Peter Prengaman is a journalist with The Associated Press and was recently appointed to their newly created position, Climate and Environmental News Director. In an interview with UCLA Newsroom, Prengaman discusses his background, the current state of journalism and how he views and approaches environmental reporting. 

The creation of an entire news division centered around climate change emphasizes the magnitude and importance of the problem. When asked how he tackles reporting upon climate, Prengaman shared that he categorizes stories into sectors such as emissions, clean energy and inequality. Within each sub-categories, Prengaman emphasizes the importance of humanizing each story.  

“Science is the basis for everything we talk about, but climate change is really a story about people — about inequality; about the scientists themselves and the work they’ve done for decades to really measure and quantify these changes; about people who are innovating, figuring out how to make different technologies more efficient; and, of course, politicians who decide on policy changes.” 

Read the rest of the interview and learn more about Prengaman at UCLA Newsroom. 

Image Source: Cassidy Araiza