As a platform for unbreaking news, The Correspondent aims to add depth of understanding to news stories, exposing what is systemic and challenging the status quo, rather than simply recounting sensational events. In doing so, we often do not simply respond to or recount current events, even when they dominate the headlines.
But sometimes, current events can trigger the question: how might we report on this without regurgitating coverage found elsewhere in the media?
The devastating wildfires in Australia are a good example. Rather than competing with news media to bring you live updates on the events in the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria, we chose to publish a column by engagement editor Imogen Champagne, who is from that region and whose family has been caught up in the fires.
We hope her deeply personal piece will prompt reflection: while the circumstances in Australia may be unique, the reticence to act on climate science has been largely universal. Individuals and communities reckoning with the catastrophic impact of ignoring climate science is a story that we wanted to tell.
