Publication Items

Letting Residents Take the Lead in ‘Polluter's Paradise’ [1]

A battery of polluting industry spewing toxic pollution and a small town of residents south of Baton Rouge unbowed by their circumstance make for the ingredients of a powerful team investigative project, newly named to the top prize in the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2020 reporting awards. Inside Story offers a look behind “Polluter’s Paradise” in a Q&A with reporter Tristan Baurick.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Pollution [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Letting Residents Take the Lead in ‘Polluter's Paradise’ [1]
Time To Flip the Ocean Script — From Victim to Solution [14]

The narrative around the ocean should become a more hopeful one, argues former NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco. As evidence at the Society of Environmental Journalists’ recent virtual conference, Lubchenco cites a top-level international analysis that suggests the ocean can play a positive role in everything from reducing climate change to securing the future of food. Find out more.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Politics [6]
Environmental Studies [20]
Fish & Fisheries [21]
Food [22]
Government [23]
Health [7]
Laws & Regulations [24]
Natural Resources [25]
Policy [26]
Pollution [10]
Science [27]
Transportation [28]
Waste [29]
Water & Oceans [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [31]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Time To Flip the Ocean Script — From Victim to Solution [14]
Could Dems Borrow GOP Playbook To Roll Back Trump Rules? [32]

If oddsmakers are right and the Dems sweep the White House and both houses of Congress next month, one significant outcome could be the rollback of prominent Trump administration deregulatory moves. The latest TipSheet explains how an arcane law might make such reversals possible, and then spotlights half-a-dozen potentially vulnerable Trump regulatory actions.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [33]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Climate Change [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [23]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [24]
Policy [26]
Pollution [10]
Science [27]
Wildlife [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Could Dems Borrow GOP Playbook To Roll Back Trump Rules? [32]
“Diary of a Young Naturalist” [35]

With the heart of a naturalist, the head of a scientist and the weary bones of someone watching the destruction of the natural world, a prize-winning writer shares insights into the environment … and into a mind shaped by autism. That writer, by the way, is just 16 years old. BookShelf’s Melody Kemp reviews “Diary of a Young Naturalist.”

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [36]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [37]
Climate Change [16]
Environmental Politics [6]
Region:
International [31]
Europe [38]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about “Diary of a Young Naturalist” [35]
Climate-Unfriendly Coal May Be Losing Ground in U.S., But Not Worldwide [39]

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 [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [4]
Climate Change [16]
Consumer [41]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Politics [6]
Laws & Regulations [24]
Natural Resources [25]
Policy [26]
Pollution [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [42]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [43]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [12]
International [31]
Asia [44]
Australia & Oceania [45]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Climate-Unfriendly Coal May Be Losing Ground in U.S., But Not Worldwide [39]
Plant Trackers Help Mark Coal’s Decline [46]

Keeping tabs on the increasingly frequent closing of U.S. coal-fired electric power plants is an important way to follow developments on the larger climate change beat. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points to several mapping databases that help make the job far easier — whether watching the industry in the United States or abroad.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Climate Change [16]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [25]
Pollution [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [31]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Plant Trackers Help Mark Coal’s Decline [46]
Why Reporters Should Catch the Watershed by the Tale [48]

Drainage basin may not be the sexiest of ecosystem designations, but watersheds have essential stories to tell. And environment reporters would be wise to view them as regional beats all their own, argues a long-time watershed reporter, who explains why and offers a series of tips to help journalists get the best of the basin beat.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [49]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [21]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [25]
Water & Oceans [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [42]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Why Reporters Should Catch the Watershed by the Tale [48]
Need Climate Questions? We’ve Got Climate Questions. [50]

Climate change may have made an unexpected appearance at the raucous 2020 presidential debate last night, but it's equally important to quiz state and local candidates on the topic too. The latest TipSheet offers environment and energy journalists a list of 10 key climate change questions to ask in reporting elections in your coverage area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [33]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [23]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [24]
Military [51]
Policy [26]
Science [27]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
International [31]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Need Climate Questions? We’ve Got Climate Questions. [50]
Trump Flack Tries To Spin Key CDC Weekly Report [52]

More revelations of Trump administration duplicity on the science front, per the new WatchDog opinion column, which reports on a scoop about political appointees trying to warp weekly public health data to ensure they don’t undercut Trump’s political messaging. Oh, and Bob Woodward’s new book affirming the president knew of COVID-19’s dangers early on, but deliberately played them down.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [53]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [54]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [23]
Health [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Science [27]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Trump Flack Tries To Spin Key CDC Weekly Report [52]
Chase Down Environmental Ballot Measures for State-Level Stories [55]

Although the realities of the pandemic may mean fewer state and local ballot measures in the upcoming election — and the presidential contest is drawing much of the spotlight — they can still be potentially fruitful stories for reporters willing to seek them out. Here are eight top ways to track this year’s environment and energy ballot measures, from the latest Reporter’s Toolbox.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [23]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [24]
Policy [26]
Region:
National (U.S.) [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Chase Down Environmental Ballot Measures for State-Level Stories [55]

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