© 2024 Central Florida Public Media. All Rights Reserved.
90.7 FM Orlando • 89.5 FM Ocala
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Stay up to date with the latest news and information about Central Florida Public Media

90.7 WMFE Partners With Florida Center for Investigative Reporting on Climate Change Series

 

90.7 WMFE PARTNERS WITH FLORIDA CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING ON CLIMATE CHANGE SERIES

WMFE REPORTER AMY GREEN LEADS OFF THE SERIES WITH A FEATURE ON YANKEETOWN, WHERE RESIDENTS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD ON PREPARING FOR RISING SEAS

Orlando -- The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit organization to produce and fund journalism in Florida’s public interest, has launched a 2018 investigative series into climate change and state government inaction.

90.7 WMFE is one of three Florida NPR member stations — along with WUSF in Tampa and WLRN in Miami — to partner with FCIR on the project, which will show how climate change is affecting communities and environmental habitats throughout Florida. FCIR is also partnering with state newspapers to reach as many Florida residents as possible.

Leading off the series is WMFE reporter Amy Green’s story about how the small community of Yankeetown, on Florida’s Gulf coast, has taken an unprecedented approach to sea-level rise.

The story ran in several state newspapers on Sunday, July 8, including the Miami HeraldFlorida Times-UnionNaples Daily News and Citrus County Chronicle, and the radio feature aired at 7:50 a.m. Tuesday, July 10, on 90.7 WMFE. Amy spoke about her reporting at 9 a.m. Tuesday on Intersection with host Matthew Peddie. FCIR Executive Director Trevor Aaronson also joined the program to talk about the partnership. Listen to the segment here.

Amy's story, along with photos and a video by Isaac Babcock, is on the FCIR website and on WMFE's In-Depth website, which features a deeper dive into the news coverage for which 90.7 WMFE is known.

FCIR's Aaronson wrote in a post to readers on Sunday that the climate change project was an easy and timely choice.

"The effects of climate change are enormously important to Florida and its more than 20 million residents, in a state where the unspoiled environment, from the beaches to the freshwater springs to the Everglades, is the most precious natural resource," he wrote. "But we also thought it was time to examine the impact of Gov. Rick Scott’s ban on the use of the terms 'climate change' and 'global warming' in official state communications — a controversial practice FCIR revealed in 2015."

Learn more about the FCIR series here.

About FCIR
The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit news organization supported by foundations and individual contributions. For more information, visit fcir.org.

About Community Communications Inc.:
Community Communications Inc. is a non-profit, member-supported, community-based public broadcasting company that operates 90.7 WMFE-FM, metro Orlando’s primary provider of NPR programming; 90.7-2 Classical; and since March 2018, 89.5 WMFV, public radio for The Villages, Leesburg and The Golden Triangle. Part of the community since 1980, Community Communications focuses on providing quality national and local news and programming. Visit  wmfe.org and  wmfv.org for more information.

# # #

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Please contact Communications & Marketing Specialist Jenny Babcock at jbabcock@wmfe.org or 407-273-2300 ext. 112.