The New York Times launched a new ad on climate change, featuring reporting from correspondent Nicholas Casey and photography from Josh Haner, as part of its ‘The Truth Is Worth It’ brand campaign.
The challenge
The Times has been steadily investing in climate journalism since 2017 with the launch of its Climate desk and the appointment of the desk’s editor, Hannah Fairfield. As reporters and editors on the desk continue to reveal the global effects of climate change and climate policy issues by reporting from all over the world, the team is also expanding coverage to show readers that climate change is personal – like in its interactive on how climate change may impact their hometown, or by offering guidance on what they people can do in their everyday life to help reduce their carbon footprints.
The solution
The spot takes viewers through the reporting process that led to their groundbreaking interactive investigation into the impacts of warming seas on the Galápagos Islands.
As the ad shows, the journalists began their reporting by looking into warming temperatures across the globe, which led them to the Galápagos, where they secured permits and lived on a boat for seven days as they explored the Islands’s ecosystem and wildlife. Their research, along with research from scientists, led to the discovery of a number of adverse environmental effects of the warming climate including sea lions dying prematurely, fish disappearing and birds becoming infertile as the seas warm.
The ad campaign aired on linear and streaming television and across social channels, as well as in The Times in print and online.
The results
The ad was a hot online and earned plenty of earned media. It went on to win a prestigous D&AD Award in 2019.
The news brand hopes the spots will make clear how much dedication and time goes into breaking a story at The New York Times under the campaign banner ‘The Truth is Worth It’.