Publication Items

Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [1]

The Farm Bill — omnibus legislation that affects the food supply of millions of Americans, as well as their air, water and soil — is bogged down in hyperpartisan division. But as Backgrounder outlines, environmental journalists would be wise to track how Congress ultimately uses it to address matters like land and water conservation, rural water supply and pollution, pesticides and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [10]
Government [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [13]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [1]
Oysters, Boisterous or Scarce, Fuel Local Environment Stories [19]

The world may be your oyster, but if you’re an environmental journalist, the oyster may also be your story. The latest TipSheet points out (amid numerous tasty serving tips) that oysters say a great deal about the health of local waters … and of the humans who consume the mollusk. Get a dozen-plus oyster story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [21]
Environmental Health [8]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Food [10]
Health [23]
Journalism & Media [24]
Natural Resources [25]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [26]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [27]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [28]
Northwest (OR WA) [29]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Oysters, Boisterous or Scarce, Fuel Local Environment Stories [19]
A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [31]

The news has been full of warnings about a larger-than-normal El Niño, the periodic weather pattern that portends drastic fluctuations in everything from temperatures and precipitation to ocean currents and hurricanes. The latest Issue Backgrounder takes a step back to help explain exactly how this phenomenon works and what its impacts may be, while offering a parting thought on smart coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Studies [32]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Food [10]
Journalism & Media [24]
Science [33]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [34]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [31]
#SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [35]

SEJournal is providing full coverage of all eight of the day-long tours from the annual Society of Environmental Journalists’ conference, April 15-18, in Chicago. In Part 2, contributors Meg Duff [36], Nathaniel Eisen [37], Nhung Nguyen [38] and Marlowe Starling [39] provide detailed reports from tours focused on the transitioning steel industry, microgrids, climate-friendly crop practices and evolving Midwestern agricultural systems.

Also check out the first round of tour coverage and read all the great work [35] from our team of early-career freelance journalists, part of SEJournal’s live #SEJ2026 Live conference reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Agriculture [3]
Air [42]
Biodiversity [21]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [43]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [44]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [32]
Food [10]
Forests [45]
Government [11]
Health [23]
Infrastructure [46]
Journalism & Media [24]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Natural Resources [25]
People & Population [13]
Planning & Growth [47]
Policy [14]
Pollution [15]
Science [33]
Technology [48]
Transportation [49]
Waste [50]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [51]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [52]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about #SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [35]
Even in This Toxic River — A Salmon Story [53]

Seattle’s heavily polluted Duwamish River is no place to catch fish — except for salmon, which pass quickly through these troubled waters on their way from the sea to their freshwater spawning grounds. With fishing pole in hand, environmental journalist Alex Brown joins jostling crowds of industrial-zone anglers and catches a firsthand view of a spectacle that is both anomalous and awe-inspiring.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [21]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Health [8]
Fish & Fisheries [22]
Food [10]
Pollution [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [51]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Northwest (OR WA) [29]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Even in This Toxic River — A Salmon Story [53]
From Words to Frames — Writer Learns To Wield Power of Visual Storytelling [55]

When writer Gulnaz Khan saw how global warming drove both natural loss and spiritual breaks for surrounding human communities, it started her on a PBS documentary series exploring sacred sites around the world threatened by climate change. But she also undertook another odyssey, one from writer to visual storyteller. What she learned on her journey from text to screen, in the new EJ InSight column.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ InSight [56]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Biodiversity [21]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Justice [44]
Food [10]
Forests [45]
Government [11]
Health [23]
Journalism & Media [24]
Natural Resources [25]
People & Population [13]
Pollution [15]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [57]
Science [33]
Waste [50]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [51]
Region:
International [34]
Africa [58]
Asia [59]
South America [60]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about From Words to Frames — Writer Learns To Wield Power of Visual Storytelling [55]
The Cost of Losing Our ‘Sacred Acres’ [61]

In “We Are Eating the Earth,” author Michael Grunwald explains masterfully how good intentions have led us astray over our food system and climate change, writes BookShelf editor Tom Henry. Whether it’s our obsession with meat, myths about biofuels and regenerative agriculture, or feel-good ideas based on bad science, Grunwald argues it’s time for a fundamental shift in values.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [62]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Food [10]
Natural Resources [25]
Policy [14]
Science [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [34]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about The Cost of Losing Our ‘Sacred Acres’ [61]
Targets on Their Backs … and Ours? Reporting on Immigrant Farmworkers [63]

For years, state-sponsored programs have helped California farmworkers get much-needed access to clean water. But many immigrants now shun these services, afraid of exposure to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. As Circle of Blue intern Anahita Banerjee dug into this story, she discovered that their fear extended to speaking with journalists — and that ICE activities threatened her own safety.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Agriculture [3]
Environmental Justice [44]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [10]
Government [11]
Health [23]
Journalism & Media [24]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [13]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [26]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Targets on Their Backs … and Ours? Reporting on Immigrant Farmworkers [63]
Crop Cover Database Seeds Local Environment Coverage [64]

Cropland can easily be found time and again at the heart of the key concerns on the environment beat, whether climate, water, chemicals or, of course, land. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox shares a high-quality, mappable database that can serve up stories on more than 100 categories of crops, with numbers drawn from satellite imagery. Plus, a pro tip on using the data smartly.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [65]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [8]
Environmental Studies [32]
Food [10]
Journalism & Media [24]
Science [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Crop Cover Database Seeds Local Environment Coverage [64]
Chronic Wasting Disease May Be Stalking Deer Hunters [66]

Fall deer hunting season is getting underway across much of North America. And with it, the uncertain risks from chronic wasting disease. Environmental journalists would do well to report the story to help keep safe those who eat the meat of deer and elk they kill. The latest TipSheet has more on the backstory, along with 10 story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [8]
Food [10]
Health [23]
Journalism & Media [24]
Science [33]
Wildlife [51]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [34]
Canada [67]
Visibility:
Public [18]
- Read more about Chronic Wasting Disease May Be Stalking Deer Hunters [66]

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