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Journalism Groups Urge White House To Let Government Experts Speak Freely to Journalists and Public [1]

July 26, 2021 — SEJ joined with the Society of Professional Journalists and 23 other journalism groups in sending a letter today to the White House to request a meeting with its Scientific Integrity Task Force. The groups wish to discuss protection against interference in journalists' work, stating facts and making recommendations. Read the letter [2] and press release [3].

Topics on the Beat: 
Environmental Politics [4]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Visibility: 
Public [7]

Biden’s Public Lands Nominee Advances With Key Senate Vote [8]

"Tracy Stone-Manning, President Biden’s pick to be the top public lands manager, moved one step closer to becoming director of the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday as the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced her nomination solely with Democratic support."

Energy & Fuel [9]
Environmental Politics [4]
Government [5]
Natural Resources [10]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Washington Post [12], 07/23/2021
July 28, 2021

SEJ Webinar: Can We Talk? Getting the Story From Biden’s Interior Department [13]

Join SEJ July 28 for a conversation with top aides to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as we explore what access journalists have now to experts and information at Interior and its many bureaus and offices. 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET. SEJ members only. Not a member? Join us (eligibility requirements apply).

SEJ Regional Conferences [14]
Visibility: 
Public [7]
Topics on the Beat: 
Environmental Health [15]
Environmental Politics [4]
Fish & Fisheries [16]
Government [5]
Natural Resources [10]
Planning & Growth [17]
Policy [18]
Water & Oceans [19]
Wildlife [20]

Reporters Reveal True Toll From Texas Winter Storm, Outages [21]

A reporting team at BuzzFeed used a powerful array of data analysis techniques to arrive at a disturbing conclusion about the wintery devastation in Texas — there were far more deaths than acknowledged. But their investigation didn’t stop there. They tracked down families of the deceased to understand the human toll and pressured government over its accountability. How they got the story for “The Graveyard Doesn’t Lie.”

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [22]
Topics on the Beat: 
Disasters [23]
Environmental Politics [4]
Government [5]
Health [24]
Infrastructure [25]
Journalism & Media [6]
People & Population [26]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [27]
Visibility: 
Public [7]

Underpaid Firefighters, Stretched Budgets: US Unprepared For Climate Fires [28]

"On the heels of one of the worst wildfire years on record, the federal government is struggling to recruit and retain staff as firefighters grapple with low wages, trauma and burnout from increasingly long and intense fire seasons."

Climate Change [29]
Disasters [23]
Forests [30]
Government [5]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Washington Post [31], 07/02/2021

As Western Wildfires Worsen, FEMA Is Denying Most People Who Ask For Help [32]

"Brenda and Francis Dairy's small ranch house, tucked into the Oregon woods, was built to withstand a wildfire. The siding was concrete, the roof metal. It didn't matter. On Sept. 7 of last year, as the sky turned dark orange and the air grew thick with smoke, flames tore through nearby trees and engulfed the house entirely."

Climate Change [29]
Disasters [23]
Environmental Justice [33]
Forests [30]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Natural Resources [10]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: NPR [35], 07/01/2021

"In Video, Exxon Lobbyist Describes Efforts to Undercut Climate Action" [36]

"On the tape, made in a Greenpeace sting, he described working with “shadow groups” to fight climate science, and detailed efforts to weaken President Biden’s proposals to burn less oil."

Climate Change [29]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [9]
Environmental Health [15]
Environmental Justice [33]
Environmental Politics [4]
Government [5]
Journalism & Media [6]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: NYTimes [38], 07/01/2021

"First African American Named To Lead US Forest Service" [39]

"Veteran forester Randy Moore has been named chief of the U.S. Forest Service, the first African American to lead the agency in its 116-year history."

Diversity [40]
Environmental Politics [4]
Forests [30]
Government [5]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: AP [41], 06/30/2021

Solar Panel Stories Can Shine for Local, Regional Reporters [42]

As the solar panel business resurges, the wide scope of possible regional and local story angles — climate, tech, consumer, business, jobs, air quality and grid reliability — make bright prospects for journalists. The latest TipSheet sets out recent political and market developments, along with more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [43]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [29]
Consumer [44]
Economy & Business [37]
Energy & Fuel [9]
Environmental Politics [4]
Government [5]
Infrastructure [25]
Journalism & Media [6]
Natural Resources [10]
Policy [18]
Technology [45]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [11]
International [46]
Asia [47]
Visibility: 
Public [7]

"EPA Watchdog Says Trump Appointees Kept Fired Employees On Payroll" [48]

"Two high-ranking Trump political appointees at the Environmental Protection Agency arranged for a pair of agency employees to reap tens of thousands of dollars in salaries even after they were fired, according to a report from EPA’s Office of Inspector General."

Environmental Politics [4]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [34]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [11]
Source: Politico [49], 06/28/2021

Pages

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/journalism-groups-urge-white-house-let-government-experts-speak-freely-journalists-public [2] https://www.sej.org/sites/default/files/scientific-integrity-joint-letter-to-white-house-task-force07262021.pdf [3] https://www.sej.org/sites/default/files/scientific-integrity-letter-release07272021.pdf [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [7] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [8] https://www.sej.org/headlines/biden-s-public-lands-nominee-advances-key-senate-vote [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [11] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [12] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/07/22/tracy-stone-manning-biden-senate/ [13] https://www.sej.org/calendar/sej-webinar-can-we-talk-getting-story-biden-s-interior-department [14] https://www.sej.org/category/event-type/conferences/regional [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [21] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/reporters-reveal-true-toll-texas-winter-storm-outages [22] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [27] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [28] https://www.sej.org/headlines/underpaid-firefighters-stretched-budgets-us-unprepared-climate-fires [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [31] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/07/01/underpaid-firefighters-overstretched-budgets-us-isnt-prepared-fires-fueled-by-climate-change/ [32] https://www.sej.org/headlines/western-wildfires-worsen-fema-denying-most-people-who-ask-help [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [35] https://www.npr.org/2021/07/01/1010897265/as-western-wildfires-worsen-fema-is-denying-most-people-who-ask-for-help [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/video-exxon-lobbyist-describes-efforts-undercut-climate-action [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [38] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/30/climate/exxon-greenpeace-lobbyist-video.html [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/first-african-american-named-lead-us-forest-service [40] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/diversity [41] https://apnews.com/article/forests-environment-and-nature-government-and-politics-cc4a96a6937eaeb3a4aeff167172dd9a [42] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/solar-panel-stories-can-shine-local-regional-reporters [43] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [46] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [47] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [48] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-watchdog-says-trump-appointees-kept-fired-employees-payroll [49] https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/25/epa-report-fired-employees-496398 [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=82 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=79 [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=80 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=81 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=84 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=85 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=86 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=87 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government?page=277