Publication Items

Why the Silencing of Protest Matters [1]

As the Trump administration and its allies seek to stifle free speech and paint protest as domestic terrorism, Voices columnist Yessenia Funes argues that environmental journalists must heed the impact on the environmental movement we cover. Start with what happened in Standing Rock, which swept back into the news this spring. Funes explains the connection, and where we may be headed.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [7]
Environmental Politics [8]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [11]
People & Population [12]
Policy [13]
Pollution [14]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [18]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [19]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Why the Silencing of Protest Matters [1]
National Trails System — You Can Get There From Here [22]

A walk in the woods can get you more than a good time — it can get you a good story. TipSheet explores the National Trails System and other trail systems around the United States, which provide scenic and historic high points for your reporting, along with traveler interviews and insights. A dozen story ideas and reporting resources for exploring your area’s natural wonders.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Forests [24]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [11]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about National Trails System — You Can Get There From Here [22]
Bringing Back National Interest — and Climate Coverage — With VOA? [25]

Once a U.S. propaganda vehicle, the Voice of America became much more — a lifeline for millions across the globe. And one that, WatchDog Opinion notes, offered more climate news than most. That is, until Trump tried to kill it. Now that a legal ruling has given it new life, what’s the next chapter? And what will that mean for U.S. press freedom?

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [27]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Bringing Back National Interest — and Climate Coverage — With VOA? [25]
Report on PFAS Better, With a Better Mapping Tool [28]

If drinking water safety is on your beat, then keeping track of seesawing regulations around PFAS is a challenge. But as Reporter’s Toolbox writes, a powerful government data mapping tool can help you at least locate nearby PFAS facilities at a glance. What it does well and where it sources its underlying data, plus some suggestions on using it for your reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [30]
Consumer [31]
Environmental Health [6]
Health [32]
Journalism & Media [10]
Pollution [14]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Report on PFAS Better, With a Better Mapping Tool [28]
Gas Prices Are Environment — and Human — Story [33]

As the Iran war effectively turns the Strait of Hormuz into a bottleneck for much of the world’s oil and natural gas, the price of gasoline in the United States has spiked, creating inflationary worries. So it’s a good time for journalists to remind their audiences of the overall environmental impacts of fossil fuels. TipSheet has more, including 10-plus story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Consumer [31]
Energy & Fuel [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Journalism & Media [10]
Military [34]
Natural Resources [11]
Transportation [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [27]
Middle East [36]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Gas Prices Are Environment — and Human — Story [33]
Why I Write About Extinction [37]

Reporting on species who are gone forever can be disheartening, but don’t let that stop you. After more than two decades on the extinction beat, John R. Platt has learned this work can also be deeply rewarding. He explains why he’s stuck with it and why other journalists should consider joining him in telling the stories of vanishing animals and plants.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [38]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [39]
Chemicals [30]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Studies [40]
Journalism & Media [10]
Pollution [14]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [15]
Science [41]
Wildlife [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [27]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Why I Write About Extinction [37]
NASA Earthdata Offers a New Look at What Satellites See Down Here [43]

The capacity to visualize Earth’s ecosystems in detail is an invaluable aid to reporting on the environment. That’s now being bolstered with an ongoing upgrade to NASA’s Earthdata program, fueled by its ranks of satellites. Reporter’s Toolbox says the refurbishment offers treasures for journalists ranging from oceans, groundwater and land surfaces to the biosphere and atmosphere.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [39]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Health [6]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [11]
Science [41]
Technology [44]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [27]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about NASA Earthdata Offers a New Look at What Satellites See Down Here [43]
Insect Decline Poses Foundational Ecological Hazards [45]

Bugs may get a bad rap, but a serious possible global decline in their populations is making clearer what may be lost for ecosystems and human societies. Issue Backgrounder peers beneath the detritus to find what insects do, how we try to kill them and how they survive, and why it’s so hard to pin down the data around their shifting numbers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [39]
Chemicals [30]
Environmental Health [6]
Natural Resources [11]
Pollution [14]
Science [41]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [27]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Insect Decline Poses Foundational Ecological Hazards [45]
‘Poisoned for Gold’ Project Pricks Nation’s Conscience [47]

Two Ghanian video journalists traveled their country to document how contamination from illegal gold mining was harming the health of workers and nearby communities. Their resulting reporting not only won acclaim from their peers but also ignited a debate that resulted in the closing of polluting mining operations. Read more about their award-winning project and its impact in Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [30]
Disasters [49]
Economy & Business [50]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [7]
Health [32]
Journalism & Media [10]
Natural Resources [11]
People & Population [12]
Pollution [14]
Waste [51]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
International [27]
Africa [52]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about ‘Poisoned for Gold’ Project Pricks Nation’s Conscience [47]
Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories [53]

Thousands of miles of rivers across the United States are part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and any one of them can help tell some splashy tales of the power of conservation and the wonders of nature. TipSheet dips a toe into the backstory, then offers story ideas and resources to help report on local wild rivers near you.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [8]
Fish & Fisheries [54]
Journalism & Media [10]
Laws & Regulations [55]
Natural Resources [11]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories [53]

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