In the first edition of a new SEJournal column — EJ InSight — we look at how one freelance print journalist took up the camera to diversify her skills and report a unique story from the marshes of Iraq. See a photo gallery [21] of her images. Plus, multimedia efforts from other environmental reporters [22].

Pulitzer Prize finalist Derrick Jackson had written about everything from sports to politics. But then as his interest in the environment began to grow, he had a close encounter with some threatened puffin chicks that became a defining long-term project. Our latest “Between the Lines” author Q&A explores how this newsman and columnist came to co-author and photograph “Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg Rock. [31]”

Local dams are threatened with floods brought by Hurricane Florence. But already, many of these dams were being removed after decades of building them up, as part of a growing effort to limit harm to the environment and hazards to local communities. This week’s TipSheet explains the trend, highlights some examples and points the way to databases and other resources to find and report on dams in your area.

Plastic straws might have quickly become this summer’s bogeyman, with bans by Starbucks, hotel chains, resorts and some big cities. But as this week’s TipSheet points out, straws are only a part of the massive marine litter problem facing the world’s oceans. Here’s how to put recent straw bans into broader perspective.

​Visual storytelling can serve as a primary narrative tool, especially when it comes to human impacts on the environment. That’s the case made by acclaimed former National Geographic photo editor Dennis Dimick in this feature interview, that delves into his unexpected journalistic career.