The SEJ WatchDog Alert

The WatchDog Alert (formerly WatchDog TipSheet from 2008-2019) was a regular source of story ideas, articles, updates, events and other information with a focus on freedom-of-information issues of concern to environmental journalists in both the United States and Canada.

WatchDog was compiled, edited and written by Joseph A. Davis, who directs the WatchDog Project, an activity of SEJ's Freedom of Information Task Force that reports on secrecy trends and supports reporters' efforts to make better use of FOIA.

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Latest WatchDog Alert Items

September 23, 2015

How Do We Know the Science Is Conflict-Free?

Disclosure issues have been in the news of late — especially the war over research on genetically modified organisms. Now journalist Sara Reardon, in Nature News & Comment, has taken a deep look at disclosure policies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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NICAR To Publish Long-Suppressed National Inventory of Dams

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has for years suppressed full disclosure of the National Inventory of Dams, once a key tool for journalists reporting on dam safety — or the government's failure to ensure it. Now that tool is back in the toolbox ... mostly.

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Do You Live Near a Hazardous Waste Site That's Still Not Cleaned Up?

Several data resources can help journalists who want to develop stories about still-hazardous sites in their locality or region, including EPA's National Priorities List, CERCLIS database and state agencies.

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Groups' Efforts for Disclosure of Pesticide "Inerts" Grinds On

Whether pesticides harm the birds and bees — or human health — matters a lot. One of the public's protections is the requirement for disclosure in the nation's pesticide laws. Three groups, represented by Earthjustice, argue that EPA has authority under current federal pesticide law to require disclosure of inert ingredients.

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September 9, 2015

Settlement Sets Disclosure on Decade-old Gulf Oil Leak

You'd think there shouldn't be such a thing as a secret oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Earlier this year, the Associated Press uncovered an offshore well in the Gulf that had been leaking for a decade. Now — thanks to a lawsuit from environmentalists — the details will be revealed.

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Feds Open Unclassified Spy Satellite Data on Arctic to Public

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which runs satellites collecting geodata both classified and unclassified, has put up a new Web page with Arctic information. It just went up, and it's as little geeky, but it shows promise for longer-term utility.

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FOIA'd E-Mails Open Window on GMO Lobbying by Academics

Investigative reporting in the environmental area depends on the Freedom of Information Act. The latest exposé on GMO lobbying in the New York Times by double-Pulitzer-winner Eric Lipton is a good example.

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Secret Reports to Congress — Revealed for Environmental Reporters

New expert background reports of interest to environmental journalists and the public have been published by the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy.

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August 26, 2015

Food Safety Group Sues Ag Department for FOIA'd Records on GMO Crops

The Center for Food Safety has sued the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service under the Freedom of Information Act for withholding information on genetically modified crops (GMOs), after unsuccessfully seeking information over a period of 13 years.

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State Judge Orders Disclosure of Maryland Oil Train Data

A Maryland state judge this month ordered a state agency to give news media routing information about oil trains within Maryland — adding momentum to efforts to warn firefighters and communities about dangers they face. Photo: 2013 Lac Megantic, Quebec, disaster, by Elias Schewel/Flickr.

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The SEJ WatchDog Alert

Latest WatchDog Alert Items

September 23, 2015

How Do We Know the Science Is Conflict-Free?

NICAR To Publish Long-Suppressed National Inventory of Dams

Do You Live Near a Hazardous Waste Site That's Still Not Cleaned Up?

Groups' Efforts for Disclosure of Pesticide "Inerts" Grinds On

September 9, 2015

Settlement Sets Disclosure on Decade-old Gulf Oil Leak

Feds Open Unclassified Spy Satellite Data on Arctic to Public

FOIA'd E-Mails Open Window on GMO Lobbying by Academics

Secret Reports to Congress — Revealed for Environmental Reporters

August 26, 2015

Food Safety Group Sues Ag Department for FOIA'd Records on GMO Crops

State Judge Orders Disclosure of Maryland Oil Train Data

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