Poznan: UN Accredits DeSmog Reporter – First Blog in History
By Kevin Grandia
After two days of deliberations, the United Nations officials at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Poznan, Poland, agreed to give media accreditation to the DeSmogBlog, the first time in history that the UN has accredited a blog, according to UNFCCC Public Information and Media Assistant Carrie Assheuer.
"It was quite the ordeal," said DeSmogBlog Editor Richard Littlemore. "The UN system is set up to accommodate mainstream media and it's not an institution that's designed to be flexible or innovative."
But after Littlemore showered the UNFCCC press office with examples of DSB citations in everything from the Globe and Mail to the New York Times, Assheuer, a Canadian who was already familiar with the DeSmogBlog, finally acknowledged the blog's function as an online media outlet within the UN's now-more-flexible definition.
"I thought that the decision was particularly important because there are no other English-speaking reporters from Canada covering this conference," Littlemore said. "So, the UN is saying, 'We only deal with old media,' and the old media barons are saying, 'We don't care enough about climate change to send a reporter.' It was the perfect prescription for keeping Canadians in the dark about what's happening in Poznan."
DeSmogBlog co-founder James Hoggan said he was delighted to hear of Littlemore's success. "It's another happy side effect of setting up the DeSmogBlog," Hoggan said. In going to Poznan – and thanks to Richard's stubbornness – we have made the world a little more welcoming to new media. This isn't just about climate change. It's about access to information and free speech, and on that count, we're happy to be making good things happen."
Kevin is a contributor and strategic adviser to DeSmogBlog.
He runs the digital marketing agency Spake Media House. Named a "Green Hero" by Rolling Stone Magazine and one of the "Top 50 Tweeters" on climate change and environment issues, Kevin has appeared in major news media outlets around the world for his work on digital campaigning.
Kevin has been involved in the public policy arena in both the United States and Canada for more than a decade. For five years he was the managing editor of DeSmogBlog.com. In this role, Kevin's research into the "climate denial industry" and the right-wing think tank networks was featured in news media articles around the world. He is most well known for his ground-breaking research into David and Charles Koch's massive financial investments in the Republican and tea party networks.
Kevin is the first person to be designated a "Certified Expert" on the political and community organizing platform NationBuilder.
Prior to DeSmogBlog, Kevin worked in various political and government roles. He was Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and a Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Asia Pacific, Foreign Affairs for the Government of Canada. Kevin also worked in various roles in the British Columbia provincial government in the Office of the Premier and the Ministry of Health.
In 2008 Kevin co-founded a groundbreaking new online election tool called Vote for Environment which was later nominated for a World Summit Award in recognition of the world's best e-Content and innovative ICT applications.
Kevin moved to Washington, DC in 2010 where he worked for two years as the Director of Online Strategy for Greenpeace USA and has since returned to his hometown of Vancouver, Canada.