Publication Items

Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [1]

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 [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [11]
Pollution [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Small-Market Reporter Unmasks Race Gap in Pollution Response [1]
Post-COVID-19 City Design May Transform Built Environment [17]

In the aftermath of the pandemic, the so-called built environment is likely to get a thorough reexamination, whether it’s to reconsider commuting, shopping, recreation, eating out or taking in sporting events. Our latest Issue Backgrounder looks at the top ways coronavirus will force us to rethink our cities and how we live in and travel through them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [19]
Economy & Business [20]
Health [9]
People & Population [11]
Planning & Growth [21]
Transportation [22]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [23]
Europe [24]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Post-COVID-19 City Design May Transform Built Environment [17]
Altered Office Environments Will Likely Greet Workers Returning From Quarantine [25]

The indoor air in offices was already a potential health risk even before COVID-19. But now amid the pandemic coronavirus, not to mention other ever-present biological threats, indoor environmental hazards make it more likely than ever that offices will look and function differently in coming days. TipSheet takes a look and offers more than a dozen story ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [4]
Disasters [19]
Economy & Business [20]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [23]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Altered Office Environments Will Likely Greet Workers Returning From Quarantine [25]
“Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West” [27]

It’s a site of stunning natural beauty. It’s also the place with America’s worst income inequality. A new book details how Wyoming’s Teton County elite have, perhaps unwittingly, used their extreme wealth to remake the region through conservation easements and donations to environmental causes, but remain blind to the needs of the area’s poorer residents. The latest BookShelf review explains.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Economy & Business [20]
Environmental Politics [7]
Natural Resources [29]
People & Population [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [30]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [31]
Northwest (OR WA) [32]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about “Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West” [27]
Coronavirus Silence, Secrecy Harms Public Health [33]

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 [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [11]
Policy [35]
Science [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Coronavirus Silence, Secrecy Harms Public Health [33]
Pandemic Pushes Bikes Into New Popularity. Will It Last? [37]

Commuters seeking social distancing want them. City dwellers drawn to nearly car-free streets want them too. But the boom in bikes long pre-dates the COVID-19 outbreak, and their eco-friendly reputation offers environment reporters numerous smart local story angles, per the latest TipSheet. Get context, plus numerous story ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [38]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [11]
Planning & Growth [21]
Pollution [12]
Transportation [22]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [23]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Pandemic Pushes Bikes Into New Popularity. Will It Last? [37]
Disaster Preparedness Key Amid Pandemic [39]

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 [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Disasters [19]
Environmental Health [6]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [40]
People & Population [11]
Planning & Growth [21]
Policy [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [30]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [14]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [41]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Disaster Preparedness Key Amid Pandemic [39]
Parks Post-Coronavirus Reopening a Political Football? [42]

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 [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [40]
Natural Resources [29]
People & Population [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Parks Post-Coronavirus Reopening a Political Football? [42]
“Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution” [43]

To better grasp how COVID-19 is linked to the persistent problem of polluted air, our latest BookShelf review recommends going back to a prescient text, “Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution.” While the volume predates the pandemic, it makes painfully clear why, during this crisis, healthy air matters more than ever.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [4]
Disasters [19]
Health [9]
Laws & Regulations [40]
People & Population [11]
Pollution [12]
Science [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
International [23]
Asia [44]
Europe [24]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about “Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution” [43]
Could Combined Sewer Overflows Be a COVID-19 Threat? [45]

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 [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [19]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Studies [46]
Government [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [40]
People & Population [11]
Pollution [12]
Waste [47]
Water & Oceans [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [13]
California [30]
International [23]
Europe [24]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Could Combined Sewer Overflows Be a COVID-19 Threat? [45]

Pages