Publication Items

Algae — Society’s Big, Green … and Emerging Menace [1]

It’s poisoning fresh waters across the United States, as well as elsewhere in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Blue-green algae is on the rise, lingering later and later into the year. Our new Issue Backgrounder explains the contributing factors behind the potent toxin’s scourge, its societal and public health ramifications, and the many angles and resources to tell the story.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Disasters [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
People & Population [11]
Planning & Growth [12]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
California [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [19]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Mexico [22]
Africa [23]
Antarctica & Arctic [24]
Asia [25]
Australia & Oceania [26]
Central America & the Caribbean [27]
Europe [28]
South America [29]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Algae — Society’s Big, Green … and Emerging Menace [1]
Bear Stories Should Go Beyond Bare Facts [31]

Bears, particularly the plentiful black bears that are the source of much human-bear conflict, can serve as a opening to larger environmental stories, such as habitat destruction and the challenges of the “wildland-urban interface.” This week’s TipSheet has some of the good news/bad news on bears, with story ideas and resources for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [8]
Forests [33]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Natural Resources [35]
People & Population [11]
Wildlife [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Alaska and Hawaii [37]
California [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [17]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [38]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [39]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [40]
Northwest (OR WA) [41]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Antarctica & Arctic [24]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Bear Stories Should Go Beyond Bare Facts [31]
Will Hackers Crash U.S. Energy, Environment Infrastructure? [42]

The vulnerability of critical U.S. infrastructure to cyberattacks has been a growing worry for years, as electric utilities, drinking water systems, chemical plants, nuclear plants, pipelines and more are the target of a burgeoning cadre of hackers. But for environmental and other journalists focused on the story, another problem has emerged: The secrecy that has long been part of the U.S. cybersecurity policy. In this comprehensive Backgrounder, SEJournal takes a look at the risk, the response and the resources to let reporters go deep on cyber warfare as an energy and environment story.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [7]
Energy & Fuel [43]
Government [44]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Military [45]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [46]
People & Population [11]
Planning & Growth [12]
Policy [47]
Technology [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Asia [25]
Europe [28]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Will Hackers Crash U.S. Energy, Environment Infrastructure? [42]
SEJ Weighs in on Khashoggi, Parks Canada; Plus, Zinke Calendar & Data Resources [49]

The Society of Environmental Journalists has joined several dozen other journalism groups calling for the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and separately, urged Parks Canada to stop imposing reporting barriers for journalists. That, plus black holes in the calendar for Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke, and new data resources for reporters. All in the latest WatchDog Tipsheet.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [50]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [51]
Biodiversity [52]
Environmental Politics [53]
Government [44]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Natural Resources [35]
Planning & Growth [12]
Wildlife [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [19]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about SEJ Weighs in on Khashoggi, Parks Canada; Plus, Zinke Calendar & Data Resources [49]
Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [54]

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 [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [51]
Consumer [6]
Environmental Health [8]
Fish & Fisheries [55]
Food [56]
Journalism & Media [10]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [14]
Wildlife [36]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Alaska and Hawaii [37]
California [16]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [57]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [40]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [19]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Mexico [22]
Asia [25]
Australia & Oceania [26]
Central America & the Caribbean [27]
South America [29]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [54]
Will State, Local Pesticide Bans Make More News? [58]

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 [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Air [59]
Chemicals [4]
Economy & Business [60]
Energy & Fuel [43]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [53]
Environmental Studies [61]
Food [56]
Government [44]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Policy [47]
Science [62]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Will State, Local Pesticide Bans Make More News? [58]
The ‘Dock Deck Doc’ – Multimedia Storytelling in the Web-Wide World [63]

An independent journalist finds a key to survival by building a mini-empire of multiplatform content based on his deep research and extensive interviewing. In our latest Freelance Files column, Silver Donald Cameron shares his so-called “Dock Deck Doc” approach and the collaborative, multimedia techniques that support it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [64]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [60]
Environmental Health [8]
Fish & Fisheries [55]
Forests [33]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [35]
Planning & Growth [12]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about The ‘Dock Deck Doc’ – Multimedia Storytelling in the Web-Wide World [63]
Disappearing ‘Climate,’ EPA FOIA Surge, Pipeline Docs Ruling and More [65]

A reporter reveals that the National Park Service is deleting references to climate change in an upcoming study of sea level rise, and FOIA requesters are behind a record surge in information lawsuits involving Pruitt EPA. That, plus Keystone XL Pipeline documents and more, in the latest WatchDog.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [50]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [51]
Climate Change [5]
Energy & Fuel [43]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [53]
Environmental Studies [61]
Government [44]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Policy [47]
Science [62]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [17]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [38]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [39]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [19]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Disappearing ‘Climate,’ EPA FOIA Surge, Pipeline Docs Ruling and More [65]
Great Lakes Offer Great Stories to Reporters in the Know [66]

The Great Lakes are not only the largest fresh water system in the world, supplying drinking water to tens of millions. They also face a range of environmental woes that make them ready fodder for reporters. This week’s TipSheet runs down some ongoing developments, plus key resources to cover them.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Biodiversity [52]
Chemicals [4]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [60]
Energy & Fuel [43]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [53]
Fish & Fisheries [55]
Health [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Natural Resources [35]
People & Population [11]
Planning & Growth [12]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [17]
International [20]
Canada [21]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Great Lakes Offer Great Stories to Reporters in the Know [66]
Wildland-Urban Interface — How Disastrous Wildfires Get Into Your Neighborhood [67]

As this month's fatal California fires demonstrated, the risk of wildfire at the wildland-urban interface rises as development moves into fire-prone zones. The latest TipSheet explains this complex phenomenon, and provides story ideas and a wide range of resources to help you get ahead of the problem.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [7]
People & Population [11]
Planning & Growth [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [15]
California [16]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Canada [21]
Visibility:
Public [30]
- Read more about Wildland-Urban Interface — How Disastrous Wildfires Get Into Your Neighborhood [67]

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