Publication Items

Orphans and Zombies — Reporting on Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Across the Country [1]

For more than a century, oil and gas companies have been drilling — and abandoning — wells across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands to potentially leak pollutants into the air, water and soil. Climate and environment reporter Martha Pskowski looks at how funding and regulatory issues are impacting efforts to identify and plug these wells, and offers resources for drilling into their story.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Air [4]
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [6]
Energy & Fuel [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Government [9]
Health [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Technology [16]
Water & Oceans [17]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [20]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [21]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [23]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [24]
Visibility:
Public [25]
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Database of Flood Events Helps Cover Catastrophes, Past or Present [26]

A massive trove of mappable water data from the U.S. Geological Survey offers reporters resources to cover present-day flooding threats, compare them to past flood events or help prepare reporting for tomorrow’s disasters. According to the latest Reporter’s Toolbox, its various tools let you pinpoint immediate flooding, map future flood hazards and even configure phone alerts for breaking events.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [28]
Environmental Studies [29]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [11]
Water & Oceans [17]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Visibility:
Public [25]
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Queer Ecology — A Powerful Lens for Reporting on Environmental Injustice [30]

Queer ecology is an evolving field that challenges traditional assumptions in science and explores LGBTQ+ experiences in an ecological context. It’s easy to catch your audience’s attention with stories about transitioning clownfish or same-sex albatross parenting. But as contributor Isaias Hernandez explains, queer ecology also offers journalists an important perspective for covering a range of environmental issues, from climate risk to pollution exposure, and reimagining environmental narratives.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [31]
Agriculture [3]
Air [4]
Biodiversity [32]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [28]
Diversity [33]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [34]
Environmental Politics [35]
Environmental Studies [29]
Health [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
People & Population [36]
Planning & Growth [37]
Science [38]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
International [39]
Visibility:
Public [25]
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Chronic Wasting Disease May Be Stalking Deer Hunters [40]

Fall deer hunting season is getting underway across much of North America. And with it, the uncertain risks from chronic wasting disease. Environmental journalists would do well to report the story to help keep safe those who eat the meat of deer and elk they kill. The latest TipSheet has more on the backstory, along with 10 story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [8]
Food [42]
Health [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Science [38]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
International [39]
Canada [43]
Visibility:
Public [25]
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Sunshine State Weirdness, With a Solid Dose of Environment [44]

The story behind the story that captures the “real” Florida is the essence of a new volume from veteran journalist and author Craig Pittman. BookShelf editor Tom Henry writes that “Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America’s Most Interesting State” not only taps into the state’s rich vein of the weird but offers a hefty dose of environmental topics, from climate change to manatees.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Politics [35]
People & Population [36]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [17]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [46]
Visibility:
Public [25]
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Saving Big Cats From Humans [47]

As expanded development on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula encroaches on prime wildlife habitat, big cats find it harder to avoid people, and many wind up dead. In this Inside Story Q&A, Liza Gross of Inside Climate News describes how she and photographer/editor Michael Kodas worked with a local cougar protection team to track a family of big cats to their den and through the area.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [32]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Studies [29]
Forests [49]
Journalism & Media [11]
People & Population [36]
Science [38]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Northwest (OR WA) [50]
Visibility:
Public [25]
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Ecofiction — A Novel Approach to Environmental Truth-Telling [51]

Fiction and journalism might seem like polar opposites, but some environmental journalists find writing ecofiction is an ideal complement to their day jobs. Drawing on journalistic research skills and curiosity, ecofiction lets them explore environmental issues from a different angle while enjoying an opportunity to unleash their imaginations. Journalist-fictioneers Valerie Brown and Meg Turville-Heitz on working across genre boundaries.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [11]
Military [52]
Science [38]
Technology [16]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [23]
International [39]
Asia [53]
Visibility:
Public [25]
- Read more about Ecofiction — A Novel Approach to Environmental Truth-Telling [51]
From Fear to Fascination — A New Insect Narrative [54]

Media coverage of “bugs” is often sensationalistic and centered on fear and disgust. But conservation photographer and writer Danae Wolfe says journalists should be highlighting the importance, beauty and plight of insects and spiders. Reporting that offers alternative perspectives on these essential creatures can inspire curiosity and admiration, and encourage efforts to protect them. Wolfe on why to write about insects.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [31]
Agriculture [3]
Biodiversity [32]
Chemicals [55]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Studies [29]
Food [42]
Forests [49]
Journalism & Media [11]
Pollution [15]
Science [38]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
International [39]
Visibility:
Public [25]
- Read more about From Fear to Fascination — A New Insect Narrative [54]
Why Now’s the Time To Tell a Good Fish Tale [56]

With fishing season underway across the United States, reporters have a line to an array of great, local environmental stories, whether about the recreation and tourism industries or overfishing and the health of regional ecosystems. The latest TipSheet has more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources to help you reel in an angle of your own.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [31]
Biodiversity [32]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [8]
Fish & Fisheries [57]
Food [42]
Journalism & Media [11]
Natural Resources [13]
Water & Oceans [17]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Visibility:
Public [25]
- Read more about Why Now’s the Time To Tell a Good Fish Tale [56]
Environmentalists Will Be Seeing Trump Forces in Court — Often [58]

The judiciary is looking to become a major environmental battleground for journalists to watch in the coming months and years, as activists confront the Trump administration over its deregulatory campaign. The new Issue Backgrounder maps out the action, explaining how key laws foster citizen suits, while numerous nonprofits are staffed up to sue. Plus, some ways to track the action.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [59]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [31]
Air [4]
Biodiversity [32]
Chemicals [55]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [60]
Environmental Justice [34]
Environmental Politics [35]
Government [9]
Infrastructure [61]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Waste [62]
Water & Oceans [17]
Wildlife [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [19]
Visibility:
Public [25]
- Read more about Environmentalists Will Be Seeing Trump Forces in Court — Often [58]

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