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Turning Whistleblowers Into Headlines Takes Skill, Patience, Luck [1]

The latest impeachment scandal engulfing the White House demonstrates how a big story can be triggered by a whistleblower. But it’s not just in the world of politics. Whistleblowers can bring hidden stories into the spotlight in the environment and energy fields too, including one involving Energy Secretary Rick Perry (left). The latest Reporter’s Toolbox looks at how reporters can work smartly with whistleblowers, with advice and resources.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Environmental Politics [3]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [6]
Visibility: 
Public [7]

SEJ Gets High in Fort Collins [8]

Missed the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual gathering in Fort Collins? Never fear, for our in-house humorist David Helvarg has herein recounted the “highs” (and paranoid lows). Among them: oddball scientists, strolls in a snow storm, bad burros and beet-based dinners. Plus, the secret strategy behind SEJ’s conference site selection.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [9]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [10]
Climate Change [11]
Environmental Politics [3]
Government [4]
Journalism & Media [5]
Natural Resources [12]
Policy [13]
Pollution [14]
Science [15]
Wildlife [16]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [6]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [17]
Visibility: 
Public [7]

"Border Wall: Judge Blocks Trump Funding Scheme" [18]

"A federal judge on Friday smacked down President Trump's plan to divert military funds to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border."

Environmental Politics [3]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Natural Resources [12]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [6]
Source: Greenwire [20], 10/15/2019

"BLM Move Would Split Apart Key Public Lands Team" [21]

"The team that assesses the environmental impacts of major projects on the nation’s public lands will be split up and spread across seven states, according to new internal documents breaking down the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plans to relocate most of its Washington-based employees out west."

Environmental Politics [3]
Government [4]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Natural Resources [12]
Science [15]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [6]
Source: The Hill [22], 10/15/2019

"California Governor Signs Bill Limiting Oil, Gas Development" [23]

"California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed a law intended to counter Trump administration plans to increase oil and gas production on protected public land."

Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Politics [3]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Natural Resources [12]
Public [7]
California [25]
Source: AP [26], 10/14/2019

BLM's Pendley Says His Positions On Climate, Immigrants Don’t Matter [27]

"Bureau of Land Management acting director William Perry Pendley repeatedly dodged questions at an environmental journalism conference."

Climate Change [11]
Environmental Politics [3]
Journalism & Media [5]
Natural Resources [12]
People & Population [28]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [6]
Source: HuffPost [29], 10/14/2019

"Coal Industry Pushed State Regulators to Lobby for Power Rescue" [30]

"A series of letters from state energy regulators asking the Trump administration to act on coal plant closures was orchestrated by a coal lobbying group, emails show, raising questions about the independence of the public service commissioners."

Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Politics [3]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [6]
Source: Bloomberg [31], 10/14/2019

"After Avoiding Safety Upgrades, PG&E Hired Lobbyists and PR Instead" [32]

"Power shutoffs affecting more than 1 million residents, scheduled by PG&E this week throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, have sparked a massive backlash, with many community members telling reporters that they are shocked that the company has not done more to upgrade its transmission lines."

Consumer [33]
Disasters [34]
Economy & Business [35]
Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Politics [3]
Forests [36]
Technology [37]
Public [7]
California [25]
Source: The Intercept [38], 10/14/2019

Commerce Staff Drafted Rebuke of NWS For Contradicting Trump On Dorian [39]

"Commerce Department officials were responsible for drafting a statement that rebuked National Weather Service staff after they sent a tweet countering President Trump’s statements about Hurricane Dorian, according to a letter sent by the House Science committee Thursday."

Environmental Politics [3]
Journalism & Media [5]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Science [15]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [6]
Source: The Hill [40], 10/11/2019

"House Democrats Subpoena Rick Perry In Impeachment Inquiry" [41]

"House Democrats on Thursday subpoenaed Energy Secretary Rick Perry for documentation of his involvement with President Trump's efforts to push the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.
 
Perry is the latest Trump administration official to be issued a subpoena as part of House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, which is examining the president's efforts to persuade the Ukrainian government to investigate Biden, a leading Democratic presidential contender.
 

Energy & Fuel [24]
Environmental Politics [3]
Laws & Regulations [19]
Public [7]
National (U.S.) [6]
Source: The Hill [42], 10/11/2019

Pages

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Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=674

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/reporters-toolbox/turning-whistleblowers-headlines-takes-skill-patience-luck [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/reporter%E2%80%99s-toolbox [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [6] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [7] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [8] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/sej-gets-high-fort-collins [9] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [17] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [18] https://www.sej.org/headlines/border-wall-judge-blocks-trump-funding-scheme [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [20] https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/stories/1061278071 [21] https://www.sej.org/headlines/blm-move-would-split-apart-key-public-lands-team [22] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/465687-blm-move-would-fragment-environmental-team-that-vets-development-of [23] https://www.sej.org/headlines/california-governor-signs-bill-limiting-oil-gas-development [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [25] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [26] https://www.apnews.com/08d47c2111c845b4bc04184bf600ba2c [27] https://www.sej.org/headlines/blms-pendley-says-his-positions-climate-immigrants-don-t-matter [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [29] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/william-perry-pendley-climate_n_5da0bcffe4b087efdbaddc0b [30] https://www.sej.org/headlines/coal-industry-pushed-state-regulators-lobby-power-rescue [31] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-11/coal-industry-pushed-state-regulators-to-lobby-for-power-rescue [32] https://www.sej.org/headlines/after-avoiding-safety-upgrades-pge-hired-lobbyists-and-pr-instead [33] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [34] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [35] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [38] https://theintercept.com/2019/10/11/pge-power-shutdown-california/ [39] https://www.sej.org/headlines/commerce-staff-drafted-rebuke-nws-contradicting-trump-dorian [40] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/465294-commerce-staff-drafted-statement-rebuking-weather-service-for [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/house-democrats-subpoena-rick-perry-impeachment-inquiry [42] https://thehill.com/homenews/house/465277-house-democrats-subpoena-rick-perry-in-impeachment-inquiry [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=673 [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=670 [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=671 [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=672 [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=675 [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=676 [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=677 [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=678 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics?page=1396