Publication Items

Data Portal Takes Measure of Water Quality [1]

A sprawling governmental data portal provides millions of water quality records that with a little groundtruthing environmental journalists can use to tell stories that range from problems with pathogens in failing treatment plants to beach closures and fish consumption advisories. The latest Toolbox points the way to the Water Quality Exchange, while offering caveats, questions to ask and storytelling tips.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Data Portal Takes Measure of Water Quality [1]
Why Environmental Reporters Need To ‘Get’ the Budget Process [4]

When Congress debates funding — or cutting — government programs that deal with environmental and energy issues, journalists on those beats should pay attention. A special Backgrounder, part of our 2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment and Energy, walks you through the (not so boring) budget process — rules, timelines, dealmaking — to help find the angles on what could be a major story of the coming year. Plus, a primer on budget primers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [5]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Policy [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Why Environmental Reporters Need To ‘Get’ the Budget Process [4]
Covering Food Systems — The Next Climate Action Battleground [11]

Freelance food systems reporter Thin Lei Win believes that if the world doesn’t change the way it produces, processes, transports, consumes and discards food, climate change will worsen and hunger levels will spike. But she also worries that powerful interests want to keep the status quo and cites parallels with the tobacco and fossil fuel industries. More in Freelance Files, including places for freelancers to pitch climate-food stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [12]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [13]
Climate Change [14]
Consumer [15]
Economy & Business [16]
Energy & Fuel [17]
Food [18]
Journalism & Media [19]
People & Population [20]
Policy [9]
Pollution [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [22]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Covering Food Systems — The Next Climate Action Battleground [11]
Reporting on Environmental Solutions and Equity — at a Watershed Scale [23]

Reporting on interconnected ecosystems lends itself to better environmental stories, and so tracing how water moves across landscapes, communities, industries and regulatory schemes can help the public connect the dots. That’s how Annie Ropeik, who helps run the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, sees the watershed beat. She shares expert views and offers insights for environment journalists to use in their reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [24]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [25]
Agriculture [13]
Climate Change [14]
Diversity [26]
Economy & Business [16]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Justice [28]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [29]
Government [7]
Health [30]
Infrastructure [31]
Journalism & Media [19]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [32]
Planning & Growth [33]
Policy [9]
Pollution [21]
Water & Oceans [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [35]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [36]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [37]
Northwest (OR WA) [38]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [39]
International [22]
Canada [40]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Reporting on Environmental Solutions and Equity — at a Watershed Scale [23]
Seabed Mining May Dredge Up Real Minerals, Fishy Worries in 2024 [41]

The mining of the ocean floor has stirred up significant debate, much of which clouds the realities of whether and to what degree it would cause ecological harm to one of the world’s greatest resources. This week’s TipSheet looks more closely at the controversy, which may well come to a head in the coming year. The latest entry in SEJournal’s 2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment and Energy.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [42]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [25]
Biodiversity [43]
Climate Change [14]
Economy & Business [16]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Politics [6]
Fish & Fisheries [44]
Food [18]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [19]
Laws & Regulations [8]
Natural Resources [32]
Policy [9]
Pollution [21]
Water & Oceans [34]
Region:
International [22]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Seabed Mining May Dredge Up Real Minerals, Fishy Worries in 2024 [41]
SEJ Welcomes New Board Members, Announces 2024 Journalists’ Guide Event in D.C. [45]

Society of Environmental Journalists president Luke Runyon (pictured, left) writes to SEJ members with details on this year’s board elections, a returning flagship in-person event and an update on our executive director search.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ Presidents Report [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
International [22]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about SEJ Welcomes New Board Members, Announces 2024 Journalists’ Guide Event in D.C. [45]
High-Risk Reporting Yields Results on Palm Oil Investigation [47]

The devastation caused by the Amazonian palm oil industry was at the heart of an investigation by Mongabay reporter Karla Mendes. But first she had to face hostile sources, intransigent regulators and a robbery attempt. Ultimately, the project not only won a reporting prize from the Society of Environmental Journalists but brought global awareness and government action. Her experience, in Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [13]
Chemicals [49]
Economy & Business [16]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Justice [28]
Environmental Politics [6]
Food [18]
Forests [50]
Government [7]
Health [30]
Journalism & Media [19]
Natural Resources [32]
People & Population [20]
Pollution [21]
Water & Oceans [34]
Region:
International [22]
South America [51]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about High-Risk Reporting Yields Results on Palm Oil Investigation [47]
Exposed for Pig Pollution, Nebraska Governor Slimes the Reporter [52]

When the governor of Nebraska personally attacked an investigative reporter who’d covered environmental problems in his family business, it drew a national spotlight and a quick response from free press supporters, including the Society of Environmental Journalists. WatchDog Opinion looks at what happened and observes that politicians’ name-calling of journalists has an unfortunate history — but must never be allowed to stop the truthtelling.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [53]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [13]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [19]
Policy [9]
Pollution [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [36]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Exposed for Pig Pollution, Nebraska Governor Slimes the Reporter [52]
New Climate Vulnerability Index Made for Local, Regional Stories [54]

For environmental journalists looking to get granular on their coverage of climate risk, Reporter’s Toolbox recommends a new collaborative effort that integrates dozens of separate datasets to provide insights down to the census-tract level. Because it can also be cross-indexed by subjects like health and socioeconomics, it’s particularly useful for environmental justice reporting. Toolbox walks you through the new Climate Vulnerability Index.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [14]
Environmental Justice [28]
Health [30]
Infrastructure [31]
Journalism & Media [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about New Climate Vulnerability Index Made for Local, Regional Stories [54]
Author Brings Far-Reaching Insight to ‘The Three Ages of Water’ [55]

Leading water expert Peter Gleick’s new book on water’s past, present and future is an ambitious volume that offers a panoramic look at this essential resource — and hope for living in harmony with it in the future. BookShelf Editor Tom Henry calls “The Three Ages of Water” a rare book of breadth and depth, part history and part sustainable remedy. Read his review.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [56]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [14]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Justice [28]
Food [18]
Health [30]
Natural Resources [32]
People & Population [20]
Planning & Growth [33]
Policy [9]
Science [57]
Water & Oceans [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [10]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [35]
International [22]
Africa [58]
Asia [59]
Visibility:
Public [3]
- Read more about Author Brings Far-Reaching Insight to ‘The Three Ages of Water’ [55]

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