Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD)

January 24, 2024

DEADLINE: RJI Women in Journalism Workshop

The 2024 Women in Journalism Workshop, Apr 12-14 at the Reynolds Journalism Institute in Columbia, Missouri, focuses on challenges, accomplishments and issues specific to women in the journalism industry today. Apply by Jan 24, 1:00 a.m.

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December 13, 2023

SEJ Webinar: Learn How To Apply for Report for America Job Openings

Learn about Report for America and how to apply for more than 50 full-time journalism positions, including 11 environmental positions offered through a partnership with the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the Society of Environmental Journalists. These 11 positions are part of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, a collaborative network meant to boost coverage of environmental and agricultural issues throughout the river basin. 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET.

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Reporter Unravels Complex Dynamic Between Climate Change and Nature

Nature-based climate solutions have become a much-talked-of topic, one that journalist Gabriel Popkin turned into a loose beat through which to explore the complicated realities beyond some easy narratives. The resulting stories were published widely to high praise, and in the latest Inside Story Q&A, Popkin spoke about his efforts and offered up five critical factors for producing original, impactful journalism.

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TV Forecasters Talk About Climate Change, But Face Pushback And Threats

"Chris Gloninger was excited to start his new job as chief meteorologist at KCCI, a TV station in Des Moines, when he moved to Iowa in 2021. He was coming from Boston to connect the dots between weather and climate change trends. Gloninger knew it might elicit some grumbling from Iowan viewers."

Source: KCUR, 11/28/2023

"As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change"

"In a country where the value of land often depends on access to water, powerful interests in agriculture, heavy industry and real estate draw vast amounts of water out of the ground. For generations, that water has been treated as an unlimited resource in much of the United States, freely available to anyone who owns a piece of land and can drill a well. Entire local economies have been built around the assumption that the water will never run out."

Source: NYTimes, 11/27/2023

Reporting on Environmental Solutions and Equity — at a Watershed Scale

Reporting on interconnected ecosystems lends itself to better environmental stories, and so tracing how water moves across landscapes, communities, industries and regulatory schemes can help the public connect the dots. That’s how Annie Ropeik, who helps run the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, sees the watershed beat. She shares expert views and offers insights for environment journalists to use in their reporting.

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Exposed for Pig Pollution, Nebraska Governor Slimes the Reporter

When the governor of Nebraska personally attacked an investigative reporter who’d covered environmental problems in his family business, it drew a national spotlight and a quick response from free press supporters, including the Society of Environmental Journalists. WatchDog Opinion looks at what happened and observes that politicians’ name-calling of journalists has an unfortunate history — but must never be allowed to stop the truthtelling.

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SEJ Statement on Flatwater Free Press Reporter Yanqi Xu

October 20, 2023 — The Society of Environmental Journalists stands with Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu, whose work was dismissed by Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen on the basis of her nationality. In response to Xu’s reporting on high nitrate levels in groundwater on Pillen’s hog farms, the governor said on live radio that he will not read the story because the “author is from Communist China.” Read SEJ's statement.

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Prying Open the Statehouse Doors

Reporting on environmental stories often leads to the state legislature, where key material can be frustratingly hard to access. Whether that’s because the state is deliberately hiding information, has poor systems for sharing it or isn’t even tracking it, there are ways to get what you need. Four seasoned environment reporters offer tips, tricks and commiseration.

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October 12, 2023

Uncovering Radioactive Waste in St. Louis

Investigative Reporters & Editors, at the Missouri School of Journalism, presents this online event. Hear how the Missouri Independent teamed up with MuckRock to show how lingering radioactive waste from the federal government and private companies threatens the health of people in the St. Louis region. 1:30 p.m. ET.

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