Publication Items

Covering Native Connection to the Land [1]

Whether it's pipelines bringing leaks, coastal erosion and storms bringing displacement, or now, increasingly, data centers bringing loss of sovereignty, the central relationship that Indigenous communities have with place is under constant peril. Voices columnist Yessenia Funes urges fellow environmental journalists during Native American Heritage Month to refocus on the rich stories of Indigenous struggles and victories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Health [7]
Environmental Justice [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
People & Population [12]
Pollution [13]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [14]
Waste [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Alaska and Hawaii [18]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [19]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [20]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Covering Native Connection to the Land [1]
Reporting From the Blue — An Ocean of Opportunities [22]

As a veteran of reporting on the marine environment, David Helvarg is encouraged by recent improvements in the quality of ocean journalism, but sees a pressing need for more hands on deck. Offering inspiration from his own career, he notes that the world’s rapidly changing oceans hold an abundance of stories and urges others to dive in and explore them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [24]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Health [7]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Natural Resources [26]
Science [27]
Technology [28]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [31]
International [32]
Canada [33]
Antarctica & Arctic [34]
Asia [35]
Australia & Oceania [36]
Central America & the Caribbean [37]
Middle East [38]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Reporting From the Blue — An Ocean of Opportunities [22]
Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [39]

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 [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [41]
Chemicals [42]
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [43]
Economy & Business [44]
Environmental Health [7]
Environmental Politics [9]
Food [45]
Government [10]
Laws & Regulations [46]
People & Population [12]
Policy [47]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Farm Bill Stuck in the Mud? [39]
Unpacking Puerto Rico’s Water Crisis [48]

Puerto Rico is suffering from months of water rationing. But for journalists to fully cover this many-layered water story requires a real understanding of how the U.S. territory's politics and history have brought it to this crossroads, argues columnist Yessenia Funes. That, plus a capacity to listen to affected communities, report on solutions and consider partnerships with local journalists.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Justice [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [49]
Infrastructure [50]
Journalism & Media [11]
Natural Resources [26]
People & Population [12]
Policy [47]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Unpacking Puerto Rico’s Water Crisis [48]
Oysters, Boisterous or Scarce, Fuel Local Environment Stories [51]

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 [52]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [24]
Environmental Health [7]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Food [45]
Health [49]
Journalism & Media [11]
Natural Resources [26]
Pollution [13]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [53]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [54]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [20]
Northwest (OR WA) [55]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Oysters, Boisterous or Scarce, Fuel Local Environment Stories [51]
Databases on Data Centers, Brockovich and Beyond [56]

An explosion of new artificial intelligence data centers means potential trouble, as they hoover up power and water, and spew global warming gases. It’s a story with national and global ramifications, certainly. But it’s also one that can be reported locally. Reporter’s Toolbox offers up some handy databases for environmental journalists to find data center stories in their communities.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [57]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Infrastructure [50]
Journalism & Media [11]
Planning & Growth [58]
Technology [28]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Databases on Data Centers, Brockovich and Beyond [56]
Great Lakes Steelmaking at a Crossroads [59]

The Great Lakes region is a top steel producer, but its coal-fired steel mills are also a major source of planet-warming emissions and health-harming pollution. Climate advocates, community members and workers have been pushing to clean up these facilities for decades. Now, foreign funding offers new hope for revitalizing and decarbonizing the region’s steel industry. Canary Media’s Maria Gallucci explains.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [60]
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [44]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Health [49]
Natural Resources [26]
Pollution [13]
Technology [28]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [61]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
International [32]
Asia [35]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Great Lakes Steelmaking at a Crossroads [59]
A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [62]

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 [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [41]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Studies [63]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Food [45]
Journalism & Media [11]
Science [27]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [32]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [62]
Catch-22 on the Baltic — Twilight of Poland’s Coastal Fisherman [64]

Small-scale fisheries on the wane in an obscure region of the world, and a unique ethnic group trapped between being a tourist attraction and surviving a failing industry. Read how award-winning Polish journalist Tadeusz Michrowski turned this small, unsexy story into something bigger, a complex and nuanced portrait of a community of individuals in transition.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [65]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [9]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Journalism & Media [11]
Natural Resources [26]
People & Population [12]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
International [32]
Europe [66]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Catch-22 on the Baltic — Twilight of Poland’s Coastal Fisherman [64]
Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster? [67]

The growing disconnect between climate risk and risk insurance for homeowners is leaving millions on the knife-edge of economic disaster. But the latest TipSheet suggests that reality offers environmental journalists an opportunity to navigate the morass, community by community. Get more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources in the latest column.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [52]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [43]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [46]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [58]
Policy [47]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [53]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster? [67]

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