Published on SEJ (https://www.sej.org)

Home > Health

COVID-19 Data Challenges Can Spark Better Journalism [1]

Reporting the COVID-19 pandemic may mean telling environmental stories, while using the best data to do it. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox spotlights three key resources to capture a detailed look at where and who the coronavirus is striking, and how it connects to the environment: a dashboard, an ambitious data platform and an unheralded tool for uncovering environmental injustice. 

SEJ Publication Types: 
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Disasters [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Health [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
People & Population [7]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [8]
Visibility: 
Public [9]

Smokey’s 420 Gets the ‘Dirt’ on Pot Crop [10]

The story of Smokey’s 420, mom-and-pop pot shop that’s taken a more environmental perspective. Plus, why the explosion in the infant business legal cannabis could be bad news for the environment [11], if left largely unregulated. 

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [12]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [13]
Agriculture [14]
Chemicals [15]
Consumer [16]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Politics [19]
Government [20]
Health [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Policy [22]
Pollution [23]
Waste [24]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [8]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [26]
Visibility: 
Public [9]

Why an Unregulated Pot Business May Be Bad for the Environment  [11]

One industry seemingly unharmed by the coronavirus-related shutdown is legal cannabis. But the explosion in this infant business could be bad news for the environment, if left largely unregulated. A closer look at the issues. Plus, the story of Smokey’s 420 [10], mom-and-pop pot shop that’s taken a more environmental perspective.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [12]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [13]
Agriculture [14]
Chemicals [15]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Politics [19]
Government [20]
Health [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Policy [22]
Pollution [23]
Waste [24]
Water & Oceans [25]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [8]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [26]
Visibility: 
Public [9]

"Frustrated by Crowds, Coastal States Weigh What to Do About Beaches" [27]

"The salty breeze and ocean waves have beckoned stir-crazy residents of the coast back to their beloved beaches, social distancing norms be damned."

Disasters [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Water & Oceans [25]
Public [9]
National (U.S.) [8]
Source: NYTimes [28], 05/01/2020

"Pandemic: Details Emerge On Trump's Oil Rescue Plan" [29]

"The Trump administration is looking at offering two lines of credit to help the beleaguered oil and gas industry as it reels from historically low prices sparked by the global coronavirus pandemic."

Climate Change [30]
Disasters [3]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [19]
Health [5]
Public [9]
National (U.S.) [8]
Source: Energywire [31], 05/01/2020

"Coronavirus Causes Delay in EPA’s Rule for Managing Wastewater" [32]

"The EPA has been too busy responding to the deadly coronavirus to work on its long-awaited proposal to manage huge volumes of pathogen-infested sewage and stormwater during heavy rains, the agency’s top wastewater official said Wednesday."

Disasters [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [19]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Pollution [23]
Water & Oceans [25]
Public [9]
National (U.S.) [8]
Source: Bloomberg Environment [33], 04/30/2020

"Millions Of Farm Animals Culled As US Food Supply Chain Chokes Up" [34]

"Covid-related slaughterhouse shutdowns in the US are leading to fears of meat shortages and price rises, while farmers are being forced to consider “depopulating” their animals."

Agriculture [14]
Consumer [16]
Disasters [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Food [35]
Health [5]
Public [9]
National (U.S.) [8]
Source: Guardian [36], 04/30/2020

Oil Execs On Trump’s ‘Opening The Country’ Council Are Major GOP Donors [37]

"Eight fossil fuel executives tapped for a White House task force advising President Donald Trump on how to reopen the U.S. economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic have donated millions to Trump and other Republican campaigns and political committees in recent years."

Disasters [3]
Economy & Business [17]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [19]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Public [9]
National (U.S.) [8]
Source: HuffPost [38], 04/30/2020

More Than 150 Groups Write Opposing EPA Coronavirus Enforcement Policy [39]

"A coalition of more than 150 groups wrote to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to oppose a controversial memo in which the agency said it temporarily might not seek penalties against companies that don’t monitor their pollution."

Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [19]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Public [9]
National (U.S.) [8]
Source: The Hill [40], 04/30/2020

"Pandemic: Texas Releases Plan To Cut Oil Production" [41]

"Texas regulators released the details of a plan yesterday to cut oil production as other states looked for ways to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the energy industry."

Disasters [3]
Energy & Fuel [18]
Environmental Health [4]
Health [5]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Public [9]
National (U.S.) [8]
Source: Energywire [42], 04/30/2020

Pages

The Society of Environmental Journalists
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 558-2055
Email: sej@sej.org
© 2026 The Society of Environmental Journalists. All Rights Reserved.
All graphics © SEJ, unless otherwise stated.
Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=75

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/reporters-toolbox/covid-19-data-challenges-can-spark-better-journalism [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/reporter%E2%80%99s-toolbox [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [8] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [9] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [10] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/smokey-s-420-gets-dirt-pot-crop [11] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/why-unregulated-pot-business-may-be-bad-environment [12] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [26] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [27] https://www.sej.org/headlines/frustrated-crowds-coastal-states-weigh-what-do-about-beaches [28] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/us/newsom-beaches-california-coronavirus.html [29] https://www.sej.org/headlines/pandemic-details-emerge-trumps-oil-rescue-plan [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [31] https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063007983 [32] https://www.sej.org/headlines/coronavirus-causes-delay-epa-s-rule-managing-wastewater [33] https://bnanews.bna.com/environment-and-energy/coronavirus-causes-delay-in-epas-rule-for-managing-wastewater [34] https://www.sej.org/headlines/millions-farm-animals-culled-us-food-supply-chain-chokes [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food [36] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/29/millions-of-farm-animals-culled-as-us-food-supply-chain-chokes-up-coronavirus [37] https://www.sej.org/headlines/oil-execs-trump-s-opening-country-council-are-major-gop-donors [38] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oil-executives-economic-task-force-gop-donors_n_5ea9a3e2c5b6fb98a2b65a6e [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/more-150-groups-write-opposing-epa-coronavirus-enforcement-policy [40] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/495136-more-than-150-groups-write-in-opposition-to-epa-coronavirus [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/pandemic-texas-releases-plan-cut-oil-production [42] https://www.eenews.net/stories/1062998913 [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=74 [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=71 [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=72 [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=73 [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=76 [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=77 [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=78 [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=79 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health?page=136