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THE BILLBOARD
NASA satellite image of Hurricane Gustav making landfall, 2:00PM CDT, September 1, 2008. Image details and large version.
• See the finalists in SEJ's 7th Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment!
• SEJ Elections 2008: Candidate Statements
• Event of the week: Managing Water in a Climate Changing World: Implications for Irrigation, Drainage and Flood Control
• SEJournal excerpt: Magic Number: A sketchy "fact" about polar bears keeps going ... and going ... and going
• IMPORTANT NOTICE: SEJ.org upgrade in process! Questions? Trouble logging in? Details...
• SEJ joins in suit on officials' e-mails
• What's where on SEJ.org???
• SEJ's Climate change guide
• Covering Climate Change: A Seminar Snapshot by SEJ and NewsU
• JournalismTraining.org
• Online membership renewal and donations
• SEJ wants you: How to get involved and make a difference for environmental journalism
News feeds available for selected SEJ contentNews feeds available for selected SEJ web content
Story ideas from TipSheet NEW 9/3/08
The US EPA has released its recommendations as to which counties are in nonattainment of its fine particulate standard, set in 2006. Differences of opinion abound. You'll find this, as well as other environmental story ideas, in the latest issue of TipSheet.
Calendar event of the week NEW 9/1/08
Sep. 17-20, 2008: Global climate changes are modifying the way water is managed in the American West. Some of the resulting impacts of climate change, such as increased crop water demands, are only beginning to be felt, while others, such as earlier melting of mountain snowpacks, are already well advanced. Managing Water in a Climate Changing World: Implications for Irrigation, Drainage and Flood Control in Portland, OR is designed to help water managers prepare for decision situations where old rules and old expectations no longer apply, and new design practices, operating rules, management practices, and legislation altering water management policies and water rights will be required. Contact: Larry Stephens, U.S. Society for Irrigation and Drainage Professionals, 303-628-5430.

Looking for current events on interesting environmental topics? The above event is this week's feature from SEJ's popular Environmental Events Calendar, which is emailed weekly to members, and is available online here. Know of an upcoming event that may be of interest to environmental journalists? You'll also find a simple submission form you can use to add an event to the listing.

Excerpt from SEJournal
Magic Number: A sketchy "fact" about polar bears keeps going ... and going ... and going
By PETER DYKSTRA
After the listing of the polar bear as a threatened species in May, which some thought ludicrous, global warming deniers repeatedly cited increased polar bear population figures. Peter Dykstra, executive producer for science, tech, weather at CNN, began to wonder about the legitimacy and source of the numbers. Read the story of his global quest to find the truth here.

Summer 2008
Table of Contents
NOTE: All of the other articles in the Summer 2008 SEJournal are available to members only here (information on joining SEJ). Subscribers receive a hard and/or e-copy (information on subscribing). Subscribers: Watch your email — or contact SEJ for an e-copy. Previous issues of SEJournal are available to both members and non-members here.

SEJournal, the quarterly newsletter of the Society of Environmental Journalists, offers advice, research, tips and tools to better your writing. With a fresh new look, the Web Edition of SEJournal Summer 2008 has lots of clickable web addresses for quick reference and magnificent color photos. (Mac users: Note that URLs will not be hotlinked if you're using Preview. Open the PDF in Adobe Reader for clickable links.)

SEJ tracks threats to freedom of information

On May 6, 2008, SEJ joined other journalism groups in filing a "friend of the court" brief in a Washington state lawsuit seeking access to public officials' e-mails under state law. Many reporters use e-mail messages obtained by FOIA requests or other means as the basis for high-impact stories about government corruption or malfeasance. Full details.

Also, check out the latest issue of SEJ's award-winning FOI publication, WatchDog Tipsheet, with searchable archives of story ideas, articles, updates, events and other information with a focus on FOI issues of concern to environmental journalists in both the United States and Canada. It includes a database of State FOI Resources and Actions.

SEJ and NewsU collaborations
Covering Climate Change seminar snapshot graphic
News University, the Poynter Institute's innovative e-learning center that helps journalists through self-directed training, has made available "Covering Climate Change: A Seminar Snapshot," at no cost. This Seminar Snapshot, produced in partnership with the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) and the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, is an edited version of the full-day News Executive Roundtable on Climate Change, a pre-conference event for SEJ's 2007 annual conference at Stanford University. Get ideas for innovative environmental coverage, understand how human activity is impacting the climate, see what effect climate change has on plants and animals and find out more about energy policy and conservation.

Covering Water Quality graphic
Another free course, available through partnership between SEJ and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies/NewsU, is "Covering Water Quality." The course, instructed by Amy Gahran on behalf of SEJ, helps participants gain a better understanding of the issues surrounding the quality of drinking water.
Resources for reporting on climate change
SEJ has created a special reporters' online resource section devoted to climate — Climate Change: A Guide to the Information and Disinformation. It is drawn from the Rolodexes, notebooks, and background files of some of the top reporters in the business. The guide is, and will remain, a work in progress. Let us know what you think.
SEJ outreach programs
Are you looking for ways to improve environmental coverage in your newsroom? SEJ can help, with our speaker's bureau, mentoring program and publications such as TipSheet and our environmental events calendar. Contact the SEJ office for more details.
An organization of journalists, for journalists
SEJ2007 conference attendees learn about "Fire Ecology and Management within an Urban-Wildland Interface," one of 10 Sunday tours at Stanford University's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.
Photo by Beth Parke. Click to enlarge.
With more than 1,400 members in the U.S. and 27 other countries, SEJ is the world's oldest and largest membership association of individual news professionals, students and academics dedicated to more and better environmental journalism. Membership is open to journalists, educators and students. Non-members may attend SEJ's conferences, subscribe to the quarterly SEJournal or contact SEJ members via our mailing list or our e-mail service. Surf our pages for everything you want to know about environmental reporting.

THE source for journalists reporting on the environment
JournalismTraining.org
JournalismTraining.org logo
JournalismTraining.org was created to provide a centralized location for journalists seeking information about professional development opportunities. The site brings together those seeking training and those best equipped to provide it. You'll find a searchable database of local, regional and national journalism training programs arranged to easily find, compare and determine which training best meets your individual needs. The project was developed by the Society of Professional Journalists for the Council of National Journalism Organizations (CNJO), of which SEJ is an affiliate. Brochure (requires free Adobe Acrobat ® reader).

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SEJ EVENT COVERAGE
Multimedia coverage for:
• Covering Climate: The Health Angle (April 30)
• Green Business — Sorting Fact from Hype (April 28)
• Political Climate: Environment, Energy & the 2008 Election (April 11)
JOURNALISM EVENTS
AND OPPORTUNITIES:

Sep 8, 2008: The Grantham Prize Seminar takes place at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Following afternoon presentations by the Prize Winners and Award of Special Merit Recipients, a moderated panel, 7:30-9:00 p.m., will feature national leaders in science, industry, environmental policy, and journalism to discuss the major climate change policy considerations facing the next President and the nation. Both sessions are free and open to the public, but seating is limited.

Sep 8, 2008: DEADLINE to apply for the all-expenses-paid McCormick Tribune Specialized Reporting Institute on Climate Change in Columbus, Ohio, October 12-14, 2008. Hosted by the Kiplinger Program at Ohio State University to help journalists understand climate change, its impact on local communities and how governments respond.

Sep 10, 2008: DEADLINE for the UN Correspondents Association's 13th Annual UNCA Awards, for best written and electronic media coverage of the United Nations, its agencies and field operations. $30K in prizes. No entry fees. Open to all.

Sep 12, 2008: DEADLINE to enter Editor & Publisher's 9th annual Newspaper Photos of the Year Contest. Open worldwide. Winner receives $1,000 and a digital camera.

Sep 13, 2008: DEADLINE to register for veteran magazine writer/SEJ member Wendee Holtcamp's next online course, Writing about the Environment for Magazines, Sep 20-Nov 1, 2008. Also available: Advanced Workshop, Aug 30-Oct 11, 2008.

Sep 15, 2008: DEADLINE for reporters, writers, editors or producers from any country with minimum five years of full-time experience in journalism to apply for a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship to attend Medical Evidence Boot Camp 2008, December 1-5, at MIT in Cambridge, MA.

Sep 16, 2008: SEJ members/friends pub night, 6:30 pm, C'est What? 67 Front Street, Toronto, ON. RSVP.

Sep 21, 2008: DEADLINE to apply for Blue Earth Alliance sponsorship of your educational photographic project about threatened cultures, endangered environments or other social concerns.

Sep 25-26, 2008: In Vancouver, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), in partnership with the University of British Columbia (UBC), will hold a journalist workshop focusing on one of the most controversial issues of our time — how is the environment affecting our health? Limited seating. For more information or to register: David Coulombe, CIHR Media Specialist, 613-941-4563.

Oct 17, 2008: DEADLINE to apply for fellowships for Technology Training Workshops, Dec 16-19 2008, and Feb 17-20 2009, at the Knight Digital Media Center, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Oct 22-23, 2008: Up to twenty-five editors and eminent senior journalists of leading print or broadcast media will exchange perspectives on current affairs relevant to both Asia and Europe at the 4th Asia-Europe Editors' Roundtable in Beijing, China. The roundtable will focus on "Globalised Media: The Unification/Fragmentation Paradox" and "The Media's Role in Promoting Environmental Awareness: A Global Role for the Media?"

MORE: Journalism awards, fellowships/workshops and a calendar of environmental events.

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