Publication Items

Threats of Media Censorship Cloud COP29 [1]

Again this year, a petrostate hosts the COP climate gathering. Azerbaijan as host not only raises questions of how an oil-rich nation can help foster the fossil fuel cuts needed to stem climate change. But WatchDog Opinion also worries what Azerbaijan’s poor press freedom record will mean for journalists covering the gathering and for the civil society that normally enlivens the meeting.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Justice [7]
Environmental Politics [8]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Policy [11]
Region:
International [12]
Asia [13]
Europe [14]
Middle East [15]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Threats of Media Censorship Cloud COP29 [1]
Trump Redux — What Will It Mean? [17]

Following Donald Trump’s election to a second term, SEJournal revisits our prospective coverage of his upcoming administration. Read what a Trump 2.0 would mean for the environment, take a closer look at how the Justice40 program hangs in balance and whether weather data would be withheld from the public. That, and more WatchDog Opinion columns on prospects under Trump. Plus, Trump-environment headlines.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Trump Redux — What Will It Mean? [17]
Small Fry — How to Tell Compelling Stories About Obscure Species [20]

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 [21]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [22]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Health [23]
Forests [24]
Journalism & Media [10]
Science [25]
Wildlife [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [27]
International [12]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Small Fry — How to Tell Compelling Stories About Obscure Species [20]
Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [28]

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 [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [30]
Chemicals [31]
Environmental Justice [7]
Environmental Politics [8]
Environmental Studies [32]
Food [33]
Government [9]
Health [34]
Journalism & Media [10]
Policy [11]
Pollution [35]
Science [25]
Waste [36]
Water & Oceans [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [38]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Prize Winner Spurs Policy Change on Illinois PFAS Contamination [28]
When Disasters Hit, Nursing Homes Can Be Disasters Waiting To Happen [39]

In any disaster, among the most vulnerable populations are the residents of nursing homes. Yet many communities may simply not be ready to protect them, despite a complex patchwork of state, federal and local regulatory oversight. That means environmental journalists should get on the case, reporting the risk in their locales, advises the latest TipSheet. Insights, plus a dozen story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [41]
Environmental Justice [7]
Health [34]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [27]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about When Disasters Hit, Nursing Homes Can Be Disasters Waiting To Happen [39]
New-Look Landslide Risk Database Captures Potential Human Costs [43]

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 [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [41]
Environmental Studies [32]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [42]
Science [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Northwest (OR WA) [45]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [27]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about New-Look Landslide Risk Database Captures Potential Human Costs [43]
Sewage Sludge Can Spread the Harm of Many Toxic Chemicals [46]

What was once benignly dubbed biosolids is more accurately tagged toxic sludge. And some of it may be finding its way into our food. The latest TipSheet reports how that came to be despite (or perhaps because of) Clean Water Act regulation, and how hard it is to calculate the potential harms. Plus, more than a dozen reporting ideas and resources for this highly localizable story.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [30]
Environmental Politics [8]
Food [33]
Government [9]
Health [34]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [47]
Pollution [35]
Waste [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Sewage Sludge Can Spread the Harm of Many Toxic Chemicals [46]
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 [21]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [41]
Journalism & Media [10]
Science [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
International [12]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Better Communicating for the Climate [48]
Harris Must Shed More Light on Her Press Freedom Views [49]

Yes, press freedom advocates worry over the prospects of a Trump administration that considers journalists “the enemy of the people.” But the new WatchDog Opinion column argues the Harris campaign has, for its part, been uncomfortably quiet on those same issues. So it’s time for the Democratic presidential hopeful to answer some questions. WatchDog has 10 we should all be asking.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Policy [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Harris Must Shed More Light on Her Press Freedom Views [49]
Will Your Local Dam Turn Deadly in the Next Big Storm? [50]

The devastating death toll and damage from Hurricane Helene are a dire warning of the risks of extreme weather and flooding. But one notable hazard is that such flooding may overwhelm any one of the thousands of small, neglected U.S. dams. TipSheet examines the issue and offers more than a dozen story angles and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [41]
Infrastructure [51]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [47]
Water & Oceans [37]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
California [52]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [53]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [27]
Visibility:
Public [16]
- Read more about Will Your Local Dam Turn Deadly in the Next Big Storm? [50]

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