Publication Items

SEJ Urges Obama to Take Stand on Bipartisan FOIA Bills [1]

The Society of Environmental Journalists wrote President Barack Obama October 23, 2014, urging him to take a strong position supporting legislation that would strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Bipartisan FOIA improvements may be one of the few pieces of legislation with a chance to clear the lame duck 113th Congress before control shifts to Republicans in 2015.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [5]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about SEJ Urges Obama to Take Stand on Bipartisan FOIA Bills [1]
Chief Tidwell Directs Forest Service: No Permits, Fees for Journos [7]

"News coverage on [National Forest System] lands is protected by the Constitution," wrote U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas L. Tidwell in a November 4, 2014, memo to agency leaders, "and it is our responsibility to safeguard this right on the lands we manage for all Americans. Journalists provide a critical public service, and this agency will ensure their access in the pursuit of that public service."
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Forests [8]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [5]
Natural Resources [9]
Policy [10]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Chief Tidwell Directs Forest Service: No Permits, Fees for Journos [7]
Freelancers and Fellowships: A Path for Growth [11]

Perhaps the biggest value in fellowships is that they can provide a base of knowledge about issues a journalist has not yet investigated. And there’s no telling when that knowledge will come in handy. Read how freelancer Lisa Palmer's experiences with fellowships profoundly shaped her career, and explore resources to help you find a program that will best suit your needs.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [13]
Biodiversity [14]
Climate Change [15]
Economy & Business [16]
Journalism & Media [4]
Technology [17]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Freelancers and Fellowships: A Path for Growth [11]
Tapping the Environmental Journalism 'Power Grid' [18]

SEJ President Don Hopey explains his glass-half-full look at the maturing of the environment beat and its growing importance in everyday life.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ Presidents Report [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [4]
People & Population [20]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Tapping the Environmental Journalism 'Power Grid' [18]
"The War on Science: Muzzled Scientists and Willful Blindness in Stephen Harper's Canada" [21]

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [22]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [23]
Journalism & Media [4]
Science [24]
Region:
Canada [25]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about "The War on Science: Muzzled Scientists and Willful Blindness in Stephen Harper's Canada" [21]
Sundance Festival Sparse on Enviro Themes [26]

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about Sundance Festival Sparse on Enviro Themes [26]
"The Last Ocean: Antarctica's Ross Sea Project: Saving the Most Pristine Ecosystem on Earth" [28]

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [22]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [4]
Natural Resources [9]
Region:
Antarctica & Arctic [29]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about "The Last Ocean: Antarctica's Ross Sea Project: Saving the Most Pristine Ecosystem on Earth" [28]
17 J-Groups Join SEJ in Letter on Wildlands Photo Regs [30]

Eighteen journalism, photography, and First Amendment groups on October 1, 2014, wrote U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell opposing the proposal to finalize a directive requiring permits for "commercial filming" in Forest Service Wilderness areas. Tidwell has already said the USFS does not want to restrict journalism on wilderness lands, but the groups seek changes to regulatory language that would make this clear. SEJ is one of the groups.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Forests [8]
Journalism & Media [4]
Region:
National (U.S.) [31]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about 17 J-Groups Join SEJ in Letter on Wildlands Photo Regs [30]
SEJ FOI Chair Talks to Forest Service Chief Tidwell [32]

After proposing a directive that seemed to require permits and fees for journalists working in U.S. Forest Service wilderness lands, the USFS announced that it had never intended the restrictions to apply to journalists. Tim Wheeler, chairman of the Society of Environmental Journalists' Freedom of Information Task Force, talked with USFS Chief TomTidwell to clarify the USFS position. Here's his report. [33]

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Forests [8]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [31]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about SEJ FOI Chair Talks to Forest Service Chief Tidwell [32]
How Does Obama Block Open Info? AP Counts the Ways [34]

Three major journalism groups held a joint convention in Chicago September 15-17, 2014, which included a panel discussion on Obama administration secrecy. News industry leaders used the occasion to point out that the Obama administration's deeds and practices did not match its claims of transparency.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility:
Public [6]
- Read more about How Does Obama Block Open Info? AP Counts the Ways [34]

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