Publication Items

Climate Money Meets the Super PACs [1]

Amid the frenzy of Election 2020 comes a quieter development: The emergence of Big Climate money. Green groups and climate-focused fundraisers are now starting to take their place as major players alongside Big Oil as campaign contributors. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox suggests databases and other resources to help track climate (and other election) money.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Policy [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Climate Money Meets the Super PACs [1]
Letting Residents Take the Lead in ‘Polluter's Paradise’ [13]

A battery of polluting industry spewing toxic pollution and a small town of residents south of Baton Rouge unbowed by their circumstance make for the ingredients of a powerful team investigative project, newly named to the top prize in the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2020 reporting awards. Inside Story offers a look behind “Polluter’s Paradise” in a Q&A with reporter Tristan Baurick.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [15]
Chemicals [16]
Environmental Politics [7]
Health [17]
Journalism & Media [9]
People & Population [18]
Pollution [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Letting Residents Take the Lead in ‘Polluter's Paradise’ [13]
“Diary of a Young Naturalist” [21]

With the heart of a naturalist, the head of a scientist and the weary bones of someone watching the destruction of the natural world, a prize-winning writer shares insights into the environment … and into a mind shaped by autism. That writer, by the way, is just 16 years old. BookShelf’s Melody Kemp reviews “Diary of a Young Naturalist.”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [22]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [23]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Politics [7]
Region:
International [24]
Europe [25]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about “Diary of a Young Naturalist” [21]
Plant Trackers Help Mark Coal’s Decline [26]

Keeping tabs on the increasingly frequent closing of U.S. coal-fired electric power plants is an important way to follow developments on the larger climate change beat. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points to several mapping databases that help make the job far easier — whether watching the industry in the United States or abroad.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [15]
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Journalism & Media [9]
Natural Resources [27]
Pollution [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [24]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Plant Trackers Help Mark Coal’s Decline [26]
Chase Down Environmental Ballot Measures for State-Level Stories [28]

Although the realities of the pandemic may mean fewer state and local ballot measures in the upcoming election — and the presidential contest is drawing much of the spotlight — they can still be potentially fruitful stories for reporters willing to seek them out. Here are eight top ways to track this year’s environment and energy ballot measures, from the latest Reporter’s Toolbox.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Laws & Regulations [29]
Policy [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Chase Down Environmental Ballot Measures for State-Level Stories [28]
Youth Activist Groups Push Climate Into Voting Booths [30]

A key Democratic primary win in Massachusetts last week appears to portend a weather change in climate politics, with youth groups helping propel the issue into November’s polling places. Reporter’s Toolbox helps environmental journalists cover the shift by cataloging some of the biggest youth climate activist groups with local chapters and large geographic reach.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Politics [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [31]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [32]
International [24]
Europe [25]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Youth Activist Groups Push Climate Into Voting Booths [30]
Bringing Stories Home Under Lockdown, With Remote Video Interviews [33]

They’ve long been a staple of the news business. But now, with the pandemic continuing to keep journalists from their subjects, remote video interviews have become an essential tool. And even newbie video reporters can quickly learn the basics. Science video producer Eli Kintisch shares a quick eight-step remote video setup and some simple tricks of the trade, in this SEJournal how-to.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [35]
Air [15]
Biodiversity [23]
Chemicals [16]
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [36]
Disasters [37]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Health [38]
Environmental Politics [7]
Environmental Studies [39]
Fish & Fisheries [40]
Food [41]
Forests [42]
Government [8]
Health [17]
Journalism & Media [9]
Laws & Regulations [29]
Military [43]
Natural Resources [27]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [44]
Other or All [45]
People & Population [18]
Planning & Growth [46]
Policy [10]
Pollution [19]
Science [47]
Technology [48]
Transportation [49]
Waste [50]
Water & Oceans [51]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Alaska and Hawaii [52]
California [53]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [54]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [55]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [56]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [57]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [31]
Northwest (OR WA) [58]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [32]
International [24]
Canada [59]
Mexico [60]
Africa [61]
Antarctica & Arctic [62]
Asia [63]
Australia & Oceania [64]
Central America & the Caribbean [65]
Europe [25]
Middle East [66]
South America [67]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Bringing Stories Home Under Lockdown, With Remote Video Interviews [33]
‘Green Recovery’ Policies an Elusive Promise [68]

As Democratic and Republican parties plan their nominating conventions beginning next week amid a pandemic and a recession, it’s instructive to examine the state of thinking about a “green recovery.” Backgrounder looks at the politicking and policies behind the notion that a massive clean energy plan could be good not just for addressing climate change, but also the economy.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [69]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Laws & Regulations [29]
Policy [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [24]
Australia & Oceania [64]
Europe [25]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about ‘Green Recovery’ Policies an Elusive Promise [68]
Finding Native People at Heart of Environment Beat [70]

As Democratic New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland prepares to possibly become the first Native American Interior secretary, it's becoming clearer than ever that environmental concerns are deeply intertwined with Native American life. But news media often ignore the connections, missing important stories as a result. Our new Backgrounder helps set that to rights by spotlighting 10 key environmental issues affecting Native American communities and offering a dozen-and-a-half reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [69]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Environmental Politics [7]
Journalism & Media [9]
People & Population [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Finding Native People at Heart of Environment Beat [70]
Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [71]

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 [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [15]
Chemicals [16]
Environmental Health [38]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [17]
Journalism & Media [9]
People & Population [18]
Pollution [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [54]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [71]

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