Publication Items

Coal Ash Is an Issue That Just Won’t Stay Buried [1]

Even as the number of coal-fired power plants declines in the United States, the dangerous coal ash byproducts they generate are found in dumps in every state, threatening to leach toxins into drinking water supplies. The latest TipSheet examines why the problem won’t seem to go away, and offers 10 top story ideas and resources for reporting on coal ash in your locale.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Natural Resources [8]
Pollution [9]
Waste [10]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Coal Ash Is an Issue That Just Won’t Stay Buried [1]
Crop Cover Database Seeds Local Environment Coverage [14]

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 [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [16]
Chemicals [17]
Climate Change [18]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Studies [19]
Food [20]
Journalism & Media [6]
Science [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Crop Cover Database Seeds Local Environment Coverage [14]
Climate Solutions, for Some, May Not Be [22]

A small Louisiana community, home to the descendants of formerly enslaved Black people, continues to fight for its freedom many decades later, this time from a potentially polluting technology. FEJ StoryLog contributor Yessenia Funes recounts her journey to this Cancer Alley community, where a grant from the Fund for Environmental Journalism helped her tell the story of residents challenging a multibillion-dollar carbon capture plant.

SEJ Publication Types:
FEJ StoryLog [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [24]
Air [25]
Chemicals [17]
Climate Change [18]
Economy & Business [26]
Energy & Fuel [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
People & Population [28]
Planning & Growth [29]
Policy [30]
Pollution [9]
Science [21]
Technology [31]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [32]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Climate Solutions, for Some, May Not Be [22]
Covering the Health Impacts of Extreme Heat — An Arizona Reporter Weighs In [33]

Before giving summer its send-off, consider that heat kills more people in the U.S. annually than any other weather-related disaster. Phoenix journalist Katherine Davis-Young is well acquainted with this human toll. Drawing on her own reporting experience, she looks at how to cover extreme heat in your community. Pro tip: Don’t wait until next summer to familiarize yourself with vulnerable communities and investigate local mitigation policies.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [34]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [18]
Disasters [35]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [27]
Government [36]
Health [37]
Journalism & Media [6]
Policy [30]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [38]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Covering the Health Impacts of Extreme Heat — An Arizona Reporter Weighs In [33]
Chronic Wasting Disease May Be Stalking Deer Hunters [39]

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 [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [4]
Food [20]
Health [37]
Journalism & Media [6]
Science [21]
Wildlife [40]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [41]
Canada [42]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Chronic Wasting Disease May Be Stalking Deer Hunters [39]
The Dark Side of ‘Bothsidesism’ [43]

Journalistic values — whether code of ethics-style values like truth, context and fairness, or news-style values like impact, novelty and human interest — are nothing to be shy about and can make for great journalism. But some values can be distorted and drag journalism down a dead end, argues the new WatchDog Opinion. Two environmental cases where false balance does damage.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [17]
Climate Change [18]
Environmental Politics [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [41]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about The Dark Side of ‘Bothsidesism’ [43]
Trump Administration Icing Out NSIDC Data [45]

An important federal database that tracks Arctic ice and snowmelt — which help address concerns like sea level rise and fresh water resources — is facing funding cuts and reductions in services. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox looks at the kind of high-quality information the National Snow and Ice Data Center can provide environmental reporters, including for local stories. That is, while it lasts.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [18]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Studies [19]
Journalism & Media [6]
Natural Resources [8]
Science [21]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
California [46]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [47]
International [41]
Antarctica & Arctic [48]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Trump Administration Icing Out NSIDC Data [45]
A Guide to Legal Resources [49]

Freelance journalists, including environmental reporters, need not brave legal woes alone, counsels Freelance Files co-editor Elyse Hauser. A wide variety of groups offers aid for everything from denials of access to assaults or arrests, and her latest entry IDs more than a dozen resources, including legal assistance, emergency financial help and more. Plus, how to prevent problems to begin with.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [50]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [41]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about A Guide to Legal Resources [49]
Sunshine State Weirdness, With a Solid Dose of Environment [51]

The story behind the story that captures the “real” Florida is the essence of a new volume from veteran journalist and author Craig Pittman. BookShelf editor Tom Henry writes that “Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America’s Most Interesting State” not only taps into the state’s rich vein of the weird but offers a hefty dose of environmental topics, from climate change to manatees.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [52]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [18]
Environmental Politics [5]
People & Population [28]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [11]
Wildlife [40]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [32]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Sunshine State Weirdness, With a Solid Dose of Environment [51]
Fallen Leaves — Not Just a Chore but a Story [53]

From a simple autumn leaf can come a legion of local environmental stories, if you sift through the pile thoughtfully. The latest TipSheet ponders the possibilities, from who in your municipality actually gathers them and how they’re used as mulch and (possibly contaminated) compost, where you don’t want them to collect and what people used to do with them that these days is a no-no.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [2]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Fallen Leaves — Not Just a Chore but a Story [53]

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