Publication Items

Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [1]

Plastic straws might have quickly become this summer’s bogeyman, with bans by Starbucks, hotel chains, resorts and some big cities. But as this week’s TipSheet points out, straws are only a part of the massive marine litter problem facing the world’s oceans. Here’s how to put recent straw bans into broader perspective.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Consumer [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Fish & Fisheries [6]
Food [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [10]
Wildlife [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Alaska and Hawaii [13]
California [14]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [18]
International [19]
Canada [20]
Mexico [21]
Asia [22]
Australia & Oceania [23]
Central America & the Caribbean [24]
South America [25]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [1]
Too Late To Wait for Covering Infrastructure Vulnerability, Resilience [27]

Could U.S. infrastructure go from being a saver of lives to a bringer of disaster? Yes, warns our latest Issue Backgrounder, which looks at vulnerabilities for our drinking water supply, sewage systems, flood control, power grids, pipelines, refineries and even hospitals. Are environmental reporters paying enough attention? Here’s why they should, with suggestions on how to go about it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [29]
Disasters [30]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Government [32]
Health [33]
Journalism & Media [8]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [34]
People & Population [35]
Technology [36]
Water & Oceans [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Too Late To Wait for Covering Infrastructure Vulnerability, Resilience [27]
New Leadership, Old Business and Future Challenges [37]

A call to confront anti-press sentiment with a crusade for the value of journalism, plus a welcome for the new executive director for the Society of Environmental Journalists, and important housekeeping on voting rights for SEJ’s academic and associate members — all in the new report from SEJ President Bobby Magill.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ Presidents Report [38]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Government [32]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [19]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about New Leadership, Old Business and Future Challenges [37]
When Travel Expenses Get Too Expensive [39]

A big reporting jaunt can be a professional thrill. That is, until you consider the upfront costs you might be expected to shoulder as an independent journalist. The latest Freelance Files, from multimedia journalist Gloria Dickie, looks at the realities of travel expenses and offers half-a-dozen workarounds to lighten the load.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [41]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [19]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about When Travel Expenses Get Too Expensive [39]
With Wildfire, When Is Climate Change the Spark? [42]

Massive wildfires have been a huge news story this summer. But caught up in the conflagration is a big question: To what extent can climate change be blamed? This week’s TipSheet looks at the controversy, and helps journalists work their way through the challenge without getting burned.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [29]
Disasters [30]
Forests [43]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [35]
Planning & Growth [44]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
California [14]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about With Wildfire, When Is Climate Change the Spark? [42]
Journalism, Science Students Taught To Tune Their B.S. Detectors [45]

When it comes to nosing out the real “fake news,” reporters who cover environment, health and science have a long history of unmasking hype, misinformation and propaganda. The latest EJ Academy shares a new initiative to teach budding journalism and science students together, so they can be advocates for science and information literacy.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [47]
Climate Change [29]
Consumer [4]
Health [33]
Journalism & Media [8]
Science [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Journalism, Science Students Taught To Tune Their B.S. Detectors [45]
Hurricane Reporting, By the Numbers [49]

Smart coverage of the ongoing hurricane season means reporting not just people stories, but numbers stories too. This week’s TipSheet explains and offers half a dozen metrics, including pressure, width, surge and rainfall, to better track these extreme storms. Plus, should there be a “Category 6?”

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [29]
Disasters [30]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [15]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [17]
International [19]
Mexico [21]
Central America & the Caribbean [24]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Hurricane Reporting, By the Numbers [49]
Taking Office as EPA Acting Administrator, Wheeler Gets Realer [50]

The presence of a new acting administrator at EPA in the wake of Scott Pruitt’s resignation may mean a change in tone and a renewed openness for journalists covering the agency. But it doesn’t appear to mean different policy approaches. This week’s TipSheet reports on the early days of former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler’s command, with a roundup of coverage and angles to watch.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [51]
Climate Change [29]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [52]
Government [32]
Health [33]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [53]
Policy [54]
Pollution [9]
Waste [55]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Taking Office as EPA Acting Administrator, Wheeler Gets Realer [50]
SEJ, Other Groups, Object to US Geological Survey Interview Curbs [56]

The Society of Environmental Journalists and 10 other journalism groups have written Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (pictured, left) urging him not to interpose political appointees between reporters and the scientists they need to interview. Text here [57].

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [58]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about SEJ, Other Groups, Object to US Geological Survey Interview Curbs [56]
Will State, Local Pesticide Bans Make More News? [59]

When EPA falls short on regulation of pesticides, might states step into the breach? That’s exactly what happened in June when Hawaii banned toxic organophosphate chlorpyrifos. To take a closer look, this week’s TipSheet reports on how federal regulation opens the door for state, or even local, preemption and offers angles and resources for environmental reporters.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [47]
Air [51]
Chemicals [60]
Economy & Business [41]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [52]
Environmental Studies [61]
Food [7]
Government [32]
Health [33]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [53]
Policy [54]
Science [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [19]
Canada [20]
Visibility:
Public [26]
- Read more about Will State, Local Pesticide Bans Make More News? [59]

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