Publication Items

Tracking Respiratory Health Risks From Wildfire Smoke [1]

Respiratory risks are high on the public health agenda these days amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So when Reporter’s Toolbox noticed some exemplary reporting on how West Coast wildfires were polluting the air, it took a look under the hood to see how other environmental journalists might use the same data sets for localized stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Pollution [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [10]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
Northwest (OR WA) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Tracking Respiratory Health Risks From Wildfire Smoke [1]
Climate-Unfriendly Coal May Be Losing Ground in U.S., But Not Worldwide [14]

When it comes to climate change, coal’s carbon emissions mean trouble. But as Backgrounder explains, if the once-powerful coal industry is on the decline in the United States, the fuel’s still finding favor worldwide. And that’s bad news for the Paris climate accord’s hopes of gaining control of runaway warming. The story behind the “exaggerated death” of coal.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [3]
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [16]
Energy & Fuel [17]
Environmental Politics [18]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Natural Resources [20]
Policy [21]
Pollution [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [23]
International [24]
Asia [25]
Australia & Oceania [26]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Climate-Unfriendly Coal May Be Losing Ground in U.S., But Not Worldwide [14]
Bringing Stories Home Under Lockdown, With Remote Video Interviews [27]

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 [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [29]
Agriculture [30]
Air [3]
Biodiversity [31]
Chemicals [32]
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [16]
Disasters [5]
Economy & Business [33]
Energy & Fuel [17]
Environmental Health [34]
Environmental Politics [18]
Environmental Studies [35]
Fish & Fisheries [36]
Food [37]
Forests [38]
Government [39]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Military [40]
Natural Resources [20]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [41]
Other or All [42]
People & Population [43]
Planning & Growth [44]
Policy [21]
Pollution [8]
Science [45]
Technology [46]
Transportation [47]
Waste [48]
Water & Oceans [49]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [50]
California [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [51]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [52]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [22]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [53]
Northwest (OR WA) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [23]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [54]
International [24]
Canada [55]
Mexico [56]
Africa [57]
Antarctica & Arctic [58]
Asia [25]
Australia & Oceania [26]
Central America & the Caribbean [59]
Europe [60]
Middle East [61]
South America [62]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Bringing Stories Home Under Lockdown, With Remote Video Interviews [27]
Start Tracking Wildfires Before Things Get Hot [63]

With little (and big) fires just about everywhere these days, reporters could use help tracking the myriad blazes. Fortunately, firefighting experts have developed some handy databases that journalists can tap into to better cover this story. Plus, other kinds of data tools to keep on top of fire hazards. And SEJ’s new “Issue: Wildfire [64]” resource page, which includes wildfire headlines from EJToday and more wildfire stories from SEJournal.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Forests [38]
Journalism & Media [7]
People & Population [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [10]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Start Tracking Wildfires Before Things Get Hot [63]
‘I Can’t Not Shoot This’ — For Photojournalist, Preparation Meets Opportunity [65]

Wildfire photographer Helen Richardson, in a companion EJ InSight case study, shares a personal account of her efforts to capture compelling images from Colorado’s deadly Waldo Canyon Fire. Plus, more of her photos [66] and a report on how to prepare properly to shoot disasters [67] while protecting yourself, including from COVID-19.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ InSight [68]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [5]
Journalism & Media [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about ‘I Can’t Not Shoot This’ — For Photojournalist, Preparation Meets Opportunity [65]
F/8, N95 and Be There — Wildfire Photojournalism in the Pandemic Era [67]

Safety has long been an element of smart disaster photojournalism. But there’s a new dimension to the risk now — coronavirus. Wildfire photographer Helen Richardson writes in the latest EJ InSight column about how to protect yourself, how to be prepared and how to get the story. Plus, a photo slidehow [66] and a case study [65] on confronting the journalistic challenges in one major fire.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ InSight [68]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [5]
Health [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [10]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about F/8, N95 and Be There — Wildfire Photojournalism in the Pandemic Era [67]
Former Public Affairs Officers Push Back on Advanced Industry Reaction, Plus Police Scanner Transparency and Ag-Gag Ruling [69]

When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a press release with favorable industry response to changes in a rule protecting migratory birds — before actually proposing the new rule — a group of former agency officials cried foul. Plus, why encrypted police scanners are a problem and an ag-gag ruling, all in the latest WatchDog opinion column.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [70]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [30]
Biodiversity [31]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Politics [18]
Government [39]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Wildlife [71]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [23]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Former Public Affairs Officers Push Back on Advanced Industry Reaction, Plus Police Scanner Transparency and Ag-Gag Ruling [69]
“Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West” [72]

It’s a site of stunning natural beauty. It’s also the place with America’s worst income inequality. A new book details how Wyoming’s Teton County elite have, perhaps unwittingly, used their extreme wealth to remake the region through conservation easements and donations to environmental causes, but remain blind to the needs of the area’s poorer residents. The latest BookShelf review explains.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [73]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [29]
Economy & Business [33]
Environmental Politics [18]
Natural Resources [20]
People & Population [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [10]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
Northwest (OR WA) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about “Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West” [72]
How Explanatory Reporting Can Define a Challenged Landscape [74]

To cover the wide range of challenges affecting his Mountain State, a small market beat reporter won plaudits first by becoming a close student of the issues and then boiling them down to the basics for his audience. Inside Story’s Q&A explores the resulting award-winning journalism on topics like water law and public lands, groundwater pollution and protected species.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [75]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Studies [35]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Natural Resources [20]
Pollution [8]
Water & Oceans [49]
Wildlife [71]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about How Explanatory Reporting Can Define a Challenged Landscape [74]
No Drought of Data, As Climate Dries U.S. [76]

With drought can come fire, and with megadrought, routine reporting becomes disaster headlines. Reporter’s Toolbox gets you to the bottom of the drought data sources that help determine what’s ahead for your region, sorting through the complicated set of federal drought monitoring agencies and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [30]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Studies [35]
Government [39]
Journalism & Media [7]
Natural Resources [20]
Science [45]
Water & Oceans [49]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [10]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [52]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [23]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [54]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about No Drought of Data, As Climate Dries U.S. [76]

Pages