Publication Items

Read the Congressional Reports You're Not Supposed To Read [1]

Journalists hurrying to get up to speed on environmental or energy issues can get objective background from reports by the Congressional Research Service (an arm of the Library of Congress), which does not release them to the taxpaying public that funded them. We thank the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project for publishing them.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Health [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Military [8]
Nuclear Power & Radiation [9]
Science [10]
Transportation [11]
Wildlife [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Read the Congressional Reports You're Not Supposed To Read [1]
Why Doesn't Congress Want You To Read These Reports? [14]

For decades, Congress has refused to release taxpayer-funded reports by the Congressional Research Service. Fortunately, the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project gets them and releases them. Here are some new explainers that may be of use to environmental journalists.
SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [15]
Air [16]
Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Natural Resources [17]
Pollution [18]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Why Doesn't Congress Want You To Read These Reports? [14]
Freelancers and Fellowships: A Path for Growth [19]

Perhaps the biggest value in fellowships is that they can provide a base of knowledge about issues a journalist has not yet investigated. And there’s no telling when that knowledge will come in handy. Read how freelancer Lisa Palmer's experiences with fellowships profoundly shaped her career, and explore resources to help you find a program that will best suit your needs.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [15]
Biodiversity [21]
Climate Change [3]
Economy & Business [22]
Journalism & Media [23]
Technology [24]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Freelancers and Fellowships: A Path for Growth [19]
"The Science Beneath the Surface: A Very Short Guide to the Marcellus Shale" [25]

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [27]
Health [6]
Pollution [18]
Science [10]
Water & Oceans [28]
Region:
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [29]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about "The Science Beneath the Surface: A Very Short Guide to the Marcellus Shale" [25]
Congress Doesn't Want You To Read These Reports [30]

More evidence of Congress' ineffectiveness comes in its ongoing failure to keep its secrets actually secret. Its official policy is to keep the Congressional Research Service from publicly releasing the handy explainers it produces at taxpayer expense. Thanks again to the Federation of American Scientists' Government Secrecy Project for unauthorized publication of these reports.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
Economy & Business [22]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Government [31]
Health [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Policy [32]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Congress Doesn't Want You To Read These Reports [30]
Fresh Secret Reports from the Congressional Research Service [33]

Here are some recent explainers of interest to environmental journalists from the CRS, which Congress does not allow to be released to the taxpaying public who paid for them. The WatchDog thanks those who leaked them and the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy for publishing them.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [15]
Chemicals [34]
Climate Change [3]
Economy & Business [22]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [17]
People & Population [35]
Policy [32]
Pollution [18]
Transportation [11]
Water & Oceans [28]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Fresh Secret Reports from the Congressional Research Service [33]
News Futures 2014: How Many Ways Will Climate Make News? [36]

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Journalism & Media [23]
Water & Oceans [28]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [39]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about News Futures 2014: How Many Ways Will Climate Make News? [36]
Special Edition TipSheet: Coastal Risk and Resilience in the Gulf Region [40]

From 1970 until 2010, 34.8 million more people decided to move towards the coast of the United States and that population is expected to grow just as sea-level rise and climate change continue to increase the risk of living there. Amy Wold, a reporter with The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, covers change and adaptation; locks and floodgates; levees and marshes; communities at risk; insurance issues; and lessons learned. Photo (click to enlarge [41]): In 2012, Wold took this shot of the rapidly disappearing Cat Island in Barataria Basin in south Louisiana. She returned there in 2014 to find barely any land left above water. © Amy Wold, The (Baton Rouge) Advocate.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [42]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Disasters [4]
People & Population [35]
Planning & Growth [43]
Water & Oceans [28]
Region:
National (U.S.) [38]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [44]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Special Edition TipSheet: Coastal Risk and Resilience in the Gulf Region [40]
"Breaking New Ground: A Personal History" [45]

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [46]
Agriculture [15]
Climate Change [3]
Food [47]
Journalism & Media [23]
People & Population [35]
Water & Oceans [28]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about "Breaking New Ground: A Personal History" [45]
"The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future" [48]

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Economy & Business [22]
Natural Resources [17]
People & Population [35]
Technology [24]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about "The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth’s Future" [48]

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