Publication Items

Environmental (In)Justice Coverage Grows, As More Media Take Note [1]

Environmental justice-related stories are expected to get more attention in the news media in 2019. But that’s not because the challenge of protecting marginalized communities from lopsided environmental impacts is being met. This week’s TipSheet explains, in a look-ahead to environmental justice stories making the news, the many forms the problem takes, the many communities affected and the emerging notion of “climate justice.”

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Climate Change [6]
Disasters [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
People & Population [14]
Pollution [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Alaska and Hawaii [17]
California [18]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [19]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [20]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [21]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [22]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Northwest (OR WA) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
International [27]
Mexico [28]
Central America & the Caribbean [29]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Environmental (In)Justice Coverage Grows, As More Media Take Note [1]
In 2019, PFAS Chemicals Will Show Up in Drinking Water … and Headlines [31]

The vast and widely used PFAS family of chemicals is causing serious worries across the country, as it turns up in more and more drinking water systems. Pressure to regulate it is also growing, but with mixed results. This week’s TipSheet offers a detailed look-ahead on this big, developing story, with a walk-through of the context, what the EPA is (and isn’t) doing, and why states are stepping up.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Economy & Business [32]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Studies [33]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Policy [34]
Pollution [15]
Science [35]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [19]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [21]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Northwest (OR WA) [24]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about In 2019, PFAS Chemicals Will Show Up in Drinking Water … and Headlines [31]
Farm Bill May Stir Up Local Hornets’ Nest on Pesticides [37]

Local pesticide bans that go beyond federal restrictions may be a growing trend, but it’s one that has brought on a backlash by GOP politicians and farmers. The conflict may soon be resolved — or not — by Congress, as it closes in on a new U.S. Farm Bill. Meanwhile, this week’s TipSheet helps explain the dispute and provides resources and signs to watch.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [38]
Chemicals [5]
Economy & Business [32]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [39]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Policy [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Farm Bill May Stir Up Local Hornets’ Nest on Pesticides [37]
Will State, Local Pesticide Bans Make More News? [40]

When EPA falls short on regulation of pesticides, might states step into the breach? That’s exactly what happened in June when Hawaii banned toxic organophosphate chlorpyrifos. To take a closer look, this week’s TipSheet reports on how federal regulation opens the door for state, or even local, preemption and offers angles and resources for environmental reporters.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [38]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Economy & Business [32]
Energy & Fuel [41]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [33]
Food [39]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Policy [34]
Science [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [27]
Canada [42]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Will State, Local Pesticide Bans Make More News? [40]
“What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City” [43]

The tale of the Flint, Michigan, drinking water crisis is told anew in a just-released book by a key protagonist in the tragedy. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s “What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City” is written with a grace, clarity, honesty and passion that our BookShelf editor Tom Henry says brings a unique perspective to this important story of American environmental injustice.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Chemicals [5]
Consumer [45]
Disasters [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [33]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
People & Population [14]
Policy [34]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [19]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about “What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City” [43]
Between the Lines: Author Sees Flint at Intersection of Democracy, Environmental Injustice [46]

A key figure in the Flint, Mich., drinking water crisis, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, talks with SEJournal’s Between the Lines about her new book on the tragedy, and how she hopes telling the tale of the intersection of environmental injustice, racism, poverty and democracy might provide inspiration for other communities.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Chemicals [5]
Consumer [45]
Disasters [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [33]
Government [10]
Health [11]
People & Population [14]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [19]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Between the Lines: Author Sees Flint at Intersection of Democracy, Environmental Injustice [46]
Breaking the ‘Cycle’ on Chemical Safety Story [47]

Chemical plant explosions make for fiery headlines, but then the reporting tends to flame out. The latest Backgrounder spells out why environmental journalists should stay vigilant on chemical safety coverage, with news hooks and ingredients for a potent mix of advance stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [38]
Chemicals [5]
Disasters [7]
Economy & Business [32]
Energy & Fuel [41]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
People & Population [14]
Policy [34]
Pollution [15]
Transportation [49]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Breaking the ‘Cycle’ on Chemical Safety Story [47]
Farmers Markets Offer Baskets of Fresh Story Ideas [50]

Nearby farmers market may offer reporters a bounty of environmental stories, with angles on organic foods, locavore movements and more. This week’s TipSheet outlines ideas, provides resources and encourages you to go pay a visit to speak with vendors and customers … and perhaps even taste some free wares.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [38]
Chemicals [5]
Consumer [45]
Economy & Business [32]
Energy & Fuel [41]
Food [39]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Transportation [49]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Farmers Markets Offer Baskets of Fresh Story Ideas [50]
Media Object as EPA Bars Reporters from Drinking Water ‘Summit’ [51]

Is EPA antipathy toward news media hiding inaction on a toxic drinking water contaminant? That’s the question asked by the latest WatchDog, which looks at a recent incident in which media access to a public meeting was limited, and then explores what may be behind it.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [52]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Chemicals [5]
Consumer [45]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
People & Population [14]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Media Object as EPA Bars Reporters from Drinking Water ‘Summit’ [51]
Environmental Protections in Play Amid Farm Bill Furor [53]

Big environmental issues such as the use of pesticides, labelling of organic foods and the preservation of farmland and water are central to a huge farm bill lurching its way through the nation’s legislature, hamstrung by partisan politics. Our latest Backgrounder sets up the landscape for your coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [38]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Consumer [45]
Economy & Business [32]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [39]
Forests [54]
Government [10]
Health [11]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Policy [34]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Environmental Protections in Play Amid Farm Bill Furor [53]

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