Forum on Atlantic Media and the Environment (FAME)

The Forum on Atlantic Media and the Environment (FAME) is a series of conferences bringing together environmental, energy, and scientific journalists from both sides of the Atlantic.

The aim of the conferences is to compare notes on challenges the journalists face in their respective regions and discuss responses to the rapid developments in information technology that are changing the face of U.S. and European journalism.

The conferences have also succeeded in creating an active network of international journalists, who are able to exchange resources and information to enhance their coverage of energy, environmental, and scientific issues.

The conferences bring together equal numbers of American and European journalists in different venues in Europe and the United States, and are usually attended by 20 to 30 participants.

Nine FAME conferences have been held over the past nine years: five in Europe and four in the United States. The conferences are designated in Roman numerals, so the tenth in the series will be FAME X. Participants come from all around the United States and a wide range of different European countries.

Previous FAME conferences in Europe have been held in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, and Spain. In the United States, FAME meetings have taken place in Boulder, CO; Missoula, MT; Miami, FL; and Lubbock, TX.

The last three conferences in the United States were organized in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ), a major U.S. journalists’ organization. FAME participants held their own separate conference and then attended the SEJ meetings.

The Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder has acted as an associate in convening the meetings, and hosted the first FAME conference in 2008. A unique feature of the FAME meetings is that journalists from both sides of the Atlantic make presentations of their recent work to encourage discussion of the latest journalistic issues, techniques and challenges.

FAME conferences also usually include a field trip to a local area of environmental or scientific interest.

The result of the conferences is that journalists leave with greater understanding of innovation in reporting techniques and new technologies, and of how their colleagues in other countries are grappling with similar problems. They also learn more about their areas of interest, write articles, and gain contacts and ideas for future reporting and comment.

The FAME conferences are organized by the Transatlantic Media Network, based at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC.