Publication Items

EPA Science Integrity Threatened by House Republicans [1]

The closest thing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has to a press policy is actually its scientific integrity policy. But as WatchDog Opinion writer Joseph Davis writes in the latest EJ TransitionWatch, the EPA’s scientific integrity policy is under direct attack by a powerful congressman. What’s behind the attack? And could the EPA’s science be under assault next?

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ TransitionWatch [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Economy & Business [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [6]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Policy [10]
Science [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about EPA Science Integrity Threatened by House Republicans [1]
Threats of Media Censorship Cloud COP29 [14]

Again this year, a petrostate hosts the COP climate gathering. Azerbaijan as host not only raises questions of how an oil-rich nation can help foster the fossil fuel cuts needed to stem climate change. But WatchDog Opinion also worries what Azerbaijan’s poor press freedom record will mean for journalists covering the gathering and for the civil society that normally enlivens the meeting.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [16]
Climate Change [17]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [9]
Policy [10]
Region:
International [20]
Asia [21]
Europe [22]
Middle East [23]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Threats of Media Censorship Cloud COP29 [14]
Should Weather Data Really Be Withheld From the Public? [24]

Project 2025, which many consider a blueprint for a second Trump term, calls for breaking up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and pivoting its National Weather Service to commercial operations, shutting down its free flow of data to news outlets and others. WatchDog Opinion column argues a not-so-hidden motive is at the heart of these sweeping changes: the desire to obscure evidence of climate change.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [25]
Economy & Business [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [9]
Policy [10]
Science [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Should Weather Data Really Be Withheld From the Public? [24]
Investigation Explores Dueling Narratives for Addressing Climate Change [26]

Is carbon capture a climate solution or a dangerous distraction? That was the question that Inside Climate News reporter Nicholas Kusnetz asked in his award-winning explanatory series, “Pipe Dreams.” For Inside Story, Kusnetz talks of the challenges of writing about a technology that largely doesn’t yet exist, and the variety of story forms he used to explore the reality of industry promises.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [17]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Infrastructure [28]
Journalism & Media [9]
Laws & Regulations [29]
Natural Resources [30]
People & Population [31]
Policy [10]
Pollution [32]
Technology [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [20]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Investigation Explores Dueling Narratives for Addressing Climate Change [26]
Track Harmful Algal Blooms With Data. Avoid Bad Clams [35]

It’s summertime and the living is easy for algae that can be hazardous to human health. Climate heating and agricultural pollution are making the problem worse. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores useful sources of data for tracking trends. Plus, tips on how to use the data for local reporting on the risks posed by this seasonal threat.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [36]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [37]
Biodiversity [38]
Climate Change [17]
Economy & Business [4]
Environmental Health [39]
Fish & Fisheries [40]
Food [41]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Natural Resources [30]
Pollution [32]
Science [11]
Water & Oceans [42]
Wildlife [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Track Harmful Algal Blooms With Data. Avoid Bad Clams [35]
Will the Coming Plastics Treaty Solve the Problem Or Enshrine It? [44]

A major intergovernmental gathering later this year will address plastic pollution, including in oceans. But an overview from our Issue Backgrounder notes that the likelihood of solving the problem may be small. One reason? Petrochemical industry lobbying. Another? The shifting world market for plastic waste. And there are more concerns, such as the effectiveness of incineration and chemical recycling techniques. More, including questions to ask, in Backgrounder.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [25]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Health [39]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Policy [10]
Pollution [32]
Waste [46]
Water & Oceans [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [20]
Asia [21]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Will the Coming Plastics Treaty Solve the Problem Or Enshrine It? [44]
Pulling Back the Curtain on the Plunder of the Planet [47]

“Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World’s Most Vulnerable Places,” a new work by investigative journalist Christopher Pollon, offers a sweeping global view of how the mining industry profits, despite causing vast environmental losses and failing to acknowledge Indigenous ownership or rights to the land it mines. BookShelf’s Melody Kemp lauds Pollon’s searing observations and investigations. Read her review.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [16]
Biodiversity [38]
Consumer [25]
Economy & Business [4]
Environmental Health [39]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Fish & Fisheries [40]
Forests [49]
Natural Resources [30]
Policy [10]
Pollution [32]
Technology [33]
Water & Oceans [42]
Wildlife [43]
Region:
International [20]
Africa [50]
Asia [21]
Australia & Oceania [51]
South America [52]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Pulling Back the Curtain on the Plunder of the Planet [47]
Rethinking Rural Reporting — How To Get Past the Cliches [53]

When covering rural America, mainstream media often defaults to stereotypes steeped in politics and ignores the diversity that actually exists there, as expanding news deserts exacerbate the problem. Reporter Claire Carlson on why this matters — including in discouraging investment around climate change or resource industries urban dwellers depend on. Here’s how journalists can report richer, more nuanced stories about rural people and places.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [37]
Climate Change [17]
Disasters [55]
Diversity [56]
Economy & Business [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [9]
People & Population [31]
Policy [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Rethinking Rural Reporting — How To Get Past the Cliches [53]
Unique Award-Winner Highlights Risks to Whales From Fight Over Fish [57]

Whales and fishers chasing the same catch can lead to serious impacts on marine mammals, including illegal shootings. To tell the story, journalist Nick Rahaim took an unusual tack — reporting while working as a deckhand on a fishing vessel. His award-winning account won praise for its balance, sourcing and insight. Rahaim talks about his approach in our Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [4]
Fish & Fisheries [40]
Journalism & Media [9]
Natural Resources [30]
Science [11]
Water & Oceans [42]
Wildlife [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [58]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Unique Award-Winner Highlights Risks to Whales From Fight Over Fish [57]
‘Green’ Steel: Five Things To Know About the U.S. Transition [59]

Plans for two new U.S. facilities that will use hydrogen instead of coal to make steel hold the promise of decarbonizing this essential but dirty industry. But don’t expect overnight change. Reporter Maria Gallucci looks at the complexities of making the switch, from ditching the blast furnace to reducing pollution all along the supply chain.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [16]
Air [60]
Chemicals [3]
Climate Change [17]
Economy & Business [4]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Health [39]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [7]
Natural Resources [30]
Policy [10]
Pollution [32]
Science [11]
Technology [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [61]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [62]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [20]
Europe [22]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about ‘Green’ Steel: Five Things To Know About the U.S. Transition [59]

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