Publication Items

Data on Pesticide Incidents Openly Available for First Time [1]

A decade’s worth of government pesticide data — only available before through FOIA — has been made newly available. And, explains the latest Reporter’s Toolbox, it can lead to revealing environmental, public health and environmental justice stories. More on how the data came to be compiled and advice on using it smartly, along with some caveats.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [6]
Food [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Pollution [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Data on Pesticide Incidents Openly Available for First Time [1]
Storm Warning — How To Prepare for Weather Disaster Reporting [14]

Major storms hit hard and fast. Successful on-the-ground coverage requires advance prep and consideration of how to deal with challenges. Seasoned reporter Emily Foxhall has learned a lot from Hurricane Harvey and other disasters — sometimes the hard way. She shares tips for planning, packing and getting colleagues back home to help with logistics, plus some reminders about self-care.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [16]
Disasters [17]
Journalism & Media [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [19]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Storm Warning — How To Prepare for Weather Disaster Reporting [14]
Missouri, Florida Journalism Professors Join Classes on Multistate Fertilizer Investigation [20]

What brought together two teams of student reporters, half a dozen states and 1,000 miles apart? For one, the high environmental cost of chemical fertilizer. For another, a pair of dedicated journalism teachers. Cynthia Barnett and Sara Shipley Hiles share how they took the project from daydream to reality, brought students into the field and got pickup from numerous news outlets, in the latest EJ Academy.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [21]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Economy & Business [22]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [6]
Environmental Studies [23]
Fish & Fisheries [24]
Food [7]
Journalism & Media [9]
Pollution [11]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [26]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [19]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Missouri, Florida Journalism Professors Join Classes on Multistate Fertilizer Investigation [20]
Painful Process Underway of Regulating PFAS in Drinking Water [27]

Long-growing concern over dangerous “forever” chemicals has drawn the attention of federal and state policymakers, local communities and the utilities that provide their drinking water. But little about regulating PFAS will be quick or easy, making it a major environmental and public health story for years to come. Issue Backgrounder unfolds the regulatory moves, the politics and the larger implications of PFAS policy.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [4]
Consumer [29]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Politics [30]
Government [31]
Health [8]
Infrastructure [32]
Journalism & Media [9]
Laws & Regulations [10]
Pollution [11]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Painful Process Underway of Regulating PFAS in Drinking Water [27]
The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [33]

As algal blooms (think “red tides” or “dead zones”) grow larger and more frequent, they are emerging not just on the coasts and major estuaries, but in inland lakes and streams. And they cause all kinds of harm, to humans and to the environment. The latest TipSheet has details on how to cover the problem locally, including story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Climate Change [16]
Environmental Health [5]
Fish & Fisheries [24]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Pollution [11]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [26]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [19]
International [35]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about The Spread of Harmful Algal Blooms Makes News in Multitude of Locales [33]
Uncovering the Environmental Impacts of a Controversial Water Project [36]

Months spent gathering thousands of documents and talking to local residents led reporter Dheeraj Mishra to uncover the negative environmental impacts of a major hydro project in a water-scarce region of India. And his resulting investigative reporting got him noticed in the 2022 Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2022 awards contest. Mishra shares his insights in the new Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Justice [6]
Environmental Politics [30]
Government [31]
Infrastructure [32]
Journalism & Media [9]
Natural Resources [38]
People & Population [39]
Planning & Growth [40]
Policy [41]
Pollution [11]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region:
International [35]
Asia [42]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Uncovering the Environmental Impacts of a Controversial Water Project [36]
Asthma Data — A Starting Point for Key Environment-Health Stories [43]

Whether marginalized communities suffering from asthma or cities cloaked in smoke from far-away wildfires, journalists looking to connect public health and environmental concerns around air pollution will find much of the data they need via the Centers for Disease Control’s asthma surveillance data. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox outlines the source and smart ways to use it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [44]
Climate Change [16]
Environmental Justice [6]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
Pollution [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Asthma Data — A Starting Point for Key Environment-Health Stories [43]
Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [45]

Journalists who lack a strong science background can find themselves in deep water when reporting environmental stories. How do you avoid over- or understating research findings? What’s the difference between observational and experimental studies? And what about those pesky percentages? Former Washington Post science reporter Rick Weiss and his SciLine colleagues have some answers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Air [44]
Climate Change [16]
Environmental Health [5]
Environmental Studies [23]
Journalism & Media [9]
Pollution [11]
Science [46]
Wildlife [47]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [35]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [45]
Pitching High and Tight — An Independent Journalist Finds Success [48]

In her early days, freelancer Gloria Dickie aimed high, pitching her dream publication first, as well as offering newsier stories and short features instead of long-form. The formula worked, leading to assignments, a book project and a prestigious staff job. Freelance Files Co-Editor Christine Woodside spoke with Dickie about the lessons of a life as an independent. Plus, a BookShelf review [49] of “Eight Bears” by a fellow bear connoisseur.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [50]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [16]
Journalism & Media [9]
Wildlife [47]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [51]
International [35]
Canada [52]
Asia [42]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Pitching High and Tight — An Independent Journalist Finds Success [48]
Dangerous Inland Flooding in Reporters’ Forecast [53]

While much attention is paid to hurricane flooding along the coasts, recent disasters in the Northeast United States brought home the dangers of flooding inland. The latest TipSheet has the basics, plus more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources for local journalists to prepare for coverage of inland floods.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [16]
Disasters [17]
Journalism & Media [9]
Planning & Growth [40]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [54]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Dangerous Inland Flooding in Reporters’ Forecast [53]

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