Celebrate with SEJ!

"I continue to be in the trenches of environmental journalism. And SEJ and its awesome members save my bacon all the time. There is such a wealth of expertise among its members, and those members are generous with their knowledge. It's a community."

– James Bruggers, reporter, The
Courier-Journal, and past SEJ
president, Louisville, KY

"When we created this thing called the Society of Environmental Journalists 25 years ago, I don't think any of us envisioned an organization that would last a quarter of a century. But it is so amazing to see SEJ alive, well and relevant after all these years. Really makes me proud to have been a part of it."

– Rae Tyson, freelance journalist and
SEJ founding vice president,
Georgetown, DE

"What I love — and have always loved — about SEJ is that it is a big, extended, loving community. When the co-founders thought about organizing a group of environmental journalists in 1989 we wanted to create a community to support all of the committed people who care so deeply about the Earth and its inhabitants that they are compelled to write about and document threats to the planet. SEJ has far surpassed our initial goal of linking together journalists who often work in isolation. Thanks go to the dedicated and talented staff, hard-working board members and an incredible number of committed volunteers over 25 years. Let's lovingly celebrate a quarter century of SEJ — and keep it going for many, many more years to come!"

– Jim Detjen, Knight Professor of
Environmental Journalism Emeritus,
Michigan State University, and
SEJ founding president,
Okemos, MI

"SEJ is the newsroom for those of us who no longer work in newsrooms. SEJ-talk is where the veterans help the rookies, heckle each other, trade tips, & share info over coffee between deadlines. It's where a Pulitzer Prize winner like Mark Schleifstein (and runners-up like Seth Borenstein) set positive examples, members comfort each other through round after round of downsizing, & old farts like me & Roger Witherspoon pontificate from the doorways of the blogosphere, which used to be the doorways of columnists' offices. It's where Mark Twain & Ambrose Bierce would feel comfortable, long after everything else they were familiar with in 19th century hot-lead journalism disappeared, & where they would learn how to do their jobs in the all-electronic era."

– Merritt Clifton, editor,
Animals 24/7, Greenbank, WA

"The Society of Environmental is an oasis in the news desert. It fosters good and critical writing about important issues that others don't want to see or hear. It is substance over style, science over sizzle. Yet, what I love is the sense of camaraderie. In an ultra-competitive field, SEJ members do try to beat each other on a story, but even more often they help each other. They commiserate. They work together to overcome bureaucratic obstacles. They brainstorm together. When I was younger I didn't talk to my competition. Now, I can't imagine not sharing or helping. In short it's a family."

– Seth Borenstein, science writer,
Associated Press, Washington, D.C.

"SEJ was founded by visionaries, is staffed by magicians with rolled-up sleeves, and is populated by journalists, teachers and students who have heart and soul and who care about reporting stories important to their neighbors and the planet. It is a beacon that, for 25 years, has illuminated and strengthened this tribe of friends and still shows us, reminds us, that we are not alone."

– Don Hopey, environment reporter,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and
past SEJ president, Pittsburgh, PA

"SEJ is a fellowship in the best sense of the word. It provides technical advice, moral support and educational opportunities. It constantly reminds me why our work is so important and helps me to do it better."

– Sara Shipley Hiles, assistant professor, Missouri School of Journalism, and
freelance journalist, Columbia, MO

"I would love to hear from a statistician on what the odds are that an extremely unstable news media that largely neglects the sector responsible for covering an extremely insecure beat on an extremely dynamic and hard-to-understand planet could foster such a durable, effective and competent organization. I guess we're tougher than people think, and maybe even smarter and saner, too."

– Peter Dykstra, publisher,
Environmental Health News,
Conyers, GA

"SEJ is an incomparable collection of reporters and editors and authors and students and professors and photographers and so many others who enrich reporting about this planet we share. And who help keep our fellow citizens informed. It's a virtual newsroom crucial to maintaining in-depth reporting. I can't imagine doing journalism without SEJ."

– Robert McClure, executive director,
InvestigateWest, Seattle, WA

"SEJ conferences are amazing. I attended my first one in Chattanooga but missed last year's get together. Looking to attend again this year in Oklahoma. I am retired so I also have other interests and write only part-time. Still, I continue to be on the lookout for occasional environmental stories to tell. As an SEJ member for the two past years, I have followed SEJ-TALK and gained so much good information and shared resources from other members. It's a dynamic organization of fine Journalists."

– Hyrum H. Huskey Jr., freelance writer and
environmental journalist, Las Vegas, NV

"A deep well of knowledge, a willingness to help, wisdom and friendship with fellow travelers."

– Kathie Florsheim,
independent professional photographer,
Providence, RI

"Being a member of the SEJ community, especially through the forums, is like attending a year-round meet-up on a wide variety of subjects. From the beginning of my membership, I've always felt welcome, and the constant stream of help, even when I'm only eavesdropping on other conversations, has informed my writing in my area of growing expertise."

– John Messeder, freelance journalist,
Gettysburg, PA

"SEJ has given me a panoramic vision to the world I never knew I would get as a schmoe in Toledo. My career grew up with SEJ. I've been in journalism almost 34 years now, but I created The Blade's environment beat from scratch in 1993, joined SEJ in 1994, and am happily still clawing away as one of the longest continuous (for the most part) environmental-energy writers in one of the most important parts of the world, the Great Lakes region. SEJ inspires me, but also humbles me. It connects me to other ecosystems and other issues. I'm still fighting the good fight, largely because of SEJ and how the people most consistently involved with the group have made me aspire to bigger and better stories. Like Jim Bruggers, I'm still in the trenches of environmental journalism. Realistically, that's more random chance than talent. But SEJ's made an undeniable impact on American journalism and that of northwest Ohio, helping me do a better job of explaining one of Earth's most complex and fascinating freshwater resources. SEJ has helped me show editors why the environmental-energy beat matters, how it transcends almost every other facet of life and why it would be irresponsible to ever walk away from it. SEJ has every reason in the world to be proud of itself in this, its Silver Anniversary. It's like the late Kevin Carmody once told me: 'Don't you get it? We're giving readers something they wouldn't normally expect from papers our size.' That's because of SEJ - not just for its networking, its resources, or its contacts. But for the whole package. SEJ helps me see the big picture and be a better person, as well as a better journalist. I'm haunted by the words I once got from the father of an autistic boy who was convinced something in the environment played a role in his son's condition: 'You don't get it,' he sobbed. 'You're my hero.' I also remember the words of encouragement and pats on the back I got from SEJ's environmental legends, such as Phil Shabecoff, Rae Tyson, and Jim Detjen. I remember these words from Robert Redford at the 1994 conference in Utah: 'If you're not going to do it, then who is?' Because of SEJ, hundreds — maybe thousands — of journalists have become more passionate about their work and more passionate about their storytelling. They've held public officials more accountable and done more to promote democracy than a lot of other people. Because of SEJ, we haven't passed the duty of great journalism off to other people."

– Thomas B. Henry, staff writer,
The Toledo Blade,
Maumee, OH