The story of how Sky News kickstarted its daily climate crisis coverage
Sky News won in the Best Use of Social Media category at The Drum Awards for Online Media 2022 for its daily climate change coverage. Here, we find out more about what went into this successful project.
Sky News TikTok live coverage
Sky News has always covered the climate crisis story, but only ever in fits and starts. In 2021, however, it saw the sense of urgency and vowed to cover the story daily as events unfolded across the world.
The brief
The aim was to launch daily environmental coverage, being mindful of people who have become disillusioned by purely negative reporting. It therefore had to show just how far we’ve come and that progress is being made.
Sky News wanted to tell stories of people who are coming up with solutions, ensuring its climate reporting on social media isn’t worthy or preachy but instead inclusive and relevant, and sometimes even fun.
The idea
Eight months before Cop26, mindful of younger audiences who have become disillusioned by purely negative climate reporting, Sky News put together a team with three distinct objectives.
Firstly, it would launch a Weekly Climate Show for Snapchat, IGTV, Twitter and Facebook. Secondly, it was to go live on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms to meet the people who are making a difference or finding solutions to the climate crisis. Thirdly, it would look to regularly engage audiences with non-video-based social media posts that inform, entertain and educate with positive stories and explainer content.
Sky News also partnered with TikTok to live stream non-stop coverage from Cop26 and partnered with the Met Office to go live for a special TikTok program on how weather systems are impacted by the changing climate.
The results
Praise for Sky News coverage has come from Al Gore, John Kerry and US environmental activist Erin Brockovich, who said: ”I am damn proud of you [Sky News] – taking on the conversation of climate, of water, of this planet, of its future. Putting it out there so people can know, people can learn.”
Its top Snapchat show about Bangladeshi women forced into sex work due to rising sea levels achieved 3.26m views and its top-performing Twitter poll (Would you eat bugs to save the planet?) got more than 37,000 votes and more than 1,000 comments and retweets.
Sky News said the results have been a huge success and a testament to the outlet’s dedication to covering the climate crisis.
This project was a winner at The Drum Awards for Online Media 2022. You can see all the winners here.
And check out which of The Drum Awards are currently open for entry.