Today, albert announces the launch of the albert news consortium, a group which has been set up to support the broadcast and production community specifically engaged in news television.
The news consortium will work alongside the BAFTA albert consortium - now in its 10th year -and the albert sports consortium which launched in 2020 with Hazel Irvine as its chair. Much like the other two groups the news consortium will focus on the specific environmental issues related to news and will work collaboratively to create initiatives designed to reduce the impact of news production as well as inspiring sustainable futures through its content. The founding members of the group include ITN, BBC, ITV News, Sky News and Channel 4. More news groups are invited to join and should contact albert via their website for more details. Together the group will explore creating certification for news programming, standardising the carbon footprint measurement of a news room and increasing albert training and engagement with staff.
Oonagh Forster, who leads the Environment Group at ITV News said, “Climate stories have been steadily rising up the agenda for news teams and now is the time for us to take decisive action to shape the future of our news programming and ensure that through our actions and our reporting, we are helping the general public to understand the climate issues and more importantly, feel empowered to take positive action to prevent the deepening climate crisis”
Richard Lawson, Director of Commercial Production at ITN added, ‘We are delighted to be part of the albert news consortium. The TV industry has long shown that collaboration is a key component in the fight against climate change and we look forward to working with our colleagues from across the sector to share best practice and deliver the very best climate related content to our viewers.
Sarah Whitehead, Deputy Head of Newsgathering, Sky News, said: ‘As the Principal Partner and Media Partner of the COP26 Summit, Sky is committed to using our voice and our reach through Sky News to report on this pivotal moment for climate recovery. There has never been a more urgent need for our Industry to report accurately and informatively on the climate crisis. At Sky News, we have campaigned for the removal of single-use plastics, appointed a dedicated climate change reporter and brought our audiences environmental stories from around the world with 'A New Climate'. The albert consortium provides a fantastic platform to share best practice among peers, including learnings from Sky's overall ambition to be net zero carbon by 2030.”
Notes to editor
For more information, including interview requests please contact Genevieve Margrett – [email protected] www.wearealbert.org
About albert
albert is the screen industry authority on environmental sustainability. Founded in 2011, the project supports the industry in eliminating its environmental impact as well as developing on-screen content that is compatible with a sustainable climate. A BAFTA, indie and broadcaster backed project, albert is proudly industry funded, meaning all our activities are available at the lowest possible cost to organisations and zero cost to individuals. With events, online tools and training, practical guidance and thought leadership, albert is enabling all screen industry professions to identify and act upon opportunities on and off screen, for effective climate action. Find out more www.wearealbert.org
About BAFTA
BAFTA – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts - is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
