Will Journalists Heed the Lessons of Flint? [1]
SEJ’s WatchDog Project director Joseph A. Davis analyzes local and regional media's role in reporting — or not — the Flint water debacle.
SEJ’s WatchDog Project director Joseph A. Davis analyzes local and regional media's role in reporting — or not — the Flint water debacle.
The reports aren't released to the taxpayers who funded them but the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project publishes leaked copies. Here are 17 of the latest, from air to water, food to fuel, and much more.
Bad as it is, the Flint drinking water disaster is hardly uncommon. Even though the law requires authorities to tell the public of dangerous levels of lead in drinking water, they often don't.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's openness has been a major issue throughout the crisis of contaminated drinking water in Flint, which has caused lead poisoning of some children. One aspect of the openness issue is the ability of agency employees to speak with journalists; another is unfulfilled FOIA requests.
Water may be for fighting over, but water data is worth cheering about. A new Interior Department data portal may help journalists cover the ever-critical issue of water shortage and surplus in the Colorado River basin and nationwide.
If the water coming from your tap is unfit to drink, you have a right to know. But the crisis in Flint, Michigan, is challenging that assumption. Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (pictured) apologized to the residents of Flint, and "pledged to promptly release his emails about the issue," according to the New York Times.
Rarely does a writer get so deeply into the heart of his or her subject while also avoiding the pitfalls of sentimentality. So began the judges’ comments for “Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island,” winner of SEJ’s 2015 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award. [42] The book’s author, Will Harlan, spent 19 years developing a bold, unflinching portrayal of Cumberland Island, Ga.’s most ardent defender, the brilliant-yet-eccentric Carol Ruckdeschel. For the latest edition of SEJournal’s Between the Lines author Q & A, Harlan spoke with our book editor, Tom Henry.
Although you, as a taxpayer, pay for reports by the Congressional Research Service, Congress does not allow you to read them. Fortunately, somebody leaked these reports of interest to environmental journalists.
Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/sejournal-sp-2016/will-journalists-heed-lessons-flint
[2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/inside-story
[3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics
[4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics
[5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health
[6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water
[7] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes
[8] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81
[9] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/congressional-research-service-reports-use-environmental-journos
[10] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/watchdog-tipsheet
[11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture
[12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air
[13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business
[14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy
[15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food
[16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws
[17] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/failure-disclose-lead-threats-drinking-water-widespread-problem
[18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster
[19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government
[20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population
[21] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/flint-hearing-raises-freedom-information-concerns
[22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media
[23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution
[24] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/colorado-river-portal-offers-data-tool-environmental-journalists
[25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology
[26] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west
[27] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/flint-water-debacle-raises-freedom-information-issues
[28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer
[29] https://www.sej.org/publications/sejournal-wi-2015-2016/north-shore-natural-history-minnesotas-superior-coast
[30] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/bookshelf
[31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1
[32] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change
[33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health
[34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries
[35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land
[36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science
[37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife
[38] https://www.sej.org/publications/sejournal-wi-2015-2016/journalism-and-science-students-take-field-together
[39] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/ej-academy
[40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists
[41] https://www.sej.org/publications/sejournal-wi-2015-2016/author-spends-two-decades-hooked-character
[42] https://www.sej.org/initiatives/winners-sej-14th-annual-awards-reporting-environment#Book
[43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism
[44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast
[45] https://www.sej.org/publications/watchdog-tipsheet/congressional-think-tank-reports-leaked-again
[46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation
[47] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125
[48] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=29
[49] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=26
[50] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=27
[51] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=28
[52] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=31
[53] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=32
[54] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=33
[55] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=34
[56] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/%2A/125?page=57
[57] https://www.sej.org/publications/list/Watchdog+TipSheet