Publication Items

Consumption Advisories Offer Fistful of Fish Tales [1]

With fishing season underway in the United States and Canada, fish consumption advisories are also on the hook. That means potential stories for environmental journalists. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points you to state-by-state data sources and walks you through how to best explain them to your audience. Plus, a bonus story tip.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Consumer [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Food [7]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [12]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
International [16]
Canada [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Consumption Advisories Offer Fistful of Fish Tales [1]
Coronavirus Silence, Secrecy Harms Public Health [19]

Mishandling of vital information by the U.S. government worsened the COVID-19 pandemic, argues the latest WatchDog. The no-holds-barred opinion piece, which notes that coronavirus is as much an environmental story as a public health one, points the finger at the White House and the “Silent CDC,” sifts the wreckage of the testing program and speculates about the dearth of data as the nation reopens.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [21]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [23]
Policy [24]
Science [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Coronavirus Silence, Secrecy Harms Public Health [19]
Using Data Sources To Track Climate-Driven Mayhem at Superfund Sites [26]

Hazardous waste and floodwaters don’t typically mix well together. So when a Michigan dam recently burst, and flooded not just the local community, but also threatened a nearby Superfund site, it prompted Reporter’s Toolbox to look at how environmental journalists could track similar threats in their areas, especially as climate change raises the risks of similar disasters.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [3]
Climate Change [27]
Disasters [21]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Pollution [13]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [29]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [31]
International [16]
Europe [32]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Using Data Sources To Track Climate-Driven Mayhem at Superfund Sites [26]
Disaster Preparedness Key Amid Pandemic [33]

Unheeded warnings are the hallmark of many disasters. And with coronavirus still hobbling the nation, communities and journalists must now watch for all the ways COVID-19 could make even the most familiar hazards far worse. Prepare with this extensive Backgrounder, which touches on issues around evacuations and emergency readiness when facing storms, fires, toxic releases and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [35]
Chemicals [3]
Disasters [21]
Environmental Health [5]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [23]
Planning & Growth [36]
Policy [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
California [37]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [29]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [38]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Disaster Preparedness Key Amid Pandemic [33]
While No One Was Watching — Changing Enviro Regs Under Trump [39]

Regulations that sprang from cornerstone environmental laws in place for decades are now under attack by the Trump administration, per legal experts in a recent webinar co-sponsored by the Society of Environmental Journalists and Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Get key takeaways and resources from the event from SEJ’s Dale Willman. Plus, watch the full webinar video.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Air [35]
Chemicals [3]
Climate Change [27]
Energy & Fuel [42]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [12]
Policy [24]
Pollution [13]
Science [25]
Transportation [43]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about While No One Was Watching — Changing Enviro Regs Under Trump [39]
Parks Post-Coronavirus Reopening a Political Football? [44]

As the United States restarts fitfully following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, one source of controversy — and of numerous local or regional environmental stories — is what to do at the nation’s park system. The latest TipSheet explains why public access to these national treasures is so contentious, then provides numerous story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [21]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Natural Resources [12]
People & Population [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Parks Post-Coronavirus Reopening a Political Football? [44]
No Drought of Data, As Climate Dries U.S. [46]

With drought can come fire, and with megadrought, routine reporting becomes disaster headlines. Reporter’s Toolbox gets you to the bottom of the drought data sources that help determine what’s ahead for your region, sorting through the complicated set of federal drought monitoring agencies and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [47]
Climate Change [27]
Disasters [21]
Environmental Studies [48]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [12]
Science [25]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
California [37]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [49]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [50]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [31]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about No Drought of Data, As Climate Dries U.S. [46]
NEPA Rollback, EPA Science Rules Threaten Transparency; Plus, Pandemic Press Restrictions? [51]

A long-standing law designed to protect public information about environmental impacts is facing an unfavorable overhaul, while a proposal dictating how EPA uses scientific findings in its rulings is nearing finalization. WatchDog has those items, plus how states are using the COVID-19 pandemic to restrict press and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Climate Change [27]
Disasters [21]
Economy & Business [52]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Policy [24]
Science [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about NEPA Rollback, EPA Science Rules Threaten Transparency; Plus, Pandemic Press Restrictions? [51]
Could Combined Sewer Overflows Be a COVID-19 Threat? [53]

For reporters investigating the coronavirus-environment connection, you might look to the untreated sewage that can sometimes overflow municipal systems during wet weather, possibly bringing the novel pathogen to beaches and other places where people can get sick from it. The latest TipSheet takes a look at the reality, plus provides story ideas and reporter resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [21]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Studies [48]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [23]
Pollution [13]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
California [37]
International [16]
Europe [32]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Could Combined Sewer Overflows Be a COVID-19 Threat? [53]
Smokey’s 420 Gets the ‘Dirt’ on Pot Crop [54]

The story of Smokey’s 420, mom-and-pop pot shop that’s taken a more environmental perspective. Plus, why the explosion in the infant business legal cannabis could be bad news for the environment [55], if left largely unregulated.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [56]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Agriculture [47]
Chemicals [3]
Consumer [4]
Economy & Business [52]
Energy & Fuel [42]
Environmental Politics [22]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
Policy [24]
Pollution [13]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [50]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Smokey’s 420 Gets the ‘Dirt’ on Pot Crop [54]

Pages