Publication Items

Plant Trackers Help Mark Coal’s Decline [1]

Keeping tabs on the increasingly frequent closing of U.S. coal-fired electric power plants is an important way to follow developments on the larger climate change beat. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points to several mapping databases that help make the job far easier — whether watching the industry in the United States or abroad.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Climate Change [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Natural Resources [8]
Pollution [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Plant Trackers Help Mark Coal’s Decline [1]
Need Climate Questions? We’ve Got Climate Questions. [13]

Climate change may have made an unexpected appearance at the raucous 2020 presidential debate last night, but it's equally important to quiz state and local candidates on the topic too. The latest TipSheet offers environment and energy journalists a list of 10 key climate change questions to ask in reporting elections in your coverage area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [15]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Politics [16]
Government [17]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [18]
Military [19]
Policy [20]
Science [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Need Climate Questions? We’ve Got Climate Questions. [13]
“The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think” [22]

Bird brains, despite the dictum, are anything but deficient. In fact, a new book by science and nature writer Jennifer Ackerman reveals how scientists, driven by rising diversity in their own ranks and by the leverage of new technologies, are gaining a dramatically new understanding of the complexities of bird behavior. BookShelf has a review of “The Bird Way.”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [24]
Environmental Studies [25]
Science [21]
Wildlife [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about “The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think” [22]
LNG Transport Proposal Flags Worries Over Rail Hazmat [27]

A Trump administration push to allow trains to carry liquified natural gas raises larger concerns about allowing hazardous materials to be carried around the United States by rail, per the latest TipSheet. Get the latest on the LNG transport plan, along with the backstory about the risks of numerous other rail hazmat, plus story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [14]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [28]
Disasters [29]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Laws & Regulations [18]
Transportation [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Canada [31]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about LNG Transport Proposal Flags Worries Over Rail Hazmat [27]
Youth Activist Groups Push Climate Into Voting Booths [32]

A key Democratic primary win in Massachusetts last week appears to portend a weather change in climate politics, with youth groups helping propel the issue into November’s polling places. Reporter’s Toolbox helps environmental journalists cover the shift by cataloging some of the biggest youth climate activist groups with local chapters and large geographic reach.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Politics [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [33]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [11]
Europe [35]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Youth Activist Groups Push Climate Into Voting Booths [32]
A Quick-and-Dirty Back-to-School Guide for the Apocalyptical Educator [36]

In these downside-up days of contagion, climate disasters and social convulsions, being a journalism educator presents some seriously serious challenges. But in this EJ Academy back-to-school guide, pedagogical pilot Bernardo Motta offers seven tips to manage the mess. Among the advice: You are not an island. And everything will fail … and that’s a good thing.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [29]
Journalism & Media [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about A Quick-and-Dirty Back-to-School Guide for the Apocalyptical Educator [36]
‘The Power of Partnerships’ Helps Uncover America’s Energy Gamble [38]

It took teams of journalists to produce an award-winning series of reports digging into environment and climate health effects of massive oil and natural gas production in the Southwestern United States. Our latest Inside Story talks with Jamie Smith Hopkins of the Center for Public Integrity about the benefits of reporting a big story jointly and the project’s sometimes surprising findings.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [39]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [15]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Natural Resources [8]
Policy [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about ‘The Power of Partnerships’ Helps Uncover America’s Energy Gamble [38]
Bringing Stories Home Under Lockdown, With Remote Video Interviews [40]

They’ve long been a staple of the news business. But now, with the pandemic continuing to keep journalists from their subjects, remote video interviews have become an essential tool. And even newbie video reporters can quickly learn the basics. Science video producer Eli Kintisch shares a quick eight-step remote video setup and some simple tricks of the trade, in this SEJournal how-to.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [42]
Air [4]
Biodiversity [24]
Chemicals [28]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [43]
Disasters [29]
Economy & Business [15]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Health [44]
Environmental Politics [16]
Environmental Studies [25]
Fish & Fisheries [45]
Food [46]
Forests [47]
Government [17]
Health [48]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [18]
Military [19]
Natural Resources [8]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [49]
Other or All [50]
People & Population [51]
Planning & Growth [52]
Policy [20]
Pollution [9]
Science [21]
Technology [53]
Transportation [30]
Waste [54]
Water & Oceans [55]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Alaska and Hawaii [56]
California [57]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [58]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [59]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [60]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [61]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [33]
Northwest (OR WA) [62]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [63]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [11]
Canada [31]
Mexico [64]
Africa [65]
Antarctica & Arctic [66]
Asia [67]
Australia & Oceania [68]
Central America & the Caribbean [69]
Europe [35]
Middle East [70]
South America [71]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Bringing Stories Home Under Lockdown, With Remote Video Interviews [40]
Potentially Explosive Fertilizer Could Be Found in Your Community [72]

Ammonium nitrate, the explosive agricultural fertilizer that blew up in Lebanon this month, killing dozens and severely damaging Beirut’s center, is stored by the thousands of tons all over the United States. But regulatory blindspots and secretive information policies mean few know exactly where. Backgrounder reviews the chemical’s oversight regime — and its gaps — and has ideas for reporting from your community.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [73]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [42]
Chemicals [28]
Disasters [29]
Government [17]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [34]
International [11]
Middle East [70]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about Potentially Explosive Fertilizer Could Be Found in Your Community [72]
‘Green Recovery’ Policies an Elusive Promise [74]

As Democratic and Republican parties plan their nominating conventions beginning next week amid a pandemic and a recession, it’s instructive to examine the state of thinking about a “green recovery.” Backgrounder looks at the politicking and policies behind the notion that a massive clean energy plan could be good not just for addressing climate change, but also the economy.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [73]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Politics [16]
Government [17]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [18]
Policy [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [11]
Australia & Oceania [68]
Europe [35]
Visibility:
Public [12]
- Read more about ‘Green Recovery’ Policies an Elusive Promise [74]

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