Publication Items

Will New EPA Policy Make It Easier To Interview Its Experts? [1]

Environmental journalists commonly grouse about obstacles the press office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency throws up when reporters want to talk to its scientists. Might a newly proposed scientific integrity policy help change that? The WatchDog Opinion column, which regularly joins in the censuring, says there’s a chance it could. But will it? Why the outlook is cloudy.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [3]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Policy [6]
Science [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Will New EPA Policy Make It Easier To Interview Its Experts? [1]
Energy Transition Insights From a Mega-Trove of Power Plant Data [10]

To get a bead on where electric power plants fit in the energy transition, Reporter’s Toolbox suggests a useful dataset collected directly from electricity generators. In this second of two parts, explore the vast array of data available from the Energy Information Administration. Plus, a pro tip on finding data around the climate consequences of power generation.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [12]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Journalism & Media [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
International [14]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Energy Transition Insights From a Mega-Trove of Power Plant Data [10]
Finding Repeat Work Means Gaining an Editor’s Trust [15]

Veteran environmental freelancer Christine Woodside makes the case for fostering long-term connections with editors to keep your journalism work coming in. In the latest Freelance Files, the column’s co-editor shares three things that tend not to work in gaining trust and two things that do. What a weird job for a beer heir taught her about building freelance relationships.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [12]
Journalism & Media [5]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [17]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Finding Repeat Work Means Gaining an Editor’s Trust [15]
On the Hunt To Know More About Chronic Wasting Disease [18]

A relative of mad cow disease is working its way across the population of deer and related cervids in North America. And the latest TipSheet cautions that it remains unclear whether this chronic wasting disease can make the leap to humans, such as millions of deer and elk hunters. What environmental journalists need to know about possible risks and precautions.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [20]
Consumer [21]
Environmental Health [22]
Food [23]
Health [24]
Journalism & Media [5]
Wildlife [25]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
International [14]
Canada [26]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about On the Hunt To Know More About Chronic Wasting Disease [18]
‘Carbon Colonialism’ Details the Exporting of Degradation, Climate Collapse [27]

The climate change debate is often so focused on fossil fuels and mining that it ignores impacts in economic, political, neo-colonial and social terms, writes BookShelf’s Melody Kemp in her review of “Carbon Colonialism: How Rich Countries Export Climate Breakdown.” Why concepts like corporate social responsibility do little to stem the losses that come with such development.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [28]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [29]
Climate Change [12]
Consumer [21]
Economy & Business [30]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Environmental Justice [31]
Environmental Politics [3]
Forests [32]
Health [24]
Natural Resources [33]
People & Population [34]
Policy [6]
Pollution [35]
Region:
International [14]
Asia [36]
Europe [37]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about ‘Carbon Colonialism’ Details the Exporting of Degradation, Climate Collapse [27]
Rockets and Bombs and Chemicals — The Environmental Horrors of War [38]

With the world in the midst of wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, it’s time for journalists to appraise — and report on — the intersection of conflict and the environment, argues the new Backgrounder. That means considering the environment not only as a victim of war, but also as the cause of war and a means of carrying it out.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [39]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [40]
Climate Change [12]
Disasters [41]
Environmental Health [22]
Environmental Politics [3]
Government [4]
Health [24]
Journalism & Media [5]
Military [42]
People & Population [34]
Policy [6]
Water & Oceans [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [44]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [45]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [46]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [47]
International [14]
Africa [48]
Asia [36]
Europe [37]
Middle East [49]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Rockets and Bombs and Chemicals — The Environmental Horrors of War [38]
Take This Clean Electricity ‘Dashboard’ for a Trip Into the Energy Transition Future [50]

To better understand progress in the U.S. energy transition, some of the best nonpartisan data comes from the Energy Information Administration. And, as the latest Reporter’s Toolbox explains, EIA has an effective dashboard tool for exploring state-by-state variations in clean energy performance, among other things. Here’s how to use it smartly. Plus, a few caveats.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [13]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [51]
Natural Resources [33]
Planning & Growth [52]
Policy [6]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Take This Clean Electricity ‘Dashboard’ for a Trip Into the Energy Transition Future [50]
What’s Ahead on Climate Justice, Climate Crisis Beat [53]

What environment stories will matter most in 2024 to communities of color and Indigenous communities? Columnist Yessenia Funes sheds light on concerns ranging from the environmental damage in Gaza and extreme weather across the United States to the fallout from the U.S. presidential election to the local impacts of the clean energy transition. Insights in the latest Voices of Environmental Justice.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [29]
Climate Change [12]
Disasters [41]
Diversity [55]
Economy & Business [30]
Energy & Fuel [13]
Environmental Justice [31]
Environmental Politics [3]
Government [4]
Health [24]
Infrastructure [56]
Journalism & Media [5]
Military [42]
People & Population [34]
Planning & Growth [52]
Policy [6]
Pollution [35]
Water & Oceans [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Alaska and Hawaii [57]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [47]
International [14]
Middle East [49]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about What’s Ahead on Climate Justice, Climate Crisis Beat [53]
Drainage Infrastructure Leads to Wet Basement Stories [58]

Nothing may seem more personal than a home flooded by heavy rains. But the latest TipSheet points out that for local environmental reporters, there’s a bigger story to be told: how your community regulates stormwater and storm sewers, especially in the face of climate change-driven extreme precipitation. More than a dozen reporting ideas and resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [19]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [12]
Infrastructure [56]
Journalism & Media [5]
Planning & Growth [52]
Waste [59]
Water & Oceans [43]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [44]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [60]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [45]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Drainage Infrastructure Leads to Wet Basement Stories [58]
Will Journalism Be a Crime in a Second Trump Administration? [61]

For environmental journalists who recall the first Trump administration’s hostility toward media, the prospects of a second Trump presidency are troubling. But not nearly as worrying, WatchDog Opinion writes, as what a Trump reelection would mean for press freedom as a whole, nor for the democracy that hinges on that freedom. Read why the risks of journalists being targeted are real.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [3]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Policy [6]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Will Journalism Be a Crime in a Second Trump Administration? [61]

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