Publication Items

Between the Lines: From News to Nest, Veteran Reporter Follows Seabirds' 'Improbable Quest' [1]

Pulitzer Prize finalist Derrick Jackson had written about everything from sports to politics. But then as his interest in the environment began to grow, he had a close encounter with some threatened puffin chicks that became a defining long-term project. Our latest “Between the Lines” author Q&A explores how this newsman and columnist came to co-author and photograph “Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg Rock. [2]”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [3]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [4]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Science [7]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Between the Lines: From News to Nest, Veteran Reporter Follows Seabirds' 'Improbable Quest' [1]
Private Companies Pump Cash from Troubled Municipal Drinking Water Systems [12]

Millions of Americans are served by private rather than public water systems. And while that may be helpful in the case of the tens of thousands of smaller systems that lack key resources, it also raises controversial questions about privatization, as well as about what’s best to insure drinking water safety in a post-Flint era. The latest Backgrounder explains this complex issue, considers the most critical issues and offers resources to report the story in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [14]
Consumer [15]
Disasters [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Environmental Politics [18]
Government [19]
Health [20]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Planning & Growth [22]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [23]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [24]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Private Companies Pump Cash from Troubled Municipal Drinking Water Systems [12]
Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [26]

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 [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [14]
Consumer [15]
Environmental Health [28]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Food [29]
Journalism & Media [6]
Pollution [30]
Water & Oceans [8]
Wildlife [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [32]
California [33]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
International [36]
Canada [37]
Mexico [38]
Asia [39]
Australia & Oceania [40]
Central America & the Caribbean [41]
South America [42]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Ditching Plastic Straws — A Strawman for the Real Problem of Marine Litter? [26]
Hurricane Reporting, By the Numbers [43]

Smart coverage of the ongoing hurricane season means reporting not just people stories, but numbers stories too. This week’s TipSheet explains and offers half a dozen metrics, including pressure, width, surge and rainfall, to better track these extreme storms. Plus, should there be a “Category 6?”

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [44]
Disasters [16]
Journalism & Media [6]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
International [36]
Mexico [38]
Central America & the Caribbean [41]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Hurricane Reporting, By the Numbers [43]
Coming to a Coastal Area Near You — Drowning Real Estate [45]

It’s a blockbuster — literally. Homes by the tens of thousands are at risk of being lost to coastal flooding in coming years, communities broken up thanks to climate change. This week’s TipSheet tells you how to find the data to tell the story and provides examples of model reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [44]
Consumer [15]
Disasters [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Environmental Studies [46]
Journalism & Media [6]
People & Population [47]
Planning & Growth [22]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [32]
California [33]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Northwest (OR WA) [48]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Coming to a Coastal Area Near You — Drowning Real Estate [45]
EPA Inaction Leaves Smog an Endless Summer Story [49]

It’s summer smog season, with all its unpleasant environmental and health impacts. But if you’re reporting on this perpetual problem, you may not be able to rely on the EPA to help you figure out where it is worst. This week’s TipSheet explains, then helps get you started on your own smog coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [50]
Energy & Fuel [51]
Environmental Politics [18]
Government [19]
Health [20]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Pollution [30]
Transportation [52]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [33]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [23]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about EPA Inaction Leaves Smog an Endless Summer Story [49]
Will Climate Change Sink Your Favorite Park? [53]

The Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to hold back a flood of information on how sea level rise may inundate the nation’s park system. But now a new report yields wave after wave of stories, depending on your coverage area. TipSheet explains how to make smart use of the just-released document.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [44]
Consumer [15]
Environmental Politics [18]
Environmental Studies [46]
Forests [54]
Government [19]
Journalism & Media [6]
Natural Resources [55]
Planning & Growth [22]
Water & Oceans [8]
Wildlife [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [23]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Northwest (OR WA) [48]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Will Climate Change Sink Your Favorite Park? [53]
Are Fluorinated Chemicals Contaminating Your Local Drinking Water? [56]

A family of widely used fluorinated chemicals may be contaminating local drinking water supplies, causing uncertain health effects and with little clarity over federal regulations. But some states are starting to step in. This week’s TipSheet unwinds the confusion over PFAS, with some backstory and plenty of resources for your local coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [14]
Chemicals [57]
Consumer [15]
Environmental Health [28]
Health [20]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Pollution [30]
Science [7]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Northwest (OR WA) [48]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Are Fluorinated Chemicals Contaminating Your Local Drinking Water? [56]
Often Misunderstood Estuaries Underpin Environment’s Health [58]

The estuaries that proliferate across the United States can be hard to define — and protect. But their role in a healthy environment makes them a crucial focus of good reporting. The latest Issue Backgrounder explores their importance, the many challenges they face, and how to track the agencies and programs meant to protect them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [59]
Biodiversity [4]
Economy & Business [17]
Environmental Health [28]
Environmental Politics [18]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Government [19]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Natural Resources [55]
People & Population [47]
Planning & Growth [22]
Policy [60]
Pollution [30]
Water & Oceans [8]
Wildlife [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [32]
California [33]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [23]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Northwest (OR WA) [48]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
International [36]
Mexico [38]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Often Misunderstood Estuaries Underpin Environment’s Health [58]
Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters? [61]

Decades after the nation’s capital began its historic cleanup, sanitary sewage still occasionally swamps the Potomac River. Are sewage systems also dumping human waste and other pollutants into waterways near you? This week’s TipSheet has the background on the problem of combined sewage overflow, as well as resources for finding out what’s happening near you.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [27]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [28]
Health [20]
Journalism & Media [6]
Planning & Growth [22]
Pollution [30]
Waste [62]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [23]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [25]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [10]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [35]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters? [61]

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