December 11, 2018 — At ABC News, I’m the only person dedicated to covering environmental issues full time. It can be frustrating, because I know there’s no way that I can report on all of the important environmental stories that deserve national coverage, and convincing my editors that these stories matter isn’t always easy.

That’s why I found this year’s Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Flint, Michigan [2] — my first time at SEJ’s annual event — to be the most practical and motivating conference I’ve ever attended. I connected with so many fellow environmental reporters and found a special community that helped me feel inspired and supported.

I found sources for multiple stories that I reported in the weeks after the conference, and the conference sessions empowered me to start more conversations at my network about how we cover climate change. I learned about several resources, including Climate Matters, that I have recommended to editors and senior producers as ways to help the network improve its science coverage.

Sometimes I still feel frustrated, but because of SEJ, I’m more capable of tackling the important environmental stories one at a time and pushing ABC News to make them a bigger priority.

 

Stephanie Ebbs — ABC News-Washington

 

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