public interest journalism, which is most suited to cover issues of climate change. Climate change is the context in which all our lives will be lived with its scale and impact escalating over the coming decades. Strong, independent public interest environmental journalism is essential in light of the abundance of disinformation around climate change. While the media cannot reverse the adverse effects of climate change, it can nonetheless, play an important role in raising awareness and shaping public policy. The threats to public interest journalism come in many forms — sustainability and viability issues impacting the media in Southern Africa post the COVID-19 pandemic era, competition from digital platforms and the new business models that impact signficantly on legacy media. The framing of climate change as a pressing global crisis can influence public opinion and place it on the political agenda, prompting policymakers to act. When there are regulatory failures and environmental degradation, for example, the media can act as watchdogs by holding governments, corporations, and other powerful groups accountable. Why climate change journalism matters in the region and way forward There are several strategies or actions that can be implemented to improve climate change journalism and communication in Southern Donkeys from Tshelanyemba village cross a dry Tshatshani riverbed in Matobo District, Matabeleland South province, in Zimbabwe. Crops and livestock have borne much of the brunt of the climate change crisis. (CREDIT: Sharon Sibindi) STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023 12