Publication Items

Death and Taxes [1]

A veteran freelancer struggles with tax season in the wake of an unexpected personal tragedy. But as she makes her way through a forest of forms, she offers a series of tips and observations for fellow independents, in the return of our regular Freelance Files column.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [3]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Death and Taxes [1]
When Disaster Strikes, Building Codes May Make Things Worse [8]

They may not be the sexiest topics on the environmental agenda. But building codes and zoning can become a matter of life and death when natural disasters strike. This week’s TipSheet runs down the reporting challenge when floods, earthquakes and wildfires threaten your coverage area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [10]
Disasters [11]
Government [12]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [5]
People & Population [13]
Planning & Growth [14]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Alaska and Hawaii [15]
California [16]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [17]
Northwest (OR WA) [18]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [19]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about When Disaster Strikes, Building Codes May Make Things Worse [8]
Drinking Water a Little-Noticed Environmental Justice Problem [20]

Health risks from unsafe drinking water afflict many, not only around the world, but in the United States too, especially the poor, ethnic minorities and those in remote rural areas. The latest Issue Backgrounder looks at this undercovered environmental justice story, and offers ideas and resources for how reporters can cover it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [21]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [22]
Chemicals [23]
Environmental Politics [24]
Government [12]
Health [25]
Laws & Regulations [5]
People & Population [13]
Planning & Growth [14]
Policy [26]
Pollution [27]
Water & Oceans [28]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Drinking Water a Little-Noticed Environmental Justice Problem [20]
Lead Paint Lingers as Environmental Health Threat [29]

Lead is not just poisoning much of the U.S. drinking water supply. It’s also a threat to millions of the nation’s children, who continue to ingest lead paint chips from older housing stock decades after lead paint was banned. This week’s TipSheet explores this perennial problem and offers resources for local coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [23]
Consumer [30]
Environmental Politics [24]
Government [12]
Health [25]
Journalism & Media [4]
Laws & Regulations [5]
People & Population [13]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Lead Paint Lingers as Environmental Health Threat [29]
Reducing the Obstacles to Science-Based Local Climate Reporting [31]

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the most surprising findings from a new survey of environmental journalists. It showed a range of challenges in covering local climate change stories. And see what the group behind the survey hopes to do to help reporters and editors address these obstacles.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [10]
Journalism & Media [4]
Science [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
International [34]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Reducing the Obstacles to Science-Based Local Climate Reporting [31]
Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters? [35]

Decades after the nation’s capital began its historic cleanup, sanitary sewage still occasionally swamps the Potomac River. Are sewage systems also dumping human waste and other pollutants into waterways near you? This week’s TipSheet has the background on the problem of combined sewage overflow, as well as resources for finding out what’s happening near you.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [9]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [36]
Health [25]
Journalism & Media [4]
Planning & Growth [14]
Pollution [27]
Waste [37]
Water & Oceans [28]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [38]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [17]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [39]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [40]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Are Combined Sewer Overflows Causing Pollution in Your Local Waters? [35]
FEJ 2018 Coverage Projects Delivering News to Mass Audiences [41]

Independent coverage of Western Lands, the Gulf of Mexico, Peruvian Amazon and Puerto Rico will expand over the coming year through projects of SEJ’s Fund for Environmental Journalism (FEJ). The Society of Environmental Journalists has disbursed a new round of project grants to individuals and news organizations, made possible by individual gifts and foundation grants to SEJ.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [42]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about FEJ 2018 Coverage Projects Delivering News to Mass Audiences [41]
Survey: Climate Change News Coverage Needs More Support To Thrive [43]

Newsroom cutbacks are among the many obstacles that environmental reporters face in reporting local climate change stories, per a new survey of members of the Society of Environmental Journalists. The study was conducted with the SEJ by the Climate Matters project at George Mason University to help identify ways to provide reporters with better tools and professional develop training. Get the full results.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [42]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [10]
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Survey: Climate Change News Coverage Needs More Support To Thrive [43]
Sunshine Week: SEJ Asks EPA for Basics [44]

March 11-17 is Sunshine Week — a time for journalists, public and government to focus on open government. SEJ is asking EPA's press office to ensure basic responses to journalists' information requests. This and more is available here [44].

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [4]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Sunshine Week: SEJ Asks EPA for Basics [44]
Searching for Environment Themes at Sundance 2018 [46]

While environmental themes were less prominent at the Sundance Film Festival this year, our correspondent JoAnn Valenti unearthed ecological messages from documentaries that explore the emergence of climate change refugees in the face of sea level rise, the escape from modernity into wilderness and the confrontation of environmental threats by young innovators.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [32]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [22]
Air [47]
Chemicals [23]
Climate Change [10]
Environmental Health [36]
Environmental Politics [24]
Forests [48]
Government [12]
Health [25]
Natural Resources [49]
People & Population [13]
Planning & Growth [14]
Policy [26]
Pollution [27]
Water & Oceans [28]
Region:
National (U.S.) [6]
International [34]
Australia & Oceania [50]
Visibility:
Public [7]
- Read more about Searching for Environment Themes at Sundance 2018 [46]

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