Having been a (very proud) co-host of our most recent conference in Philadelphia, I was given the opportunity of discovering the "bones" of SEJ. My conclusion is they are STRONG!!
I want to use this knowledge gained — and trust given — to put my shoulder to the wheel and work to make SEJ stronger still.
As most of you know, this was Jay Letto's last conference as a full-time staffer, though he's likely to be a stalwart for many more years. I was lucky to see what Jay calls the "SEJ magic" in action: How this diverse group of busy professionals lend their expertise, time and smarts to address, year after year, a gob-smacking potpourri of issues that we face as environmental journalists.
I was fortunate to be around our new executive director, Aparna Mukherjee, who is shaping up to be a wonderful inheritor of all the great work accomplished by Meaghan Parker. The staff carries us, year-in and year-out, with smarts and vigor but the responsibility for SEJ's sustainability lies with us.
In an era when fewer and fewer environmental journalists have full-time reporting jobs and even if they do, cash-strapped newsrooms are reluctant to spend money on memberships and conferences, we need to find ways to support them becoming part of that "SEJ magic."
We need to find ways to encourage young journalists to enter this demanding but vital field to continue the work that SEJ has long championed of inclusion — seeking diverse voices that will make our work meaningful to audiences eager to be informed about news that matters to them.
Bear in mind that as climate change becomes a local issue, worldwide, many reporters with limited backgrounds in environmental reporting will need our support. How do we ensure they have the know-how to report on flooding? On agriculture? On “green” energy?
Perhaps one of our paths forward is to strengthen our relationships with other journalism organizations, like the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, as well as the Institute for Nonprofit News and Local Independent Online News.
I have been a "victim" of downsizing. I was once a managing editor of the Times Herald-Record, a 90K+ newspaper in the Hudson Valley in New York. At one time the newsroom boasted 135+ FTEs. Now, it's down to seven.
I spent a while teaching college classes but felt I needed to be in the fight, so nine years ago I founded Delaware Currents — www.delawarecurrents.org — an online news magazine focusing on the 330-mile Delaware River and its four-state watershed.
It was my first foray into environmental journalism. At that time, I didn't know SEJ existed. I became aware of its trove of resources, became a member and have attended several conferences.
But it was being at the center of the intellectual storm that creates our conferences that I really appreciated what SEJ is and how that "storm" strengthens us all.
I'd appreciate your vote so I can help with this great good work.
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