Publication Items

Sleuths Tap Obscure Toxics Database To ID Loophole on PFAS [1]

Data specialists working with two databases, one familiar and one little-known, have uncovered how companies may be able to hide releases of the family of toxic PFAS chemicals. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox details the data revelation and explores how journalists may make use of the Chemical Data Reporting service’s datasets for their own stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Chemicals [4]
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Sleuths Tap Obscure Toxics Database To ID Loophole on PFAS [1]
On the Persistence of Ocean Plastics [15]

Concerns about seaborne plastic waste go back decades, but science writer Juli Berwald suggests that myths and disinformation about sources and solutions continue to cloud the waters. From lentil-sized nurdles to sprawling fishing nets, 200 million tons of plastic now fill the ocean and, for her, it has become evident that the ocean plastics story is really a land story. But will the newly signed international treaty on plastics offer relief?

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [17]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [18]
Consumer [19]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [20]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Studies [21]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Government [8]
Infrastructure [23]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [24]
Policy [25]
Pollution [12]
Science [26]
Technology [27]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [29]
Wildlife [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Alaska and Hawaii [31]
California [32]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [33]
Northwest (OR WA) [34]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [35]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
International [37]
Mexico [38]
Africa [39]
Asia [40]
Europe [41]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about On the Persistence of Ocean Plastics [15]
Beat Reporter’s Coverage Calls Out Natural Gas Proponents [42]

Electric utilities may sound like a wonky beat, but in the hands of L.A. Times’ Sammy Roth, it became an opportunity to weave together seemingly dry, technical subject matter into a series of award-winning stories on natural gas that captured flash points for climate change, communities of color and energy politics. Roth shares his reporting experience in the latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [43]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [44]
Climate Change [18]
Consumer [19]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [20]
Environmental Justice [45]
Environmental Politics [7]
Infrastructure [23]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [24]
People & Population [46]
Policy [25]
Pollution [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [32]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Beat Reporter’s Coverage Calls Out Natural Gas Proponents [42]
Air Conditioner HFCs Are on the Way Out — The Kigali Amendment Explained [47]

For the first time in years, the United States has ratified a climate change-related treaty — one that phases out HFCs, the greenhouse gas widely used as a refrigerant. That leaves environmental reporters to report how the change will affect everyday objects like ACs, refrigerators and cars. TipSheet has the backstory on the Kigali Amendment, along with story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [18]
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Policy [25]
Pollution [12]
Technology [27]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [37]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Air Conditioner HFCs Are on the Way Out — The Kigali Amendment Explained [47]
Fill Your Plate With Chicken Stories [49]

Chicken production in the United States is a colossal industry controlled by a few vertically integrated companies. On a much smaller scale, it’s also heritage breeds and increasingly popular backyard flocks. As the latest avian flu outbreak makes headlines, journalist Christine Heinrichs looks at environmental reporting opportunities related to poultry pathogens, pollution and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [50]
Biodiversity [17]
Consumer [19]
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Food [51]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Policy [25]
Pollution [12]
Science [26]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [29]
Wildlife [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [32]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [52]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [53]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Fill Your Plate With Chicken Stories [49]
Meeting the Challenge of Making More Money [54]

A career as an environmental journalist can be fulfilling — but it can also leave you crying all the way to the bank. Freelance Files gets guidance from four veteran journalists who’ve made the money side of independent reporting work better for them. Plus, six top tips for earning more with your own journalism. No. 1: “Ask for more.”

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [55]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [5]
Journalism & Media [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [37]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Meeting the Challenge of Making More Money [54]
WTO Deal on Fishing Subsidies May Reduce Ocean Overfishing [56]

A new World Trade Organization agreement to limit global overfishing may yield important stories for environmental journalists, as billions of people around the world rely on already heavily exploited fish stocks as their main source of protein. This Backgrounder offers details on the pact and how it tries to address the problem, while providing resources for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [57]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [45]
Environmental Politics [7]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Food [51]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [24]
Policy [25]
Water & Oceans [29]
Wildlife [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [37]
Asia [40]
Europe [41]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about WTO Deal on Fishing Subsidies May Reduce Ocean Overfishing [56]
Can Qatar’s World Cup Really Be Carbon Neutral? [58]

Qatar — the world’s highest carbon emitter on a per capita basis — made big promises in its winning bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But will they deliver? Doha-based journalism professor Craig LaMay writes that while sports megaevent hosts face increasing pressure to address environmental concerns, critical coverage of their follow-through is challenging, especially in countries with no free press or public right to government information.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [18]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [20]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Infrastructure [23]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [24]
Technology [27]
Transportation [59]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [29]
Region:
International [37]
Canada [60]
Africa [39]
Asia [40]
Europe [41]
Middle East [61]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Can Qatar’s World Cup Really Be Carbon Neutral? [58]
‘Big Fish’ Report Hooks Prize With Look at Aquaculture and Environment [62]

The challenges of sustainable aquaculture are at the heart of an extensive reporting project recognized in the Society of Environmental Journalists’ most recent round of reporting awards. In this Inside Story Q&A, Hakai Magazine’s founding editor, Jude Isabella (pictured at left), and author Brian Payton share insights into the series, which looks closely at the industry and its environmental costs.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [43]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [45]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Food [51]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [24]
People & Population [46]
Water & Oceans [29]
Wildlife [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [37]
Asia [40]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about ‘Big Fish’ Report Hooks Prize With Look at Aquaculture and Environment [62]
Global Satellite Data IDs Tensions Between Food Production, Biodiversity [63]

A recent study of global cropland expansion highlights several trends that are ripe with environmental news stories. One finding: New farm fields have taken over an area the size of Texas and California combined since the start of the century, an expansion primarily affecting biodiversity-rich natural ecosystems, with Africa leading the cropland boom. Freelancer Gabriel Popkin explores the latest data and the reporting possibilities.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [50]
Biodiversity [17]
Climate Change [18]
Consumer [19]
Economy & Business [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [45]
Environmental Politics [7]
Environmental Studies [21]
Food [51]
Forests [64]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [24]
People & Population [46]
Planning & Growth [65]
Science [26]
Technology [27]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [37]
Africa [39]
Asia [40]
Europe [41]
South America [66]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Global Satellite Data IDs Tensions Between Food Production, Biodiversity [63]

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