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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.

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February 21, 2024

  • When Inside Story co-editor Rocky Kistner reviewed video statements from first-place winners of the Society of Environmental Journalists 2023 reporting awards, he found a series of striking insights into the work of environmental journalism. From environment as a true crime story and going beyond the headlines, to covering communities at risk and through powerful interests, a look at nine highly effective approaches to telling environmental stories.

  • As a follow-on to our recent story about the complex jockeying over a federal anti-terrorism program to prevent high-risk U.S. industrial facilities from becoming targets, the latest TipSheet offers localizable story ideas, along with reporting resources to help you find CFATS facilities in your community. Read more. Plus see the earlier story on why chemical plants, terrorism and regulations may be back on the agenda.

February 14, 2024

  • For years, high-risk U.S. industrial facilities fell under a federal anti-terrorism program to ensure their potentially lethal chemicals would not become terrorist targets. But when the program expired last year, something unexpected happened. Veteran chemical industry reporter Jeff Johnson has a behind-the-scenes look at the maneuvering over how best to secure the country’s dangerous chemical stores.

  • Environmental journalists commonly grouse about obstacles the press office at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency throws up when reporters want to talk to its scientists. Might a newly proposed scientific integrity policy help change that? The WatchDog Opinion column, which regularly joins in the censuring, says there’s a chance it could. But will it? Why the outlook is cloudy.

  • To get a bead on where electric power plants fit in the energy transition, Reporter’s Toolbox suggests a useful dataset collected directly from electricity generators. In this second of two parts, explore the vast array of data available from the Energy Information Administration. Plus, a pro tip on finding data around the climate consequences of power generation.

February 7, 2024

  • A relative of mad cow disease is working its way across the population of deer and related cervids in North America. And the latest TipSheet cautions that it remains unclear whether this chronic wasting disease can make the leap to humans, such as millions of deer and elk hunters. What environmental journalists need to know about possible risks and precautions.

  • Veteran environmental freelancer Christine Woodside makes the case for fostering long-term connections with editors to keep your journalism work coming in. In the latest Freelance Files, the column’s co-editor shares three things that tend not to work in gaining trust and two things that do. What a weird job for a beer heir taught her about building freelance relationships.

January 31, 2024

  • With the world in the midst of wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, it’s time for journalists to appraise — and report on — the intersection of conflict and the environment, argues the new Backgrounder. That means considering the environment not only as a victim of war, but also as the cause of war and a means of carrying it out.

  • To better understand progress in the U.S. energy transition, some of the best nonpartisan data comes from the Energy Information Administration. And, as the latest Reporter’s Toolbox explains, EIA has an effective dashboard tool for exploring state-by-state variations in clean energy performance, among other things. Here’s how to use it smartly. Plus, a few caveats.

  • The climate change debate is often so focused on fossil fuels and mining that it ignores impacts in economic, political, neo-colonial and social terms, writes BookShelf’s Melody Kemp in her review of “Carbon Colonialism: How Rich Countries Export Climate Breakdown.” Why concepts like corporate social responsibility do little to stem the losses that come with such development.

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