Publication Items

From Swine Waste, Student Journalist Extracts Prize-Winning Story [1]

Industrial hog farmers tout swine biogas as a clean, green energy source, but others point to its messy side. A young journalist who investigated the underreported stench of environmental racism associated with this technology learned valuable lessons along the way to producing a feature story that won her a Society of Environmental Journalists’ award for outstanding student reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Diversity [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Justice [10]
Environmental Politics [11]
Food [12]
Government [13]
Health [14]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Pollution [17]
Science [18]
Technology [19]
Waste [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [23]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about From Swine Waste, Student Journalist Extracts Prize-Winning Story [1]
Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [25]

Abandoned oil and gas wells are found in significant numbers in some 27 states. Reporters who want to track their status can dig into several databases, but will need to support their data crunching with lots of shoe-leather and ground-truth reporting. Reporter’s Toolbox has insights into what the databases offer. Plus, a primer on API numbers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [4]
Climate Change [27]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Politics [11]
Government [13]
Health [14]
Infrastructure [28]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Natural Resources [29]
Policy [30]
Pollution [17]
Technology [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [31]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [32]
International [33]
Canada [34]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Will Thousands of Orphan Wells Be Safely Plugged? [25]
Diving Deeper on the Wetlands Beat Yields Groundbreaking Coverage [35]

Two journalists covering water policy used a wide range of reporting techniques, from FOIA appeals to on-the-ground reporting, to get at the heart of how problems with wetlands and waterways in the United States are tied to climate change concerns. Inside Story spoke with Hannah Northey and Kevin Bogardus of E&E News about their award-winning beat reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [36]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [37]
Climate Change [27]
Disasters [38]
Diversity [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Justice [10]
Environmental Politics [11]
Government [13]
Health [14]
Infrastructure [28]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Policy [30]
Pollution [17]
Science [18]
Technology [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [39]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [23]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Diving Deeper on the Wetlands Beat Yields Groundbreaking Coverage [35]
Building a Resilient SEJ in 2023 and Beyond [40]

Society of Environmental Journalists president Luke Runyon (pictured, left) looks forward to the upcoming SEJ conference in Boise and announces the SEJ Future Council — a new fundraising initiative aimed at providing financial support for the organization’s efforts to increase and improve environmental journalism.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ Presidents Report [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [15]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Building a Resilient SEJ in 2023 and Beyond [40]
Federal Shield Law Could Go the Distance This Time [42]

A law that protects journalists from being compelled by courts or other federal entities to disclose protected information has long been on the wishlist for most journalism organizations and newsrooms. WatchDog Opinion examines why, even in these polarized political times, it’s actually possible that the U.S. Congress could, at long last, pass such a measure.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [43]
Topics on the Beat:
Government [13]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Policy [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Federal Shield Law Could Go the Distance This Time [42]
What’s in the Air in Kids’ Schools? Lessons on Addressing Indoor Pollution [44]

Now that kids are mostly back in school (and perhaps longing for snow days to send them back home), environmental reporters might want to start exploring some of the things that could make them sick. Not viruses, but potential pollutants. TipSheet explores the problem and why current law may do little to address it.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [45]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Health [14]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Policy [30]
Pollution [17]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about What’s in the Air in Kids’ Schools? Lessons on Addressing Indoor Pollution [44]
Follow the Money With Campaign and Lobbying Data [46]

With a new Congress in place and the seemingly never-ending political races to track, reporters can often learn a good deal about how environmental policy is influenced by looking into campaign and lobbying donations. Backgrounder takes a deep dive into the topic, pointing to important sources of information and data … and their limitations.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Economy & Business [7]
Environmental Politics [11]
Government [13]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Policy [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Follow the Money With Campaign and Lobbying Data [46]
Hazmat Highway Routes Key to Keeping Public Safe [48]

In the wake of the train derailment and toxic spill in Ohio, now is a good time for environmental journalists to be ready for the next such accident. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox offers up a data source for another transportation risk — hazardous materials transported via highway. Plus, why rail hazmat data can be trickier to access.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [5]
Disasters [38]
Environmental Politics [11]
Health [14]
Infrastructure [28]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Transportation [49]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [39]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Hazmat Highway Routes Key to Keeping Public Safe [48]
Covering Indigenous Communities — Tips for Non-Native Journalists [50]

Non-Indigenous journalists may think they’re doing “marginalized” Indigenous communities a favor by covering them, but their coverage is too often extractive and riddled with racist tropes. Contributor Valerie Vande Panne offers insights and advice for avoiding these pitfalls. Seeking permission, listening, sharing and respecting are all critical tools for the job.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [51]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [52]
Diversity [6]
Environmental Justice [10]
Government [13]
Journalism & Media [15]
People & Population [53]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [54]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Alaska and Hawaii [55]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [56]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [32]
International [33]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Covering Indigenous Communities — Tips for Non-Native Journalists [50]
Koalas, Under Pressure From Wildfires and Development, Are Beloved But Undefended [57]

The cuteness of the fuzzy koala appears not to be winning it special protection in its native Australia, despite dwindling numbers, per a new volume on the endangered marsupial. BookShelf contributor Melody Kemp offers praise for “Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future,” with a review that begins amusingly with bodily functions but ends dispiritedly with yet more koala habitat lost to housing tracts and wildfire.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [58]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [37]
Environmental Health [9]
Environmental Studies [59]
Forests [60]
Government [13]
Wildlife [61]
Region:
International [33]
Australia & Oceania [62]
Visibility:
Public [24]
- Read more about Koalas, Under Pressure From Wildfires and Development, Are Beloved But Undefended [57]

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