Publication Items

Particulate Air Pollution — An Old Story Made Newer, and More Local, in 2023 [1]

Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set in motion a long-overdue requirement to update a key Clean Air Act rule involving fine particulate air pollution, or PM 2.5. The latest TipSheet reviews PM 2.5’s health harms and its checkered regulatory history, while offering story ideas and key resources on how to tell the story locally.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Environmental Justice [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Particulate Air Pollution — An Old Story Made Newer, and More Local, in 2023 [1]
Winning Over Editors and Others with Award Winners’ Multimedia Nuggets [12]

If you’re looking to engage key constituencies for your journalism — whether editors, sources, students or people who have been marginalized — a new set of short videos from award-winning journalists (like KESQ's Angela Chen, at left) can serve as a helpful resource. Inside Story has a roadmap of how to make smart use of these video nuggets to, for instance, convince newsroom powerbrokers to give you more time and support for ambitious stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Air [3]
Biodiversity [15]
Chemicals [16]
Climate Change [17]
Diversity [18]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Justice [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [20]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Natural Resources [21]
Policy [22]
Pollution [9]
Science [23]
Water & Oceans [24]
Wildlife [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
California [26]
Northwest (OR WA) [27]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [28]
International [29]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Winning Over Editors and Others with Award Winners’ Multimedia Nuggets [12]
As Concern Over Methane Mounts, Emission Controls Yield Stories [30]

While carbon dioxide is the greenhouse gas most often in the news, methane has greater warming power and accounts for a big chunk of the current increase in global warming. Now, growing regulatory pressure may help shift that focus and could drive more local environmental reporting, per the latest TipSheet. The backstory, plus reporting ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Air [3]
Climate Change [17]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [21]
Policy [22]
Pollution [9]
Waste [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [29]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about As Concern Over Methane Mounts, Emission Controls Yield Stories [30]
Coal Ash — An Overlooked Toxic Story That Won’t Go Away [33]

Obama-era regulation of the toxic waste product coal ash, which was watered down in the face of resistance from coal and electric utilities and further weakened by the Trump administration, has meant many coal-fired power plants simply ignore disposal requirements. That’s per a new report that the latest TipSheet writes can offer journalists useful ways to report an overlooked environmental story in their area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [20]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [9]
Waste [32]
Water & Oceans [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [28]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Coal Ash — An Overlooked Toxic Story That Won’t Go Away [33]
EPA To Propose Plan Soon for First PFAS Drinking Water Rule [34]

Plans are nearing for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate PFAS in drinking water — and the complexity around the effort will challenge environmental journalism. In the mix are questions of environmental persistence and health risks, plus thorny politics. Our Issue Backgrounder has guidance on these and more as PFAS regulation hits this critical juncture.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [16]
Consumer [36]
Economy & Business [37]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [20]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Policy [22]
Pollution [9]
Science [23]
Water & Oceans [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [38]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about EPA To Propose Plan Soon for First PFAS Drinking Water Rule [34]
Sleuths Tap Obscure Toxics Database To ID Loophole on PFAS [39]

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 [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Chemicals [16]
Economy & Business [37]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Government [20]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Sleuths Tap Obscure Toxics Database To ID Loophole on PFAS [39]
Environmental Reporting Through an Indigenous Perspective [42]

Indigenous communities that have tried to live in balance with nature have seen their practices largely ignored. But now many have turned to them for guidance. As part of a special initiative from the Society of Environmental Journalists on covering climate solutions, we offer a tipsheet from journalist Brian Bull on reporting on how Indigenous people use nature-based environmental solutions. Also, check out additional resources [43] and watch video from an earlier webinar [44].

SEJ Publication Types:
Special Reports [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Agriculture [14]
Air [3]
Biodiversity [15]
Climate Change [17]
Diversity [18]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Justice [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Fish & Fisheries [46]
Food [47]
Forests [48]
Government [20]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Natural Resources [21]
People & Population [49]
Policy [22]
Pollution [9]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [50]
Water & Oceans [24]
Wildlife [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Northwest (OR WA) [27]
International [29]
Canada [51]
Australia & Oceania [52]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Environmental Reporting Through an Indigenous Perspective [42]
Lead Ammo and Tackle, Decades Later, Still Fought Over by Big Guns [53]

Lead kills. With hunting and fishing seasons underway, lead ammo and tackle put a known neurotoxin into the ecosystem. And that renews a long-standing controversy, with a tug of war over rules limiting lead at the local and federal levels. The latest TipSheet examines why it matters to vulnerable species, like the bald eagle, as well as to humans. Plus, local story ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [5]
Fish & Fisheries [46]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Pollution [9]
Wildlife [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Lead Ammo and Tackle, Decades Later, Still Fought Over by Big Guns [53]
On the Persistence of Ocean Plastics [54]

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 [55]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Biodiversity [15]
Chemicals [16]
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [36]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Studies [56]
Fish & Fisheries [46]
Government [20]
Infrastructure [57]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [21]
Policy [22]
Pollution [9]
Science [23]
Technology [58]
Waste [32]
Water & Oceans [24]
Wildlife [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [59]
California [26]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [38]
Northwest (OR WA) [27]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [28]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [60]
International [29]
Mexico [61]
Africa [62]
Asia [63]
Europe [64]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about On the Persistence of Ocean Plastics [54]
Beat Reporter’s Coverage Calls Out Natural Gas Proponents [65]

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 [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Air [3]
Climate Change [17]
Consumer [36]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Justice [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Infrastructure [57]
Journalism & Media [7]
Natural Resources [21]
People & Population [49]
Policy [22]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
California [26]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [60]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Beat Reporter’s Coverage Calls Out Natural Gas Proponents [65]

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