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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 |

BookShelf | EJ Academy | EJ InSight | Voices of Environmental Justice |

Features | FEJ StoryLog | Freelance Files | Inside Story | SEJ News

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August 9, 2023

  • Months spent gathering thousands of documents and talking to local residents led reporter Dheeraj Mishra to uncover the negative environmental impacts of a major hydro project in a water-scarce region of India. And his resulting investigative reporting got him noticed in the 2022 Society of Environmental Journalists’ 2022 awards contest. Mishra shares his insights in the new Inside Story Q&A.

July 26, 2023

  • Journalists who lack a strong science background can find themselves in deep water when reporting environmental stories. How do you avoid over- or understating research findings? What’s the difference between observational and experimental studies? And what about those pesky percentages? Former Washington Post science reporter Rick Weiss and his SciLine colleagues have some answers.

  • In her early days, freelancer Gloria Dickie aimed high, pitching her dream publication first, as well as offering newsier stories and short features instead of long-form. The formula worked, leading to assignments, a book project and a prestigious staff job. Freelance Files Co-Editor Christine Woodside spoke with Dickie about the lessons of a life as an independent. Plus, a BookShelf review of “Eight Bears” by a fellow bear connoisseur.

  • While much attention is paid to hurricane flooding along the coasts, recent disasters in the Northeast United States brought home the dangers of flooding inland. The latest TipSheet has the basics, plus more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources for local journalists to prepare for coverage of inland floods.

  • A new book takes readers around the planet to better understand the world’s eight bear species and our relationships with them, including not just how we’ve popularized some but also the many ways we’ve mistreated or pushed others to the brink of extinction. In the new BookShelf, Frances Backhouse reviews Gloria Dickie’s just-published volume, “Eight Bears.” Plus, Freelance Files interviews Dickie.

July 12, 2023

  • The U.S. air quality alert scale is showing a lot of unhealthy colors this season, from oranges up to unhealthy reds and purples or worse, as smoke from wildfires in Canada periodically drifts across various U.S. regions. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores a key database and other resources to help journalists report on the spread of smoky air.

  • A recent gathering of Nobel laureates in Washington, D.C., including Filipina journalist Maria Ressa (pictured, left), highlighted the growing risks of disinformation — including on efforts to combat climate change — but also the rising sense of hope that comes from those who pledge to stand up to its challenge. This month’s WatchDog Opinion column shares a perspective from the event.

June 28, 2023

  • Veteran environmental justice reporter Yessenia Funes this week launches “Voices of Environmental Justice,” her new SEJournal column. Each quarterly commentary will focus on spotlighting the perspectives of affected communities that environmental and climate journalists often ignore. For her inaugural entry, with Pride month nearing its end, a look at how climate change and environmental pollution exacerbate the already elevated health risks of LGBTQIA+ people.

  • The harms of air pollutants created by wildfires are clear. What’s lost in the haze, though, is that wildfire smoke can carry those pollutants vast distances, threatening communities that are unfamiliar with the risks. The latest TipSheet explains the dangers and how far-flung wildfire smoke travels, then offers a dozen story ideas plus reporting resources.

  • SEJournal continues the expansion of its masthead this year with three new column co-editors. Photojournalists Andrew Cullen and Jonathan Hale will take on the editorship of EJ InSight, which focuses on visual journalism. Freelance writer Elyse Hauser will join the staff to co-edit the Freelance File column. Here’s more on them and other news from the SEJournal team.

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