Publication Items

The Year Ahead Will Spark Abundant Environment News — Both Good and Bad [1]

Even as the climate crisis countdown story continues, a wide range of environment and energy issues are on journalists’ watchlist for the year ahead, per an analysis from our “2022 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment [2].” The overview looks at 13 key trends to track in 2022 and beyond — including infrastructure, pandemics, environmental justice, energy, chemicals, plastics and, of course, climate.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Infrastructure [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Transportation [18]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
International [22]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about The Year Ahead Will Spark Abundant Environment News — Both Good and Bad [1]
New Reporting Network Aims To Make Connections in the Mississippi Basin [24]

The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain more than 40% of the continent, but most coverage of environmental stories within the Mississippi Basin is localized and siloed. The recently launched Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk hopes to help news outlets provide region-wide reporting that contextualizes issues like climate change-driven flooding and the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [25]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Economy & Business [26]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Fish & Fisheries [27]
Government [11]
Infrastructure [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Pollution [17]
Transportation [18]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [28]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [29]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [30]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [31]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [32]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [33]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [22]
Canada [35]
Mexico [36]
Central America & the Caribbean [37]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about New Reporting Network Aims To Make Connections in the Mississippi Basin [24]
When Reporting on Toxic Hotspots, Go Deeper With Cancer Registries [38]

As awareness grows about how pollution can cause certain cancers, it’s smart to look beyond cancer risk and also explore available information about actual cancer cases. Reporter’s Toolbox explains how extensive data collected regularly in state-level cancer “registries” can take your coverage on the pollution-public health connection to another level. Plus, avoiding pitfalls in reporting possible clusters.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [39]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [40]
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [6]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Environmental Studies [41]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Journalism & Media [14]
People & Population [42]
Pollution [17]
Science [43]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [32]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [33]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about When Reporting on Toxic Hotspots, Go Deeper With Cancer Registries [38]
Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [44]

The history of environmental racism is a long one in the United States, far longer than the efforts to address the problem. But reporting on environmental justice continues to tick upwards, and an analysis in the latest Backgrounder points to promising progress, explaining why for journalists the year ahead may yield important stories, whether about future footholds or new missteps.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [46]
Air [40]
Climate Change [5]
Diversity [47]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Infrastructure [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
People & Population [42]
Planning & Growth [48]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [28]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [29]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [31]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [32]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [33]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [44]
U.N. Summit Lays the Table for Environmental Reporting on Food Systems [49]

After an 18-month buildup, a one-day U.N. Food Systems Summit earlier this fall generated hundreds of commitments to end global hunger and a dizzying array of alliances dedicated to the cause. Despite controversies surrounding the summit, this groundbreaking event highlighted opportunities for reporting on food and food systems. Award-winning agriculture journalist Chris Clayton shares his insights.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [46]
Agriculture [25]
Biodiversity [50]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [51]
Disasters [6]
Economy & Business [26]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Food [52]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Natural Resources [53]
People & Population [42]
Planning & Growth [48]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Science [43]
Technology [54]
Waste [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
California [55]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [29]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [22]
Canada [35]
Africa [56]
Europe [57]
Middle East [58]
South America [59]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about U.N. Summit Lays the Table for Environmental Reporting on Food Systems [49]
Will 2022 See the Start of Formal Negotiations Toward a Global Plastics Treaty? [60]

Plastic waste, already the subject of preliminary international talks, could be increasingly targeted after UN meetings in early 2022. Meanwhile, this ubiquitous product is polluting land, ocean and air in its various forms, as well as through little-understood microplastic particles. The latest TipSheet has the backstory on efforts to forge an international plastics treaty, as well as ideas for how to cover plastic pollution locally.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [61]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [46]
Air [40]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [51]
Economy & Business [26]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [10]
Fish & Fisheries [27]
Food [52]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Journalism & Media [14]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Wildlife [62]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
International [22]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about Will 2022 See the Start of Formal Negotiations Toward a Global Plastics Treaty? [60]
The 9/11 Legacy — Fear Drew Curtain Over Environmental Information [63]

Twenty years after the attacks on 9/11, the war on terror has left many risks in the built environment under a cloak of secrecy. For WatchDog Opinion, keeping vital information about such preventable hazards under wraps from the public and journalists is not just wrong, but bad policy. Here’s why. Plus, a rundown for environment reporters of where exactly this secrecy reigns.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [64]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [46]
Agriculture [25]
Air [40]
Chemicals [4]
Disasters [6]
Economy & Business [26]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Politics [10]
Food [52]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Infrastructure [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [65]
People & Population [42]
Policy [16]
Transportation [18]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
California [55]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [22]
Africa [56]
Asia [66]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about The 9/11 Legacy — Fear Drew Curtain Over Environmental Information [63]
Early Toxics Release Inventory Data Can Yield Scoops [67]

In a few weeks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will officially release the latest year’s Toxics Release Inventory. But as Reporter’s Toolbox explains, you can get ahead of the data — and possibly generate some scoops. That’s because EPA quietly releases incomplete preliminary data months earlier. Top tips on making sense of the early data, along with nine smart story leads.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [39]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Environmental Studies [41]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
People & Population [42]
Pollution [17]
Waste [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about Early Toxics Release Inventory Data Can Yield Scoops [67]
Reporting Innovations Hold Promise for Reporting on Climate Change Amid News Deserts [68]

Slashed news budgets and staff cuts have left many U.S. newsrooms short on time and resources for deep reporting on climate change and other complex topics. But two innovative projects at The Post and Courier in South Carolina — one enriching breaking news stories and the other fostering news outlet cooperation — aim at filling the void. Acclaimed journalist Tony Bartelme explains.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Environmental Health [8]
Government [11]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [15]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [33]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about Reporting Innovations Hold Promise for Reporting on Climate Change Amid News Deserts [68]
Journalists Team Up To Continue Colleagues’ Work Exposing Mining Risks [69]

Environmental journalists around the world sometimes pay for their work with their freedom, safety or even their lives. The Forbidden Stories network continues the reporting of some of those journalists, and a team there recently produced an award-winning collaboration to investigate troubles at mining giants in Central America, South Asia and East Africa. “The Green Blood Project” in this month’s Inside Story.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [70]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [46]
Disasters [6]
Economy & Business [26]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Health [12]
Journalism & Media [14]
Natural Resources [53]
People & Population [42]
Pollution [17]
Waste [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
International [22]
Africa [56]
Asia [66]
Central America & the Caribbean [37]
Visibility:
Public [23]
- Read more about Journalists Team Up To Continue Colleagues’ Work Exposing Mining Risks [69]

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