Freedom of Information Sessions at SEJ's 2013 Annual Conference in Chattanooga

September 25, 2013–On Saturday, October 5: At 9:00 a.m. SEJ FOI Task Force Chair Tim Wheeler of the Baltimore Sun will moderate a session on overcoming obstacles put up by agency press offices to reporters who want to interview government officials. At 10:45 a.m. WatchDog Editor Joe Davis will present a hands-on session with tips for sleuthing dam and levee stories using federal databases like the National Inventory of Dams and the National Levee Database.

Paragliding Photojournalist Arrested Near Kansas Feedlot

July 17, 2013–Award-winning photojournalist George Steinmetz was arrested June 28, 2013, after flying a motorized paraglider over a cattle feedlot in Finney County, Kansas, while on assignment for National Geographic magazine.

If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Guyana (Or Qatar, or France): How One Freelancer Supports a Travel Addiction

July 15, 2013–In this excerpt from the latest issue of SEJournal (Summer), freelancer Erica Gies shares how she has created a "citizen of the world" reporting portfolio, gets paid to travel, and gains perspective on herself, her country and the common problems we all face.

Congressional Research Service Reports on Environment Leaked

June 19, 2013–Topics of the latest CRS reports shared by the Federation of American Scientist's Project on Government Secrecy include GMO wheat, earthquake risk and highway infrastructure, carbon capture and sequestration, the regional greenhouse gas initiative, regulation of fertilizers, and more.

Secret CRS Reports on Environmental Topics Published

November 14, 2012–Here are more Congressional Research Service reports relevant to the environment/energy beat, published by the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy.

Can You Find Local Stories in FAA Wildlife Strike Database?

September 19, 2012–Should passengers taking off from — or landing at — your local airport worry about bird strikes? You can find information leading to a few answers in the Federal Aviation Administration's online, searchable FAA Wildlife Strike Database.

More Secret CRS Backgrounders Written at Public Expense

September 19, 2012–The Congressional Research Service regularly produces objective and informative background material on matters of interest to environmental journalists. Because Congress refuses to release these reports to the public, the WatchDog links to leaked versions published by the Project on Government Secrecy of the Federation of American Scientists.

Traveling Florida’s Lost Wildlife Highways

September 15, 2012–In this excerpt from the latest issue of SEJournal (Summer/Fall), freelance writer and photographer Roger Archibald tells the tale of the 2012 Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition, which sought to reclaim a tenuous natural migratory route that the state’s surviving endemic wildlife might once again follow.

Toolbox: Hazmat Table a Key Tool for Environmental Reporters

August 8, 2012–What's in that derailed railcar or overturned tanker truck? The answer is often visible on a hazmat placard affixed to the vehicle (we suggest binoculars). The placard often includes a "UN number" which you can look up in the "Hazardous Materials Table" published in the Code of Federal Regulations, among other places. 

Dept. of Transportation Expedites Money to Local Projects

January 4, 2012–Your coverage of the awards, which range from $1 million to $20 million, can focus on topics such as the environmental pros and cons of each project, how urgent the projects really are, how “shovel-ready” they are, their merits in comparison to the projects they beat out, the political implications of the early funding as the presidential campaign heats up, and more.