Singapore, Asia, 4^thMay 2022 -  Non-profit EB Impact has launched the world’s first Sustainability Media Academy (SMA) in partnership with Meta (previously Facebook) and a wide range of ecosystem partners. The SMA aims to provide a first-of-its-kind training platform to empower and upskill journalists and content creators across the region, to cultivate expertise around reportage of complex sustainability issues.

According to a survey conducted by Meta’s Data for Good team in partnership with the Yale Program in Climate Change Communication in 2021, the majority of respondents from Asia want to gain more knowledge about the devastating effects of global warming. The role of the media and constructive dialogue in advancing the region’s Sustainable Development Goals is ever more critical than before.

SMA is launching its pilot this year with the objective of raising the level of trust in information and the quality of debate on sustainability issues. It will enable beneficiaries of the programme to produce high-quality content and equip them with the necessary skill sets and tools to advance sustainable development communication.

“We are excited to be launching the Sustainability Media Academy with our partners this year. Sustainability issues affect us daily – across business, government and civil society. The role of the media is so critical in setting the tone for constructive debates and inputting the spotlight on complex issues that we need to address,” said EB Impact founding director Jessica Cheam.

“We hope that through this academy we can nurture a generation of journalists and content producers who will play a constructive role in helping the region achieve the SDG targets and who can fight misinformation and raise the quality of media information around sustainability,” she added.

“We are excited to support the launch of the Sustainability Media Academy with EB Impact and industry partners. The SMA is part of our continued investment into sustainability journalism and ensuring that we are accelerating access to reliable climate information for billions of people around the world. At Meta, we believe sustainability is about operating responsibly. We’re committed to tackling one of the most urgent issues in the world by doing our part to minimise our energy, emissions and water impact, as well as ensuring that we leverage our products and services to inspire climate action,” said Shanti Alexander, Policy Programs Manager, Meta.

“The public depends on the media to learn about issues like climate change. Journalists who understand sustainability issues and how to report about them can be a bridge between science and the public. And the Sustainability Media Academy is working to equip journalists with exactly those skills,” said Sonny Rosenthal, Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Studies at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU.

In its first year, the Sustainability Media Academy will offer a three-day programme in a hybrid format and will take in 50 beneficiaries from the region. It will feature leading journalism practitioners, sustainability experts, policymakers and industry leaders in its curriculum.

Applications for the programme are now open here and will close on 20th June. The programme will come at no charge for successful applicants.

-Ends-

Note to Editors:

All media coverage on the Sustainability Media Academy should include a mention of the Sustainability Media Academy, an initiative by EB Impact, in partnership with Meta.‍

For media inquiries, interviews and photos, please contact:

Dian S Anderson

dian.anderson@ebimpact.org

Associate Director

EB Impact

The SDG Co, 2 Science Park Drive | 01-03, Ascent | Singapore 118222

About EB Impact

EB Impact is the non-profit sister organisation of Eco-Business, focused on delivering training and programmes to Asia Pacific’s underserved communities with a focus on youth to generate positive sustainable development impact. We are headquartered in Singapore and our three strategic areas of focus are Education, Youth, and Nature-based solutions. All our programmes are designed to directly generate a positive environment and social impact on society.

About Meta

Founded in 2004, Meta's mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. People use Meta's apps and technologies to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses. Meta is a trademark of Meta, Inc.

About Sustainability Media Academy  

The Sustainability Media Academy is focused and is dedicated to media and communication education, enabling individuals with tools to produce high-quality content to advance sustainability in the Asia region. The academy will act as an enabler and equip individuals with the right mindset and tools in their pursuit of knowledge and content production around sustainability issues.

About Eco-Business

Established in 2009, Eco-Business is an independent media and business intelligence company dedicated to sustainable development and ESG performance. It publishes high quality, trusted news and views in multimedia formats on business and policy developments around the world with sustainability and ESG-focused lens.    

It publishes trusted news and views in multimedia formats on business and policy developments around the world with sustainability and ESG-focused lens. The Eco-Business website houses more than a decade-long archive of information on sustainable development issues in the region and globally.

Eco-Business provides research and consulting on a wide range of issues which create strategic value for our partners and clients. It owns and creates thought-leadership platforms which inform policymaking, improve business practices and foster collaboration among different sectors. Eco-Business is headquartered in Singapore, with a presence in China, the Philippines, Malaysia, India and Europe, and correspondents in major cities across the world. Visit us at www.eco-business.com.  

APPENDIX

Strategic objectives

The Academy has set out three main objectives:

• Inspire content creators to pursue their passion in the area of sustainable development and to be thought leaders in the media and communications field
• Promote sustainability education in the media industry, to broaden their horizon and develop expertise on sustainability topics
• Raise the level of trust and the quality of debate on sustainability issues; fight misinformation around climate change issues.

The programme will focus on three modules:

• 101 Journalism on Sustainability: This module covers the fundamentals of journalism on sustainable development issues and content writing, providing participants with relevant background knowledge on sustainability topics.
• Multimedia Production: This module covers the fundamentals of multimedia production and how it can be used for storytelling purposes to advance sustainability.
• Developing Beats: This module covers the fundamentals of how an aspiring journalist can work on discovering a niche topic or subject area in the field of sustainability.

The Academy will offer this programme to journalists and content producers from the region interested in reporting and communicating on sustainable development and climate change. The Academy has also convened a regional advisory board, which provides strategic direction for the programme.

The Sustainability Media Academy Advisory Board members include:

• Alex Fenby, Head, News Partnerships, South East Asia at Meta
• Prof Ang Peng Hwa, Programme Director, Master of Media and Communication, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information NTU
• Keith Lin, Director, Public Affairs at Temasek
• Ms Hedwig Rasamah Alfred, Assistant Chair, Undergraduate Studies at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU
• Prof Sonny Rosenthal, Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Studies at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU
• Jessica Cheam, Founder, Eco-Business and EB Impact

Applications for the programme will open on 4th May 2022 and will close on 20th June. The programme will come at no charge for successful applicants.

Applicants to the Sustainability Media Academy will also be invited to attend Ecosperity Week 2022 held in Singapore from 7 to 9 June, to help them gain an understanding and knowledge of sustainability and sustainable development issues apparent in Asia today, which will further support them as they take part in the academy.

Themed “Accelerating Action at Scale”, the annual sustainability event hosted by Temasek will gather global business leaders, policymakers, investors and civil society from Asia and beyond to deep-dive into real solutions and key levers to accelerate the energy revolution, decarbonise transport and heavy industries, and finance Asia’s green transition.

Journalists will get an opportunity to immerse themselves in sustainability-themed conversations and gain exposure to reporting on a wide range of issues.

‍