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TipSheet is a biweekly source for story ideas, background, interview leads and reporting tools for journalists who cover news of the environment.

For questions and comments, or to suggest future TipSheets, email the TipSheet Editor Joseph A. Davis at sejournaleditor@sej.org.

Journalists can receive TipSheet free by subscribing to the SEJournal Online, the digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Subscribe to the e-newsletter here. TipSheet is also available through the searchable archive below and via RSS feed.


Latest TipSheet Items

May 30, 2017

  • The 2017 hurricane season officially begins this week and experts say it may be worse than usual. So the latest TipSheet has sources and tools to help you prepare for your hurricane coverage. Understand the importance of landfall and storm path, find out about this year's big wild card, and get tips for staying safe.

May 23, 2017

  • Flooding is no longer just a local disaster story. As the phenomenon worsens and spreads, it simultaneously raises issues like development, insurance, stormwater management and climate change. The latest TipSheet runs down longer-term angles of flooding, and offers sources and tools to better cover your own flood stories.

May 16, 2017

  • Concerns about the greater impact of pollution on poor people and ethnic minorities are not new. But now, environmental reporters have more tools than ever for finding and telling these stories. The latest TipSheet spotlights a useful EPA app and numerous other sources to track this ongoing story.

May 9, 2017

  • Fire season is back, if it ever went away. And it's no longer a natural disaster story limited in geographic scope. Now it's a nationwide U.S. story touching on climate, money, politics, zoning, pollution and more. The latest Tipsheet runs down key information sources, plus what make a good peg for your local wildfire reporting.

May 2, 2017

  • Dozens of national monuments established in the last 20 years may lose their federally protected designation under a new order from the Trump administration. Find out which ones may have been targeted near you, how to find stories about the impact on public lands and who the players are in monument politics, in the latest TipSheet.

April 25, 2017

  • Looking for ways to focus on climate change impacts in your area? Dozens of climate marches taking place this Saturday around the United States and the globe may be your opportunity. The latest TipSheet has more, plus info on understanding regional impacts and how states and cities are increasingly in the driver's seat.

April 18, 2017

  • With the ever-adaptable coyote now present in almost all 50 states, environmental journalists can find numerous local stories on the shifting boundaries between human settlements and wildlife. The latest TipSheet has story angles and sources, plus the controversy over coyote killing.

April 11, 2017

  • With the White House trying to revive coal as a key component of the power grid, environmental reporters can find many stories in what's happening to individual plants in their area. The latest TipSheet walks you through locating local plants, digging deeper with databases and tracing regulation of non-CO2 pollutants.

April 4, 2017

  • The best public database of the risk management plans for many major hazardous sites has now been restored. The latest TipSheet has the backstory on government tracking of hazardous chemical facilities, an example of how the database was mined for some stellar reporting, and ideas for smart use of this powerful tool.

March 28, 2017

  • Rewinding the Clean Power Plan and its planned cuts in U.S. carbon emissions may not have the effect intended, reports this week's TipSheet. Why changes now underway in the electric power industry may have less to do with regulations than with the energy market itself. Plus, covering developments state by state.

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