Publication Items

Making the Transition to Journalism From the Nonprofit World [1]

Despite a family tradition in journalism, freelancer Marigo Farr first spent a decade working on social justice issues before making a striking realization: They, too, wanted to be a journalist. Follow their journey in the new Freelance Files, from first clips to the rigors of J-school and discovering the power of networking. Plus, some bonus strategies.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [3]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Making the Transition to Journalism From the Nonprofit World [1]
Renewable Job Training Makes the Grade at Community Colleges [6]

Jobs are relatively plentiful in green energy fields, whether in solar, wind, geothermal, energy efficiency, storage or hydro. To get at the trend, environmental journalists can check in with area community colleges, many of which offer technical training — and local stories. TipSheet has a closer look at the phenomenon, with a dozen story ideas and reporting resources for your coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [7]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [8]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Infrastructure [11]
Journalism & Media [3]
Natural Resources [12]
Planning & Growth [13]
Policy [14]
Technology [15]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Renewable Job Training Makes the Grade at Community Colleges [6]
EPA Facilities Database — Gateway to Investigative Reporting [16]

Want to pinpoint all the facilities regulated by the EPA in your ZIP code? Or scope out every U.S. operation owned by a particular industrial company? Or learn which polluter might be facing fewer enforcement actions under the current administration? Reporter’s Toolbox has a database for you — in effect, a master index to potential polluters.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [17]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [3]
Pollution [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about EPA Facilities Database — Gateway to Investigative Reporting [16]
EPA Enforcement Falls to Record Low Under Trump 2.0 [19]

The enforcement of environmental laws suffered a dramatic collapse during the Trump administration’s first year, several studies have found. Even the most serious violations, typically referred to the Department of Justice, are left unpursued because of DOJ staffing declines. The latest Backgrounder has the details, a look at the administration’s rationale for the decline and the implications for the environment and public health.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [21]
Chemicals [22]
Climate Change [23]
Economy & Business [9]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Politics [25]
Environmental Studies [26]
Government [27]
Health [28]
Journalism & Media [3]
Laws & Regulations [29]
Policy [14]
Pollution [18]
Waste [30]
Water & Oceans [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about EPA Enforcement Falls to Record Low Under Trump 2.0 [19]
Is Our Inextricable Link to Water the Key to Human Survival? [32]

The new book by renowned thinker and author Jeremy Rifkin, “Planet Aqua,” immerses the reader in a fascinating premise: that we live not on a land planet but within a great hydrosphere, and that water is no mere resource but a life-sustaining source. BookShelf editor Tom Henry explores how Rifkin’s wide-reaching narrative strives to upend conventional wisdom about our Earth.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [33]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [24]
Water & Oceans [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
International [34]
Asia [35]
Europe [36]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Is Our Inextricable Link to Water the Key to Human Survival? [32]
Beyond the Fires and Floods — Comprehensively Covering Disasters [37]

Reporting on extreme-weather disasters is complicated, challenging work. Besides covering immediate impacts, there’s the broader context to consider, from climate change to social and political dynamics — all while looking out for your personal safety and well-being. Environmental journalist Colleen Hagerty draws on her own and others’ front-line experiences as she shares insights and advice for telling these high-stakes stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [38]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [23]
Disasters [39]
Diversity [40]
Environmental Justice [41]
Government [27]
Journalism & Media [3]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
California [42]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [43]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Beyond the Fires and Floods — Comprehensively Covering Disasters [37]
Is Disaster Aid Backlog Becoming a (Blue State) Disaster? [44]

A critical logjam is emerging for post-disaster aid to U.S. states, $11 billion or more, according to some calculations. At the same time, FEMA, which dispenses much of it, is in the Trump administration’s crosshairs. TipSheet explores how this looks on the ground and how politics play into the backlog, plus offers 10 story ideas and resources for local reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [7]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [23]
Disasters [39]
Environmental Politics [25]
Government [27]
Journalism & Media [3]
Policy [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Is Disaster Aid Backlog Becoming a (Blue State) Disaster? [44]
Database Details Planetary Asset — Canada’s Forests [45]

They’re a carbon sink, a playground and a major market, but also a source of smoke pollution and pest infestation. Millions of acres of Canadian forest are a big North American story, and the latest Reporter’s Toolbox points you to a central data source that can help quantify, analyze and visualize the numbers and see the proverbial forest for the trees.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [17]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [46]
Air [21]
Climate Change [23]
Economy & Business [9]
Energy & Fuel [10]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Politics [25]
Forests [47]
Natural Resources [12]
Policy [14]
Pollution [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
International [34]
Canada [48]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Database Details Planetary Asset — Canada’s Forests [45]
Catching a Chemical Slipping Through the Regulatory Cracks [49]

A chemical found in widely used epoxy resins is an endocrine disruptor that remains largely unregulated, despite its ubiquity. That was the subject of a prizewinning explanatory reporting series that focused on the lesser-known bisphenol known as BADGE, and how it might affect artisan woodworkers, construction workers and many others. SEJournal talks with reporter Meg Wilcox (pictured) in this Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [50]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [22]
Health [28]
Journalism & Media [3]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
International [34]
Europe [36]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Catching a Chemical Slipping Through the Regulatory Cracks [49]
Superfund Under Trump 2.0 — Quick … and Dirty? [51]

Every U.S. state has at least one Superfund site, the worst kind of toxic waste dump. And millions live near them. The latest TipSheet has a look at the state of the decades-old Superfund cleanup program under the Trump administration, and how environmental journalists can turn that into local stories, with a dozen story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [7]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [22]
Environmental Politics [25]
Government [27]
Journalism & Media [3]
Laws & Regulations [29]
Pollution [18]
Waste [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [4]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [52]
Visibility:
Public [5]
- Read more about Superfund Under Trump 2.0 — Quick … and Dirty? [51]

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