Publication Items

Energy on the Ballot [1]

As the public and news media alike tally the outcomes of this week’s U.S. midterm elections, it is the costs of energy — to the economy and the environment, today and into the future — that will continue to grow to dominate global discourse. A Backgrounder Analysis looks at how environmental journalists must seek the fuller story of this vast energy beat.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [4]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [10]
Policy [11]
Science [12]
Technology [13]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about Energy on the Ballot [1]
Reporting From the Blue — An Ocean of Opportunities [16]

As a veteran of reporting on the marine environment, David Helvarg is encouraged by recent improvements in the quality of ocean journalism, but sees a pressing need for more hands on deck. Offering inspiration from his own career, he notes that the world’s rapidly changing oceans hold an abundance of stories and urges others to dive in and explore them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [17]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [18]
Biodiversity [19]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [20]
Environmental Health [21]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Government [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Natural Resources [23]
Science [12]
Technology [13]
Water & Oceans [24]
Wildlife [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [26]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [27]
International [28]
Canada [29]
Antarctica & Arctic [30]
Asia [31]
Australia & Oceania [32]
Central America & the Caribbean [33]
Middle East [34]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about Reporting From the Blue — An Ocean of Opportunities [16]
CDC Data Is Copious, But Can You Trust It? [35]

When Reporter’s Toolbox scours a new dataset for your environment and energy reporting use, it asks a key question: Where does the data come from? This time, the answer serves more as a warning. The latest column looks at a previously stellar data source — the CDC — and finds it lacking. Here’s what you need to know.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [36]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [4]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [8]
Health [37]
Journalism & Media [9]
Policy [11]
Science [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about CDC Data Is Copious, But Can You Trust It? [35]
Decarbonizing Energy Systems With Clean Firm Power [38]

Solar and wind power are critical for combating climate change, but some energy experts warn they won’t be enough. Their vision for an emissions-free grid depends on technologies ranging from long-duration batteries to nuclear reactors. Journalist Nicolás Rivero on clean firm power’s potential, the challenges ahead and how Big Tech is driving the pursuit of always-on zero-carbon electricity.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [17]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Government [8]
Infrastructure [39]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [10]
Policy [11]
Pollution [40]
Science [12]
Technology [13]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [41]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [42]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [43]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about Decarbonizing Energy Systems With Clean Firm Power [38]
Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? [44]

If you’ve been pondering what recent Cyclospora, Legionella and Ebola outbreaks tell us about the state of preparedness for future pandemics, Backgrounder has some sobering insights. A reminder of the uneven response to COVID-19 and a look forward at how current Trump administration policy has weakened public health structures and likely left us unready for what’s ahead.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [20]
Government [8]
Health [37]
People & Population [45]
Policy [11]
Science [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? [44]
Climate Data Site Spiked, Resurrected by Ex-NOAA Employees [46]

An effort by the Trump administration to tank a highly useful data source on climate change trends has met impressive resistance — in the form of a group of fired NOAA staffers who have rebuilt the climate.gov website stripped by the federal government. And as the latest Toolbox notes, it’s a great resource. Reacquaint yourself with it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [36]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [18]
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Politics [7]
Environmental Studies [47]
Government [8]
Science [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about Climate Data Site Spiked, Resurrected by Ex-NOAA Employees [46]
A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [48]

The news has been full of warnings about a larger-than-normal El Niño, the periodic weather pattern that portends drastic fluctuations in everything from temperatures and precipitation to ocean currents and hurricanes. The latest Issue Backgrounder takes a step back to help explain exactly how this phenomenon works and what its impacts may be, while offering a parting thought on smart coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [49]
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Studies [47]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Food [50]
Journalism & Media [9]
Science [12]
Water & Oceans [24]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [48]
How Attribution Science Can Help Reporters on the Heat Beat [51]

With 2026 shaping up to be an exceptional El Niño year, expect lots of record-breaking heat waves and other extreme weather. But climate change will also contribute. Explaining the role of both is essential to complete coverage. Journalist Ethan Brown shares tips and resources for using climate attribution science as a powerful reporting tool. Plus, five questions to ask while covering the next extreme climate event.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [17]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [20]
Environmental Politics [7]
Environmental Studies [47]
Journalism & Media [9]
Policy [11]
Science [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
International [28]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about How Attribution Science Can Help Reporters on the Heat Beat [51]
Hazard Duty — Government Data Portals Help Report Extreme Weather [52]

When it comes to tracking weather phenomena from heat waves and tornadoes to wildfire smoke or storm surge, environmental journalists could hardly do better than the vast array of data from the National Weather Service, writes the latest Reporter’s Toolbox. A tour of data maps and viewers, forecasts and weather insights from the large scale to the local.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [36]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [20]
Journalism & Media [9]
Science [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about Hazard Duty — Government Data Portals Help Report Extreme Weather [52]
Graphic Content — Journalistic Lessons From Crossing Genres [53]

Today’s teens are growing up in a world of conspicuous climate change, often directly affected by its consequences. Despite their youth, some are at the forefront of the fight against this threat. Freelance journalist and author Meera Subramanian — co-creator of a new nonfiction graphic novel about young climate campaigners — on teens as sources, activism as a topic and the pleasures of collaboration. See a sample of the book [54].

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [17]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [18]
Biodiversity [19]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [20]
Diversity [55]
Environmental Health [21]
Environmental Justice [56]
Environmental Politics [7]
Environmental Studies [47]
Health [37]
Journalism & Media [9]
Pollution [40]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [57]
Science [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [14]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [58]
International [28]
Visibility:
Public [15]
- Read more about Graphic Content — Journalistic Lessons From Crossing Genres [53]

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