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Ignoring the Elephant in the (News)room
The quarterly SEJ President's Report in SEJournal normally examines an issue important to the future health of the Society of Environmental Journalists and what you as a member might do about it. This time, in the just-released Winter 2015 issue, Jeff Burnside's report examines a different set of responsibilities: whether journalism is asleep at the wheel in failing to sufficiently cover a looming, irreversible environmental issue. Our most iconic and beloved wild species are now on the precipice of extinction, functionally if not literally.
Here are some recently leaked CRS reports of relevance to environmental journalists, as well as the latest on the debate following the NYT editorial calling for the reports to be made public.
For the Society of Environmental Journalists, diversity in environmental reporting has long been a concern. Over the organization’s 25-year history, its staff continually has asserted a two-pronged approach to inclusive coverage on the beat. The organization hopes the diversity concern will have its day in the sun at the upcoming annual conference Oct. 7-11, 2015, in Norman, OK.
Power company Pacificorp has gone to court to prevent the Interior Department from disclosing how many birds are found dead at its wind-energy turbine sites. AP reporter Dina Cappiello has been writing an investigative series on the birds, including eagles, killed at wind farms in the U.S. The series found that federal regulators have not prosecuted or penalized wind-energy companies when their turbines kill birds and — the government has helped keep the scope of bird mortality secret.
Perhaps the biggest value in fellowships is that they can provide a base of knowledge about issues a journalist has not yet investigated. And there’s no telling when that knowledge will come in handy. Read how freelancer Lisa Palmer's experiences with fellowships profoundly shaped her career, and explore resources to help you find a program that will best suit your needs.
An environmental group is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for denying a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for information on the impacts of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline on whooping cranes, piping plovers and other endangered species. Photo: Piping plover/USFWS.