Publication Items

Why Shelter From the (Coronavirus) Storm Isn’t Always Safe [1]

Emergency evacuations are hard to plan under normal circumstances. Now the coronavirus pandemic makes them even more complicated and risky. With the summer disaster season upon us, the latest TipSheet explores how environmental journalists can report on emergency planning under COVID-19, with suggested questions to help you dig up stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Government [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Why Shelter From the (Coronavirus) Storm Isn’t Always Safe [1]
Building Materials Data Can Help Construct Environmental Stories [13]

Toxics abound in many building materials, creating indoor environmental hazards for workers and residents alike. To help report the story, Reporter’s Toolbox details a massive database of chemicals and building materials, and explains how to use it to assess their presence in buildings in your community. Plus, story ideas to get you started.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [15]
Chemicals [16]
Consumer [17]
Disasters [4]
Environmental Health [18]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Building Materials Data Can Help Construct Environmental Stories [13]
Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [19]

When two towns — one an affluent suburb and the other a poor rural community — faced similar air pollution crises, lopsided government action made clear there was an underlying race and class divide. Reporter Sharon Lerner shares the story behind her award-winning reporting that tells the “Tale of Two Toxic Cities,” in our latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [21]
Air [15]
Chemicals [16]
Environmental Health [18]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
People & Population [8]
Pollution [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [19]
Post-COVID-19 City Design May Transform Built Environment [26]

In the aftermath of the pandemic, the so-called built environment is likely to get a thorough reexamination, whether it’s to reconsider commuting, shopping, recreation, eating out or taking in sporting events. Our latest Issue Backgrounder looks at the top ways coronavirus will force us to rethink our cities and how we live in and travel through them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [28]
Health [6]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Transportation [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Europe [30]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Post-COVID-19 City Design May Transform Built Environment [26]
Altered Office Environments Will Likely Greet Workers Returning From Quarantine [31]

The indoor air in offices was already a potential health risk even before COVID-19. But now amid the pandemic coronavirus, not to mention other ever-present biological threats, indoor environmental hazards make it more likely than ever that offices will look and function differently in coming days. TipSheet takes a look and offers more than a dozen story ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [15]
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [28]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
People & Population [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Altered Office Environments Will Likely Greet Workers Returning From Quarantine [31]
Consumption Advisories Offer Fistful of Fish Tales [32]

With fishing season underway in the United States and Canada, fish consumption advisories are also on the hook. That means potential stories for environmental journalists. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points you to state-by-state data sources and walks you through how to best explain them to your audience. Plus, a bonus story tip.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [16]
Consumer [17]
Environmental Health [18]
Fish & Fisheries [33]
Food [34]
Government [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [35]
Natural Resources [36]
Pollution [23]
Water & Oceans [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Canada [38]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Consumption Advisories Offer Fistful of Fish Tales [32]
Coronavirus Silence, Secrecy Harms Public Health [39]

Mishandling of vital information by the U.S. government worsened the COVID-19 pandemic, argues the latest WatchDog. The no-holds-barred opinion piece, which notes that coronavirus is as much an environmental story as a public health one, points the finger at the White House and the “Silent CDC,” sifts the wreckage of the testing program and speculates about the dearth of data as the nation reopens.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [4]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
People & Population [8]
Policy [41]
Science [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Coronavirus Silence, Secrecy Harms Public Health [39]
Coronavirus Should Sharpen Focus on Another Deadly Respiratory Illness — Legionnaires’ Disease [43]

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, there’s another respiratory disease to worry about. Legionnaires’, which attacks the lungs, is already the deadliest waterborne illness in the United States. And the dangerous bacteria may now be breeding in the plumbing systems of buildings shut down during the outbreak. Contributor Brett Walton asks: Is the nation prepared for a safe reopening?

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [15]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Water & Oceans [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Coronavirus Should Sharpen Focus on Another Deadly Respiratory Illness — Legionnaires’ Disease [43]
Pandemic Pushes Bikes Into New Popularity. Will It Last? [45]

Commuters seeking social distancing want them. City dwellers drawn to nearly car-free streets want them too. But the boom in bikes long pre-dates the COVID-19 outbreak, and their eco-friendly reputation offers environment reporters numerous smart local story angles, per the latest TipSheet. Get context, plus numerous story ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [17]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Pollution [23]
Transportation [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Pandemic Pushes Bikes Into New Popularity. Will It Last? [45]
Using Data Sources To Track Climate-Driven Mayhem at Superfund Sites [46]

Hazardous waste and floodwaters don’t typically mix well together. So when a Michigan dam recently burst, and flooded not just the local community, but also threatened a nearby Superfund site, it prompted Reporter’s Toolbox to look at how environmental journalists could track similar threats in their areas, especially as climate change raises the risks of similar disasters.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [16]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Government [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [35]
Pollution [23]
Waste [47]
Water & Oceans [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [48]
International [11]
Europe [30]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Using Data Sources To Track Climate-Driven Mayhem at Superfund Sites [46]

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