Publication Items

Koalas, Under Pressure From Wildfires and Development, Are Beloved But Undefended [1]

The cuteness of the fuzzy koala appears not to be winning it special protection in its native Australia, despite dwindling numbers, per a new volume on the endangered marsupial. BookShelf contributor Melody Kemp offers praise for “Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future,” with a review that begins amusingly with bodily functions but ends dispiritedly with yet more koala habitat lost to housing tracts and wildfire.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Studies [5]
Forests [6]
Government [7]
Wildlife [8]
Region:
International [9]
Australia & Oceania [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
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Cascadia Bioregion Rife With Energy, Environment Troubles To Report in 2023 [12]

Iconic critters like salmon, orca and wolves. Climate controversies like natural gas greenwashing and carbon auctions. And wildfire fallout like “smoke-a-geddon.” These are just some of the wide array of stories worth covering as environmental journalists scan Cascadia, the huge area encompassing Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and stretching from Alaska to Utah. This special TipSheet, part of our 2023 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment, outlines top issues in the region, offering insights, resources and story angles.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [14]
Agriculture [15]
Air [16]
Biodiversity [3]
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [18]
Disasters [19]
Diversity [20]
Economy & Business [21]
Energy & Fuel [22]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [23]
Environmental Politics [24]
Environmental Studies [5]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Food [26]
Forests [6]
Government [7]
Health [27]
Infrastructure [28]
Journalism & Media [29]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Natural Resources [31]
Planning & Growth [32]
Policy [33]
Pollution [34]
Transportation [35]
Waste [36]
Water & Oceans [37]
Wildlife [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
Alaska and Hawaii [39]
California [40]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [41]
Northwest (OR WA) [42]
International [9]
Canada [43]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Cascadia Bioregion Rife With Energy, Environment Troubles To Report in 2023 [12]
Publication Indexes — Roadmaps to Environmental Science Journals … and News [44]

Findings from scientific research provide many a news lead on the environment beat, and even reporters not closely attuned to the world of scientific journals can use them to find stories. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox offers up one key: indexes. They can guide you to abstracts and free versions of otherwise costly publications. A list of indexes to try. Plus, a half-dozen other pro tips.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Studies [5]
Journalism & Media [29]
Science [46]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
International [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Publication Indexes — Roadmaps to Environmental Science Journals … and News [44]
NASA Set To Ditch Satellite-Based Environmental Data Source [47]

Instrumentation on the International Space Station that gathers 3-D images of forest canopies and other environmental data is scheduled to soon be junked. But the move is provoking an outcry from scientists and pushback from some politicians. Reporter’s Toolbox examines what the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation does and how journalists might make use of it, while it lasts.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [3]
Climate Change [17]
Environmental Politics [24]
Environmental Studies [5]
Forests [6]
Journalism & Media [29]
Science [46]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
International [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about NASA Set To Ditch Satellite-Based Environmental Data Source [47]
Disinformation Presents New Challenges to Environmental Journalists [48]

An explosion of deliberately misleading information has hit the environmental journalism beat, argues the new Backgrounder. A look at how today’s untruth industry has evolved from that of the past, particularly in the area of climate change, and how reporters have now turned it into its own specialty coverage area. Plus, seven tips on what you can do to handle disinformation on your beat.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [49]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [17]
Economy & Business [21]
Environmental Politics [24]
Environmental Studies [5]
Journalism & Media [29]
Policy [33]
Science [46]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Disinformation Presents New Challenges to Environmental Journalists [48]
When Sizing Up Threats to Biodiversity, Databases Can Help [50]

Biodiversity is on the minds of many this week as international biodiversity treaty talks take place in Montreal. For environmental journalists covering the topic, there are a number of databases readily available that track endangered species in the United States and globally. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox has a helpful list. Plus, visit our new biodiversity “Topics on the Beat” [51] page and keep on top of the latest biodiversity headlines [52] with EJToday.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [24]
Environmental Studies [5]
Journalism & Media [29]
Science [46]
Wildlife [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
International [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about When Sizing Up Threats to Biodiversity, Databases Can Help [50]
Bird Migration Explorer Can Help Hatch Environmental Stories [53]

A new data mapper that allows users to track bird migrations is a cache of ideas for journalists looking to illustrate the connections between birds, habitats and human activity. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox takes a (non-geeky) look at the Bird Migration Explorer, how to best use it and the range of story possibilities it may yield.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Studies [5]
Journalism & Media [29]
Wildlife [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
International [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Bird Migration Explorer Can Help Hatch Environmental Stories [53]
Reporting on Storm Chasing’s ‘Human Side’ Hints at Climate’s Future [54]

Writer Noah Gallagher Shannon followed scientists into the heart of the megastorms ravaging an agricultural region in Argentina, and in the process learned not just about their high-risk fieldwork and what these massive thunderstorms might tell us about the storms of the future in the United States, but also their impact on affected communities. Find out about his reporting experience in this Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [55]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [15]
Climate Change [17]
Disasters [19]
Environmental Justice [23]
Environmental Studies [5]
Journalism & Media [29]
People & Population [56]
Science [46]
Region:
International [9]
South America [57]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Reporting on Storm Chasing’s ‘Human Side’ Hints at Climate’s Future [54]
U.S. Wildfire Response Badly Off-Base, New Doc Convincingly Shows [58]

A gripping new documentary on raging megafires weaves together stunning cinematography with deeply researched revelations that reveal the futility of current policy around managing wildfires, writes veteran wildfire reporter Robert McClure in a new EJ InSight column. His review, with three big takeaways.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ InSight [59]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [14]
Climate Change [17]
Disasters [19]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [24]
Environmental Studies [5]
Forests [6]
Government [7]
People & Population [56]
Planning & Growth [32]
Policy [33]
Science [46]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
California [40]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [41]
Northwest (OR WA) [42]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about U.S. Wildfire Response Badly Off-Base, New Doc Convincingly Shows [58]
On the Persistence of Ocean Plastics [60]

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 [61]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [14]
Biodiversity [3]
Chemicals [62]
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [18]
Economy & Business [21]
Energy & Fuel [22]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Studies [5]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Government [7]
Infrastructure [28]
Journalism & Media [29]
Laws & Regulations [30]
Natural Resources [31]
Policy [33]
Pollution [34]
Science [46]
Technology [63]
Waste [36]
Water & Oceans [37]
Wildlife [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
Alaska and Hawaii [39]
California [40]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [64]
Northwest (OR WA) [42]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [65]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [66]
International [9]
Mexico [67]
Africa [68]
Asia [69]
Europe [70]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about On the Persistence of Ocean Plastics [60]

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