‘How to Cover Infrastructure’ is the first webinar in our 2023 season of the ‘how to cover’ series for journalists. A webinar series that explores environmental news topics and tips for reporters covering them. This panel features Xavier Martínez, Prof Bill Laurance, and Gerald Flynn as they answer questions and provide context relevant to reporting on infrastructure projects, including (but not limited to) their environmental impacts, funding, and prior consultation with locals.

This webinar focuses on regions such as Southeast Asia and Latin America.

Event details

When: February 2nd 7 p.m EST/4 p.m PST

Recording: YouTube

Registration: Closed

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The experts

Xavier Martinez is an environmental lawyer who has worked for several years to defend the human rights of Indigenous peoples and campesinos. He has worked at the Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental, A.C. (CEMDA) since 2013. He has served as regional director of the Gulf of Mexico office (2013-2016) and is currently the operations director. His main line of work is the intersection between the right to a healthy environment and water, and the rights of Indigenous peoples and comparable communities.

Bill Laurance is a distinguished research professor at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. He is also the founder and director of ALERT (Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers & Thinkers) and a member of Mongabay’s advisory board. An environmental scientist whose work spans the tropical world, Laurance has written eight books and over 700 scientific and popular articles. He is currently Australia’s top-ranked researcher in ecology, evolution and environment, and ranked 6th globally.

Gerald Flynn is a British journalist based in Cambodia who focuses on long-form investigations of political, environmental and social issues. His work has appeared in Al Jazeera 101 East, Mongabay, and others. He is a rainforest investigations fellow at the Pulitzer Center where he recently reported on the proposal for a 1,400-megawatt dam project on the Mekong River.