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SEJournal is the weekly digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. SEJ members are automatically subscribed. Nonmembers may subscribe using the link below. Send questions, comments, story ideas, articles, news briefs and tips to Editor Adam Glenn at sejournaleditor@sej.org. Or contact Glenn if you're interested in joining the SEJournal volunteer editorial staff.

TipSheet | Reporter's Toolbox | Backgrounders | WatchDog |

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May 19, 2021

  • While a “Handbook of Environmental Journalism” might initially sound like a scholarly work on environmental journalism, our BookShelf reviewer finds that the volume reads more like an engaging assembly of accessible accounts on the profession from colleagues across the planet. That makes it a rich resource for working journalists ... and anyone else with a passing interest in environmental issues and how they’re covered.

May 12, 2021

  • The climate change gas methane, relatively little controlled but with a global warming potential many times that of carbon dioxide, has been much in the news recently and promises to remain there. The latest Backgrounder helps environmental journalists track the problem by detailing methane’s sources — from oil and gas production, agriculture and landfills — and the politics surrounding its regulation.

  • Dangerous storm surge that often follows hurricanes can be the focus of life-saving journalism. Reporter’s Toolbox helps environmental journalists get ahead of storm surge with a key resource — a powerful government database and related maps showing surge hazards. Together with real-time advisories and a better understanding of what causes storm surge, Toolbox helps you better cover this danger.

  • As Native tribal nations successfully exert ancestral rights to land stewardship across the West, journalists covering these developments must first grasp the legal principles that underpin Native governmental sovereignty. But also key is to create and sustain relationships with Native community members. Veteran environment and Indigenous affairs reporter Debra Krol lays out the basics for effective reporting from Indian Country.

May 5, 2021

  • Pittsburgh is known for its history of steel production … and of air pollution. In the new Inside Story, reporter Kristina Marusic talks about capturing the health impacts of air emissions in western Pennsylvania, and shares insights on how dogged environmental justice reporting can make the links between pollution cuts and health impacts. Plus, tips on managing a long reporting project, creating infographics and using video.

  • Lawns can be as much bane as boon for homeowners that care for them throughout the United States. But when their maintenance involves the use of pesticides and fertilizers, they become a much wider concern for community health and the surrounding environment. The latest TipSheet combs through the grass for a better understanding of the problem, and offers ideas and resources for local environmental coverage.

April 28, 2021

  • Telling the local climate change story may mean you’ll have to dip a wading-boot-clad toe into the nearest stream, virtually at least. A decline there of a bellwether species, freshwater trout, could signal climate change-driven changes in critical water temperatures. To help guide your investigation, Reporter’s Toolbox spotlights a government database that taps into a massive network of monitoring stations. 

  • “Science is back at EPA,” declared the agency’s new administrator. But for reporters to do their job means more, argues the latest WatchDog — it means ditching a long-standing policy that requires EPA scientists have permission, along with press office “minders,” for interviews. Why that holds back quality journalism and government responsibility to protect public health. Plus, how past agency appointees have overruled science.

April 21, 2021

  • A world of unique, foraged foods is at the heart of a new book, “Eating Wild Japan: Tracking the Culture of Foraged Foods, With a Guide to Plants and Recipes,” that also delves into what is being lost with large-scale farming. Our BookShelf reviewer Melody Kemp shares the joys and the worries recounted by the author, long-time SEJer Winifred Bird.

  • The tale of a toxic wastewater pit menacing a Florida community is a story that could be told in communities around the nation. As the latest TipSheet warns, these waste sites can turn into ticking time bombs. But in reporting the story locally, the first thing to know is which of the many kinds of wastewater ponds to look for. Here’s a rundown.

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