Publication Items

Angling for Stories on Streams Suffering From Climate Change? Try Trout [1]

Telling the local climate change story may mean you’ll have to dip a wading-boot-clad toe into the nearest stream, virtually at least. A decline there of a bellwether species, freshwater trout, could signal climate change-driven changes in critical water temperatures. To help guide your investigation, Reporter’s Toolbox spotlights a government database that taps into a massive network of monitoring stations.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Fish & Fisheries [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Angling for Stories on Streams Suffering From Climate Change? Try Trout [1]
Wastewater Ponds Often a Local Story Worth Stirring Up [10]

The tale of a toxic wastewater pit menacing a Florida community is a story that could be told in communities around the nation. As the latest TipSheet warns, these waste sites can turn into ticking time bombs. But in reporting the story locally, the first thing to know is which of the many kinds of wastewater ponds to look for. Here’s a rundown.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [12]
Chemicals [13]
Disasters [14]
Health [15]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Pollution [17]
Waste [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [19]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [20]
International [21]
Canada [22]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Wastewater Ponds Often a Local Story Worth Stirring Up [10]
“Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, With a Guide to Plants and Recipes” [23]

A world of unique, foraged foods is at the heart of a new book, “Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, With a Guide to Plants and Recipes,” that also delves into what is being lost with large-scale farming. Our BookShelf reviewer Melody Kemp shares the joys and the worries recounted by the author, long-time SEJer Winifred Bird.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [24]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [12]
Consumer [25]
Food [26]
Journalism & Media [6]
Region:
International [21]
Asia [27]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about “Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, With a Guide to Plants and Recipes” [23]
Does Climate’s Future Depend on Better Batteries? [28]

The path of our planetary climate may depend largely on our transition away from energy sources that cause global warming. And that, in turn, may rely on one thing: improved batteries. The new Backgrounder explores the future of energy storage — how batteries work, the progress the technology has made and the brutal battery competition ahead between the United States and China.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [25]
Economy & Business [30]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Politics [32]
Science [33]
Technology [34]
Transportation [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
International [21]
Asia [27]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Does Climate’s Future Depend on Better Batteries? [28]
Flexibility in the Face of the Unexpected [36]

When a Chicago-based freelancer was just about to hit the road to report a three-part story and TV segment on the potential impacts of two proposed copper mines in the Great Lakes basin, there was a little hitch: The COVID-19 pandemic hit. The new FEJ StoryLog has the story of how Lorraine Boissoneault found the flexibility to complete her grant-supported project.

SEJ Publication Types:
FEJ StoryLog [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [32]
Journalism & Media [6]
Natural Resources [38]
People & Population [39]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [40]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Flexibility in the Face of the Unexpected [36]
Cruising EPA’s CompTox Chemicals Dashboard [41]

A massive database of databases maintained by EPA tracks more than 800,000 chemicals. And while CompTox is highly technical, it’s the source for important developments that environmental journalists need to know about, among them exploring whole classes of toxic chemicals, and understanding how big data and AI is transforming their regulation. Plus, alternate sources of chemical data for your reporting needs.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [13]
Environmental Studies [42]
Science [33]
Technology [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
International [21]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Cruising EPA’s CompTox Chemicals Dashboard [41]
Replacing the Nation’s Lead Lines Begins With Locating Them [43]

One especially ambitious element of the Biden infrastructure plan would swap out millions of lead pipes. It’s a massive, costly endeavor, but could remove from the country’s water supply a neurotoxin that harms human health, especially of kids and the poor. TipSheet looks at the new plan and offers ideas for reporting the story in your area.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [32]
Government [44]
Health [15]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [16]
People & Population [39]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [40]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [19]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Replacing the Nation’s Lead Lines Begins With Locating Them [43]
How a Lauded Reporter’s ‘Open Mind’ Led Story in a Surprising Direction [45]

An investigation into lead poisoning treatment policies prompted some very unexpected conclusions for one long-time investigative journalist, whose deeply reported and surprising projects won plaudits from judges for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual awards. Find out how Charles Schmidt turned an aside from a source into a penetrating look at a critical public health and environmental challenge.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Health [15]
Journalism & Media [6]
Pollution [17]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about How a Lauded Reporter’s ‘Open Mind’ Led Story in a Surprising Direction [45]
Can CDC Be Cured After Trump-Era Coronavirus ‘Infection’? [47]

The CDC, long a storied agency of serious import not just to health and science reporters, but also to environmental journalists, took a massive hit to its credibility during the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest WatchDog opinion makes the case it can do better, and offers 15 steps that may help restore the federal entity to its gold-standard days.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [48]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [14]
Government [44]
Health [15]
Journalism & Media [6]
Policy [49]
Science [33]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Can CDC Be Cured After Trump-Era Coronavirus ‘Infection’? [47]
Local Water, Sewer Projects May Flow From Infrastructure Funding [50]

The push for federal infrastructure legislation may mean money for local water and sewage projects under a long-standing and broadly bipartisan program called WIFIA. The new TipSheet explains how the program works and why the latest developments could spell news for local environmental reporters. Plus, story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [11]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [32]
Government [44]
Health [15]
Infrastructure [51]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Planning & Growth [52]
Policy [49]
Pollution [17]
Water & Oceans [7]
Region:
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility:
Public [9]
- Read more about Local Water, Sewer Projects May Flow From Infrastructure Funding [50]

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