Publication Items

In this issue: Conflict over environment and energy in 2015; nonprofit news rescues environmental journalism, or not; freelance digital journalism founders; using ground journalism, striking visuals for complex global stories; SEJ's diversity struggles; bringing to life climate- and weather-related data; free digital tools for EJ educators, students; interview with Jörg Friedrichs, author, “The Future Is Not What It Used to Be: Climate Change and Energy Scarcity;” and book reviews.

The score came from the Center for Effective Government, which now awards the scores annually. Much of the score is based on the agency's performance under the Freedom of Information Act. EPA was one of the few agencies whose grade actually went down since 2014.

After opposing gag and sealing orders in the trial of former Massey coal CEO Don Blankenship on charges of conspiracy to violate federal mine safety and health standards — and cover-up — a news media coalition led by Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press won access to the trial from a federal appeals court March 5, 2015.

After a judge refused to reverse most of the secrecy ruling around the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster caused by Massey Energy's safety violations, including indictment of the company's former CEO, media outlets appealed. Now a coalition of many more media groups, led by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, have filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing the secrecy ruling as unconstitutional.