I stubbornly resist this grim statistical fate. Instead, I’ve been in and out of low-paying nursing, warehouse and bar jobs, eventually embarking on a career path that suits my interests and skills. But for a while, it felt as if the minimum wage was killing my energy, motivation, and dreams.
For most writers in journalism, we would do anything to get an article published. Our innocence is exploited, we are tripped and ripped off. What most writers don’t understand is that their words are more meaningful and valuable than they can comprehend.
Journalists record history with a pen. They brought up the realities of war, such as the failed pursuit of Vietnam. Movements from the Montgomery bus boycott to Black Lives Matter have been captured, reported, told and retold throughout history.
If we don’t have a representative voice now, future generations will see the past through the oblique lenses of the mass media.
ecocide
We are currently witnessing the demise of journalism – as an art, a profession and a viable profession. Disillusioned, most journalists mass press releases, also known as “churnalism,” or succumb to pressure to write click-bait articles — their sole purpose is to attract the attention of advertisers.
At the same time, in an age of attention deficit, we face problems that demand our attention more than ever. As climatic conditions worsen, and businesses implement and successfully escape after ecocide, we are slowly losing our only chance of survival as a species.
After witnessing loggers clearing swathes of South America’s supposedly protected national parks, I knew my heart and mind needed a career in environmental journalism.
As protectors of the planet – journalists stand with Indigenous peoples, exploited minors, and families poisoned by mercury in their water systems.
strength
Our words have power, they are a vehicle for hope, a remedy for severe upheaval – a way out of the climate crisis. As long as they are heard.
this Ecologist Writers Fund Aims to provide a space for writers from marginalized communities and countries most affected by the climate crisis.
all donate Will directly support our writers. So far, we’ve covered stories from around the world, including: The struggle to preserve nature in rural Turkey, Fear of dangerous dams in Indiaand thoughts left behind in the global south.
Do you have a story to tell?We are currently accepting applications here.
this author
Yasmin Dahnoun is ecologist.
