A flap over pool coverage of President-elect Trump may prove a prologue to new challenges for the news media. Will journalists have access to the sources and information needed to do their jobs, including covering coming policy battles over the environment? Our WatchDog editor reads the signals on press relations under a Trump Administration. Photo: By Marc Nozell [2] (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 [3]].

In the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential upset, U.S. environmental and energy policy may undergo dramatic change. SEJournal Online has prepared a reporter’s watchlist of 12 stories with local angles and broad impact, ranging from fossil fuels to renewables, clean air to clean water, and infrastructure to public lands. Read on. [12]

While issues like climate change have gained little traction in the presidential race, environmental topics are playing a clearer role in some congressional contests, as well in statehouse and local elections. At the same time, a number of controversial ballot initiatives are tackling environmental topics ranging from plastic bag bans to solar energy. Get info and resources in our Election 2016 Issue Backgrounder. 

The Paris Agreement took effect Nov 4, followed by the start of the United Nations meeting on climate change this week in Marrakesh. Can't go in person, but still want to track the critical issues at stake? TipSheet offers a guide on how to report Marrakesh from home. 

A key issue on the Freedom of Information Act is once a government record is released to a single FOIA requester, should it then be automatically released to any other requester and the general public? "Yes" was the answer from most journalists surveyed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press — but with an important caveat. Image: © Clipart.com. [38]