting. Because if there is more and better storytelling on the threats and potential solutions, greater public awareness can drive real-world change and spark action to protect this beautiful, bountiful, and biodiverse ecosystem.