Publication Items

Is Fluoride Facing Phaseout in Your Community’s Drinking Water? [1]

Fluoridated drinking water has helped limit tooth decay in the United States for decades. But that could come to an end in the Trump administration, if fluoride nonfan Robert F. Kennedy Jr., slated to head Health and Human Services, has his way. In the first installment of SEJournal’s new weekly EJ TransitionWatch column, we examine the challenge to this public health success story. Plus, questions to ask and resources for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ TransitionWatch [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Chemicals [4]
Consumer [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Infrastructure [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [11]
People & Population [12]
Policy [13]
Science [14]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Is Fluoride Facing Phaseout in Your Community’s Drinking Water? [1]
As COP29 Begins, Where Can You Get Good Climate Emissions Data? [18]

The United Nation’s annual climate change meeting is underway this week and if you’re seeking databases on greenhouse gas emissions, the latest Reporter’s Toolbox suggests they might not be from the U.N. Instead, look for the best data from the European Commission’s EDGAR project. What makes EDGAR’s data particularly strong and how to make the best use of it in your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [20]
Government [7]
Science [14]
Region:
International [21]
Asia [22]
Europe [23]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about As COP29 Begins, Where Can You Get Good Climate Emissions Data? [18]
Small Fry — How to Tell Compelling Stories About Obscure Species [24]

Getting people excited about large, charismatic wildlife is easy, but tiny, little-known or less-than-lovable species can be a tough sell. Journalists Bethany Brookshire and Douglas Main on why it’s important to include oddball organisms in your reporting and how to get audiences engaged. Pro tip: Building curiosity and caring for minor-league creatures often means being a bit self-centered.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [25]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [26]
Climate Change [20]
Environmental Health [27]
Forests [28]
Journalism & Media [10]
Science [14]
Wildlife [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
International [21]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Small Fry — How to Tell Compelling Stories About Obscure Species [24]
Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [31]

When Illinois downplayed the results of long-delayed PFAS testing in the state’s public water supply, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Hawthorne revisited a story he had first covered two decades before. His investigation uncovered dangerous practices threatening public health, won him accolades and moved the needle on state policy. How he went about it, in the new Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [33]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Justice [34]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [35]
Food [36]
Government [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Policy [13]
Pollution [37]
Science [14]
Waste [38]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [39]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [31]
New-Look Landslide Risk Database Captures Potential Human Costs [40]

Susceptibility to landslides is more on the minds of environmental reporters, especially in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which caused hundreds of them. To get a better read on local landslide risk for local stories, Reporter’s Toolbox recommends an enhanced resource from the U.S. Geological Survey, which layers the risk data into easily readable map form.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [20]
Disasters [41]
Environmental Studies [35]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [12]
Science [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Northwest (OR WA) [42]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about New-Look Landslide Risk Database Captures Potential Human Costs [40]
Scientist Recounts Great Barrier Reef’s ‘Final Battle’ [43]

The Great Barrier Reef is one of nature’s marvels, home to a startling array of life. It’s also the victim of forces rapidly bringing about its demise, from runoff to climate change. With “In Hot Water,” scientist Paul Hardisty recounts the struggle to save this remarkable ecosystem, amid forces of capital, politics and conflicting science. The latest BookShelf review from contributor Melody Kemp.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [33]
Biodiversity [26]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Politics [6]
Fish & Fisheries [45]
Natural Resources [46]
Pollution [37]
Science [14]
Water & Oceans [15]
Region:
International [21]
Australia & Oceania [47]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Scientist Recounts Great Barrier Reef’s ‘Final Battle’ [43]
Better Communicating for the Climate [48]

What if the news, instead of inducing fear or anxiety, was rewarding for the brain? That question sparked the creation of a novel, game show–inspired approach to helping journalists unlock new ways of reporting, using healthier, more holistic communication techniques. Drawing on research from neuroscience, community psychology and journalism, “Jourpardy” offers fresh perspectives on how to avoid doom-and-gloom reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [25]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [20]
Disasters [41]
Journalism & Media [10]
Science [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [21]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Better Communicating for the Climate [48]
Is Climate Data at Risk From Natural Disasters? [49]

When Hurricane Helene ravaged a swath of the Southeast in September, leaving at least 230 people dead, it also temporarily took out a critical repository of climate data in Asheville, North Carolina. That got Reporter’s Toolbox thinking about the risks to some of the nation’s other important storehouses of environmental information, whether from extreme weather, hackers or politics. Here’s a shortlist.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [20]
Disasters [41]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [35]
Government [7]
Science [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [50]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Is Climate Data at Risk From Natural Disasters? [49]
Coequal Catastrophes — Quammen on Climate Change, Extinction and Epidemics [51]

Biodiversity loss can seem like a remote and abstract problem that pales in comparison to climate worries. But award-winning author David Quammen sees them as coequal threats, along with emerging diseases, and encourages journalists to illuminate the relationships between them. His advice includes getting out of big cities to see the extinction crisis firsthand and weaving humor and hope into your writing.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [25]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [26]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [20]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Studies [35]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [10]
Pollution [37]
Science [14]
Wildlife [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [21]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about Coequal Catastrophes — Quammen on Climate Change, Extinction and Epidemics [51]
A Renowned Birder Shatters the Audubon Myth [52]

In his fascinating volume about John James Audubon, world-renowned naturalist-writer-illustrator Kenn Kaufman pays homage to the artist but meticulously dissects the man, writes BookShelf Editor Tom Henry. A review of “The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness” depicts how Audubon, driven by the rivalries of his time, marred his own legacy with factual errors and outright fraud.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [26]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [35]
Science [14]
Wildlife [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [21]
Visibility:
Public [17]
- Read more about A Renowned Birder Shatters the Audubon Myth [52]

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