Publication Items

To Cover Climate Equity Well, Journalists Must Maintain Mental Health [1]

When climate journalists — especially those confronting various forms of oppression in their own communities — witness environmental destruction and human suffering, the trauma can creep into our psyches. But sometimes our professional stance keeps us from seeing the harm to our mental health. In her new Voices of Environmental Justice column, Yessenia Funes looks at the question head-on, exploring resources and paths to better self-care.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Diversity [5]
Environmental Justice [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [10]
International [11]
Asia [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
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COP28 Will Be Earth-Shaping News in 2024 and Beyond [14]

When nations converge this fall for the latest round of annual talks on harnessing climate change, they meet at a crucial juncture. Will the increasingly dramatic impacts of global warming, and the prospects of worse, focus their attention enough to bring about progress? In this sweeping analysis, Backgrounder assesses the varied pressures at play at the coming COP28, along with tips for covering it, from up close or afar.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [16]
Environmental Health [17]
Environmental Politics [18]
Environmental Studies [19]
Government [20]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Policy [22]
Science [23]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [11]
Canada [24]
Africa [25]
Asia [12]
Europe [26]
Middle East [27]
Visibility:
Public [13]
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The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [28]

As algal blooms (think “red tides” or “dead zones”) grow larger and more frequent, they are emerging not just on the coasts and major estuaries, but in inland lakes and streams. And they cause all kinds of harm, to humans and to the environment. The latest TipSheet has details on how to cover the problem locally, including story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [30]
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Health [17]
Fish & Fisheries [31]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [32]
Water & Oceans [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [34]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [35]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [36]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
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Uncovering the Environmental Impacts of a Controversial Water Project [37]

Months spent gathering thousands of documents and talking to local residents led reporter Dheeraj Mishra to uncover the negative environmental impacts of a major hydro project in a water-scarce region of India. And his resulting investigative reporting got him noticed in the 2022 Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2022 awards contest. Mishra shares his insights in the new Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [38]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [17]
Environmental Justice [6]
Environmental Politics [18]
Government [20]
Infrastructure [39]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [40]
People & Population [41]
Planning & Growth [42]
Policy [22]
Pollution [32]
Water & Oceans [33]
Region:
International [11]
Asia [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Uncovering the Environmental Impacts of a Controversial Water Project [37]
Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [43]

Journalists who lack a strong science background can find themselves in deep water when reporting environmental stories. How do you avoid over- or understating research findings? What’s the difference between observational and experimental studies? And what about those pesky percentages? Former Washington Post science reporter Rick Weiss and his SciLine colleagues have some answers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [30]
Air [45]
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Health [17]
Environmental Studies [19]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [32]
Science [23]
Wildlife [46]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [43]
Pitching High and Tight — An Independent Journalist Finds Success [47]

In her early days, freelancer Gloria Dickie aimed high, pitching her dream publication first, as well as offering newsier stories and short features instead of long-form. The formula worked, leading to assignments, a book project and a prestigious staff job. Freelance Files Co-Editor Christine Woodside spoke with Dickie about the lessons of a life as an independent. Plus, a BookShelf review [48] of “Eight Bears” by a fellow bear connoisseur.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [49]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Journalism & Media [8]
Wildlife [46]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [50]
International [11]
Canada [24]
Asia [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Pitching High and Tight — An Independent Journalist Finds Success [47]
‘Orange’ Is the New Data — for Wildfire Smoke [51]

The U.S. air quality alert scale is showing a lot of unhealthy colors this season, from oranges up to unhealthy reds and purples or worse, as smoke from wildfires in Canada periodically drifts across various U.S. regions. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores a key database and other resources to help journalists report on the spread of smoky air.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [52]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [45]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [50]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [53]
International [11]
Canada [24]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about ‘Orange’ Is the New Data — for Wildfire Smoke [51]
Ursine Odyssey Seeks Insight Into Future for Bears [48]

A new book takes readers around the planet to better understand the world’s eight bear species and our relationships with them, including not just how we’ve popularized some but also the many ways we’ve mistreated or pushed others to the brink of extinction. In the new BookShelf, Frances Backhouse reviews Gloria Dickie’s just-published volume, “Eight Bears.” Plus, Freelance Files interviews Dickie [47].

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [55]
Climate Change [3]
Wildlife [46]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [11]
Canada [24]
Asia [12]
South America [56]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Ursine Odyssey Seeks Insight Into Future for Bears [48]
Why Nobelists Are Joining the Fight Against Disinformation’s Dangers [57]

A recent gathering of Nobel laureates in Washington, D.C., including Filipina journalist Maria Ressa (pictured, left), highlighted the growing risks of disinformation — including on efforts to combat climate change — but also the rising sense of hope that comes from those who pledge to stand up to its challenge. This month’s WatchDog Opinion column shares a perspective from the event.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [58]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [59]
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Politics [18]
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Why Nobelists Are Joining the Fight Against Disinformation’s Dangers [57]
Wildfire Smoke — Now a Local Story in Unaccustomed Places [60]

The harms of air pollutants created by wildfires are clear. What’s lost in the haze, though, is that wildfire smoke can carry those pollutants vast distances, threatening communities that are unfamiliar with the risks. The latest TipSheet explains the dangers and how far-flung wildfire smoke travels, then offers a dozen story ideas plus reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [45]
Chemicals [61]
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Forests [62]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [32]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [53]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [35]
International [11]
Canada [24]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Wildfire Smoke — Now a Local Story in Unaccustomed Places [60]

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