Publication Items

The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [1]

As algal blooms (think “red tides” or “dead zones”) grow larger and more frequent, they are emerging not just on the coasts and major estuaries, but in inland lakes and streams. And they cause all kinds of harm, to humans and to the environment. The latest TipSheet has details on how to cover the problem locally, including story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [13]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [14]
International [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [1]
Uncovering the Environmental Impacts of a Controversial Water Project [17]

Months spent gathering thousands of documents and talking to local residents led reporter Dheeraj Mishra to uncover the negative environmental impacts of a major hydro project in a water-scarce region of India. And his resulting investigative reporting got him noticed in the 2022 Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2022 awards contest. Mishra shares his insights in the new Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [20]
Government [21]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [23]
People & Population [24]
Planning & Growth [25]
Policy [26]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Region:
International [15]
Asia [27]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Uncovering the Environmental Impacts of a Controversial Water Project [17]
Asthma Data — A Starting Point for Key Environment-Health Stories [28]

Whether marginalized communities suffering from asthma or cities cloaked in smoke from far-away wildfires, journalists looking to connect public health and environmental concerns around air pollution will find much of the data they need via the Centers for Disease Control’s asthma surveillance data. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox outlines the source and smart ways to use it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [30]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Justice [19]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Asthma Data — A Starting Point for Key Environment-Health Stories [28]
Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [31]

Journalists who lack a strong science background can find themselves in deep water when reporting environmental stories. How do you avoid over- or understating research findings? What’s the difference between observational and experimental studies? And what about those pesky percentages? Former Washington Post science reporter Rick Weiss and his SciLine colleagues have some answers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Air [30]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Studies [33]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Science [34]
Wildlife [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [31]
‘Orange’ Is the New Data — for Wildfire Smoke [36]

The U.S. air quality alert scale is showing a lot of unhealthy colors this season, from oranges up to unhealthy reds and purples or worse, as smoke from wildfires in Canada periodically drifts across various U.S. regions. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores a key database and other resources to help journalists report on the spread of smoky air.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [30]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [37]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [38]
International [15]
Canada [39]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about ‘Orange’ Is the New Data — for Wildfire Smoke [36]
Wildfire Smoke — Now a Local Story in Unaccustomed Places [40]

The harms of air pollutants created by wildfires are clear. What’s lost in the haze, though, is that wildfire smoke can carry those pollutants vast distances, threatening communities that are unfamiliar with the risks. The latest TipSheet explains the dangers and how far-flung wildfire smoke travels, then offers a dozen story ideas plus reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [30]
Chemicals [41]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [42]
Forests [43]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [38]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [13]
International [15]
Canada [39]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Wildfire Smoke — Now a Local Story in Unaccustomed Places [40]
Watching the Watchers: How Journalistic Teamwork Uncovered Years of Regulatory Failure in Texas [44]

After a massive fire at a Texas petrochemical storage facility, reporters from Public Health Watch and The Texas Tribune worked together to shed light on who was responsible for this disaster and what health threats had been hidden from the public. This behind-the-scenes report from Public Health Watch’s David Leffler and Savanna Strott looks at the challenges the team faced and how they overcame them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [30]
Chemicals [41]
Disasters [42]
Economy & Business [45]
Energy & Fuel [46]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [20]
Government [21]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [47]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [14]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Watching the Watchers: How Journalistic Teamwork Uncovered Years of Regulatory Failure in Texas [44]
Pesticide Data Can Ground Food and Farm Stories [48]

A billion pounds of chemicals are used on U.S. crops each year. Designed to protect them, they can also leave residue on foods we eat and enter the waterways we drink from. Reporter’s Toolbox has some key data sources for journalists, whether they’re looking at the big picture or are drilling down locally around issues of pesticide use and human or ecological health.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [41]
Environmental Health [5]
Food [49]
Government [21]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Pesticide Data Can Ground Food and Farm Stories [48]
The Seven Stages of Beach Exploitation (and Restoration) [50]

When most people think of coastal tourist destinations, they imagine beaches lined by palm trees and exclusive resorts. But those are exactly the kind of realities that contribute to the environmental and economic decline of coastal communities and their local residents, argues a new book. Contributing Editor Jenny Weeks has our review in the new BookShelf.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [51]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Natural Resources [23]
People & Population [24]
Planning & Growth [25]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Alaska and Hawaii [52]
California [53]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [38]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [13]
International [15]
Mexico [54]
Africa [55]
Asia [27]
Australia & Oceania [56]
Central America & the Caribbean [57]
Europe [58]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about The Seven Stages of Beach Exploitation (and Restoration) [50]
How To Power Through Your EPA Power Plant Rule Coverage [59]

The new proposed limits on climate pollution from existing power plants will be a significant story for years to come, but one with many moving parts and numerous complications. The new Issue Backgrounder explores the larger context and history of the proposed rule, and provides six key developments to watch as you track its evolution.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [60]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [30]
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [46]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [20]
Health [7]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [47]
Policy [26]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about How To Power Through Your EPA Power Plant Rule Coverage [59]

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