Publication Items

Worldview Data Expands Environment Reporter’s Strike Zone [1]

A sweeping array of satellites observes our planet and sends vast amounts of data back — data that the powerful NASA Worldview website can translate into graphic form to help journalists tell some of the environment beat’s most central stories. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores the strengths and weaknesses of Worldview in covering everything from wildfires and floods to climate.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Science [7]
Technology [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Worldview Data Expands Environment Reporter’s Strike Zone [1]
Eco-Alternatives to the Perfect, Weedless Lawn [12]

A good and very localizable environmental story is right outside your front door … or at least outside your neighbor’s. Lawns and the myriad ways they are managed can provide a window into wildness, or resource use, or chemical pollution. The latest TipSheet offers more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources, from xeriscaping and butterfly gardens to nurseries and planning boards.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Chemicals [15]
Consumer [16]
Environmental Health [4]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [17]
Planning & Growth [18]
Pollution [19]
Waste [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Wildlife [22]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Eco-Alternatives to the Perfect, Weedless Lawn [12]
Making Sense of Jewish Perspectives on the Climate Story [23]

American Jews are heavily involved in climate action in both the political and civic realms. But current events in Israel and Gaza can make it hard for U.S. journalists to cover environmental stories important to Jews at home or abroad. Jewish freelancer Ethan Brown on differences and synergies between Israeli and American Jewish environmentalism and how to approach stories within each community.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [24]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [25]
Chemicals [15]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [26]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [28]
Forests [29]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Military [30]
People & Population [31]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Middle East [33]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Making Sense of Jewish Perspectives on the Climate Story [23]
What Would Trump 2.0 Mean for the Environment? [34]

If former President Donald Trump recaptures the White House this fall, it would likely bring back a radical deregulatory, climate change-oblivious, fossil fuel-intensive environmental policy. But could the fallout be even greater? The new Issue Backgrounder examines how the Project 2025 agenda of Trump’s allies takes aim, in particular, at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [15]
Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [36]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [28]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [17]
Natural Resources [37]
Policy [38]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about What Would Trump 2.0 Mean for the Environment? [34]
Track Harmful Algal Blooms With Data. Avoid Bad Clams [39]

It’s summertime and the living is easy for algae that can be hazardous to human health. Climate heating and agricultural pollution are making the problem worse. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores useful sources of data for tracking trends. Plus, tips on how to use the data for local reporting on the risks posed by this seasonal threat.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Biodiversity [40]
Climate Change [3]
Economy & Business [41]
Environmental Health [4]
Fish & Fisheries [42]
Food [43]
Government [5]
Health [44]
Journalism & Media [6]
Natural Resources [37]
Pollution [19]
Science [7]
Water & Oceans [21]
Wildlife [22]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Track Harmful Algal Blooms With Data. Avoid Bad Clams [39]
What Would a Second Trump Reign Mean for Press Freedom? [45]

The possibility of a second Trump administration has WatchDog Opinion sweating blood over the potential for a serious undermining of the press, whether by choking off access to public records, opening up libel laws that help protect journalists from libel suits by public figures or going to virtual war with the news media. What might be in store if Trump wins back the presidency?

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [28]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [17]
Policy [38]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about What Would a Second Trump Reign Mean for Press Freedom? [45]
Will the Coming Plastics Treaty Solve the Problem Or Enshrine It? [47]

A major intergovernmental gathering later this year will address plastic pollution, including in oceans. But an overview from our Issue Backgrounder notes that the likelihood of solving the problem may be small. One reason? Petrochemical industry lobbying. Another? The shifting world market for plastic waste. And there are more concerns, such as the effectiveness of incineration and chemical recycling techniques. More, including questions to ask, in Backgrounder.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [15]
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [16]
Economy & Business [41]
Energy & Fuel [36]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [28]
Government [5]
Health [44]
Journalism & Media [6]
Policy [38]
Pollution [19]
Waste [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Asia [48]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Will the Coming Plastics Treaty Solve the Problem Or Enshrine It? [47]
Tracking the EPA Agenda Through Agency Grants [49]

Much of what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accomplishes, whether cleaning up water, shoring up infrastructure or reducing climate change, is done through its grants program. To help track that spending, the latest Reporter’s Toolbox points reporters to an enhanced EPA grant database tool that lets you search by geography and across other databases. More on how to make the most of it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Government [5]
Infrastructure [50]
Journalism & Media [6]
Policy [38]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Tracking the EPA Agenda Through Agency Grants [49]
Rethinking Rural Reporting — How To Get Past the Cliches [51]

When covering rural America, mainstream media often defaults to stereotypes steeped in politics and ignores the diversity that actually exists there, as expanding news deserts exacerbate the problem. Reporter Claire Carlson on why this matters — including in discouraging investment around climate change or resource industries urban dwellers depend on. Here’s how journalists can report richer, more nuanced stories about rural people and places.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [24]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [26]
Diversity [52]
Economy & Business [41]
Environmental Politics [28]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
People & Population [31]
Policy [38]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Rethinking Rural Reporting — How To Get Past the Cliches [51]
The EPA’s Power Plant Rule … We’ll See You in Court [53]

A new federal rule to cut power plant pollution and carbon dioxide emissions promises to escalate a yearslong, highly partisan battle at the core of U.S. climate change policy. Our Issue Backgrounder lays out the shifting regulatory approaches from the administrations of George W. Bush to Joe Biden, and notes the legal tug-of-war that has heightened the importance of another big player — the Supreme Court.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [54]
Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [36]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [28]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [17]
Policy [38]
Pollution [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about The EPA’s Power Plant Rule … We’ll See You in Court [53]

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