Publication Items

Key National Dam Database Gets Major Upgrade [1]

Tens of thousands of dams around the United States provide important functions — but also represent critical environment or public safety risks. Now, one central resource to help environmental journalists cover these structures has been improved in important ways. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox walks you through the main changes to the National Inventory of Dams, and points out some lingering weaknesses.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Fish & Fisheries [3]
Infrastructure [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Natural Resources [6]
Policy [7]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Key National Dam Database Gets Major Upgrade [1]
2022 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment [11]

SEJournal looks ahead to key issues in the coming year with this "2022 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment" special report. Check out the guide's various Backgrounders, TipSheets, WatchDog reports an overview analysis.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [13]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about 2022 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment [11]
Reporters Reveal ‘Decades of Deceit’ Over Underground Water Contamination [14]

A trove of confidential documents about a well-known groundwater pollution problem helped journalists Paul LaRocco and David M. Schwartz uncover how much had actually been hidden about the contamination’s severity and how it could have been kept from worsening. In the latest Inside Story Q&A, LaRocco and Schwartz share the story behind their award-winning investigation.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [16]
Disasters [17]
Economy & Business [18]
Environmental Health [19]
Health [20]
Journalism & Media [5]
Military [21]
Pollution [22]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Reporters Reveal ‘Decades of Deceit’ Over Underground Water Contamination [14]
Lead Pipes To Make News on the Environment Beat in 2022 [24]

A crisis of lead in drinking water affects thousands of U.S. communities, but 2022 will bring new focus to the problem as new Biden administration plans play out following passage of a $15 billion fund to replace lead service lines. TipSheet outlines the problem and the impact of a regulation carried over from the Trump era. Plus, seven reporting approaches to local and state-level stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [25]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [26]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [28]
Environmental Studies [29]
Government [30]
Health [20]
Infrastructure [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [31]
Policy [7]
Pollution [22]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Lead Pipes To Make News on the Environment Beat in 2022 [24]
Coaching ‘Creatives’ — Artist Offers Wisdom to Journalists [32]

The struggle to juggle numerous pitches and simultaneous stories, or even to decide if a story will actually work, is a familiar one to most journalists, especially freelancers. So SEJournal’s Christine Woodside sought out advice on surviving this rough-and-tumble from Jessica Abel, author of “Growing Gills” and “Out on the Wire.” Tips, tricks and insights in the new Freelance Files.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [33]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [13]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Coaching ‘Creatives’ — Artist Offers Wisdom to Journalists [32]
‘Wild Souls’ Explores Paradox of Managing Species To Save Them [34]

What does wildness mean when humans interfere with the lives of wild animals in order to protect them? A new volume, “Wild Souls,” explores that dilemma, whether arising through captive breeding programs to reintroduce the California condor and the gray wolf, by allowing hybridization or through the use of gene-editing tools. A review from BookShelf contributor Jenny Weeks.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [36]
Environmental Politics [28]
Science [37]
Wildlife [38]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
California [39]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [40]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [41]
International [13]
Mexico [42]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about ‘Wild Souls’ Explores Paradox of Managing Species To Save Them [34]
Challenging Another Year of Oil Company Promises [43]

When disinformation pollutes the debate over the environment and climate change, it’s on journalists to recognize industry PR spin and push back against misleading narratives and false narratives, argues the latest WatchDog Opinion column. A look at the industry “playbook” to delay government action, at deceptive language on energy and news media’s obligation to approach the endless pledges skeptically.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [45]
Consumer [26]
Economy & Business [18]
Energy & Fuel [46]
Environmental Politics [28]
Journalism & Media [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [13]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Challenging Another Year of Oil Company Promises [43]
New Reporting Network Aims To Make Connections in the Mississippi Basin [47]

The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain more than 40% of the continent, but most coverage of environmental stories within the Mississippi Basin is localized and siloed. The recently launched Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk hopes to help news outlets provide region-wide reporting that contextualizes issues like climate change-driven flooding and the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [49]
Chemicals [16]
Climate Change [45]
Disasters [17]
Economy & Business [18]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Justice [27]
Fish & Fisheries [3]
Government [30]
Infrastructure [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Pollution [22]
Transportation [50]
Waste [51]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [52]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [53]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [54]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [40]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [55]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [41]
International [13]
Canada [56]
Mexico [42]
Central America & the Caribbean [57]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about New Reporting Network Aims To Make Connections in the Mississippi Basin [47]
When Reporting on Toxic Hotspots, Go Deeper With Cancer Registries [58]

As awareness grows about how pollution can cause certain cancers, it’s smart to look beyond cancer risk and also explore available information about actual cancer cases. Reporter’s Toolbox explains how extensive data collected regularly in state-level cancer “registries” can take your coverage on the pollution-public health connection to another level. Plus, avoiding pitfalls in reporting possible clusters.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [59]
Chemicals [16]
Disasters [17]
Environmental Health [19]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [28]
Environmental Studies [29]
Government [30]
Health [20]
Journalism & Media [5]
People & Population [60]
Pollution [22]
Science [37]
Waste [51]
Water & Oceans [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [55]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about When Reporting on Toxic Hotspots, Go Deeper With Cancer Registries [58]
Climate Change Policy & Advocacy Library [61]

SEJ offers an extensive Climate Change Resource Guide to reporters and editors, especially those newer to the climate change beat, in order to support their coverage of this all-important topic. On this page you'll find policy and advocacy documents sorted by intergovernmental, governmental and NGO & private sector categories.

Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [45]
Journalism & Media [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [13]
Visibility:
Public [10]
- Read more about Climate Change Policy & Advocacy Library [61]

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