Reporting the Amazon: Safety, Mental Health and Climate Accountability

Focusing on the safety and wellbeing of journalists, this interactive roundtable will bridge local-to-global coverage on the road to COP30.

Karla Mendes

In this in-person interactive roundtable event, Mongabay's award-winning reporter (and SEJ board member) Karla Mendes will be in conversation with the Committee to Protect Journalists. Karla will share her experience with reporting on deforestation and threats against Indigenous defenders in the Amazon, with behind-the-scenes insights from her reporting on systematic environmental crimes and violence — and impunity — in the Arariboia Indigenous Territory. For her main investigation, which uncovered a direct connection between the expansion of the cattle industry in Maranhão state and an increase in violent crime against the inhabitants of the state’s Arariboia Indigenous Territory, Karla received the 2025 John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism. She is the first Brazilian journalist to receive this recognition.

Following Karla's remarks, CPJ will moderate an open discussion about the safety, health (including mental health), and wellbeing of journalists reporting on complex environmental issues.

Limited spots are available, with emphasis on the participation of journalists and journalism support organizations.

Where: Knight Foundation Press Freedom Center in New York City. The exact location will be provided to registered participants, along with information about how to access the building. Hybrid/remote access is available on an individual basis.

When: Friday, September 19, 2025 · 3:30 - 5pm EDT. Doors open at 3pm.

The event is co-organized by Mongabay, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists. It is hosted by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

More information.