After 17 years of experiencing the immeasurable value of being a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists from the sidelines, I've decided it's time to give back to the organization that's been the one constant in my career as an environmental journalist. I've watched the organization grow both in numbers and in representation. I've eagerly signed up for as many annual conferences as I could swing as a freelance journalist. And more recently, I've been attending the SEJ-sponsored webinars, which have been invaluable as I find my bearings covering the western US.
Over those 17 years of membership, I've gone from being a Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at CU Boulder to reporting on environmental issues from more than two dozen countries, first as a Senior Reporter for the Marketplace Sustainability Desk and then as a freelancer filing for Marketplace, PRI's The World, The Nation magazine, PBS NewsHour and The Pulitzer Center (where I was a grantee). As a documentary filmmaker, I directed and produced short films for the United Nations, the Rockefeller Foundation and Acumen with screenings at Washington DC's Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital, DOC NYC, The World Economic Forum and the United Nations Secretariat. Recently I relocated from the northeast to Seattle (my hometown!) to start a new job as a Senior Video Journalist for the EW Scripps-owned news platform, Newsy, which is launching the first "over the air," 24-hour national news channel in October. In that new role, I will be shooting and reporting documentaries and enterprise stories about environmental issues and conflicts around the west and beyond.
I have always valued the SEJ community and have sought out other ways to take on leadership roles as an environmental journalist. Most recently I judged both the Overseas Press Club's Whitman Bassow Award for international environmental reporting as well as the Covering Climate Now awards. What I've learned from all these experiences is that none of this work is possible without collaboration, support from colleagues and taking the time to give back, especially when it comes to the next generation of environmental journalists. As an SEJ board member, I would work to continue the mission of bringing more international members into the community, broadening SEJ's mentorship and training programs, as well as exploring new avenues of funding for the Fund for Environmental Journalism. As a journalist who has worked in radio, print and television, mostly as a freelancer, I hope to broaden the reach of SEJ's membership in each of those mediums. I look forward to engaging in this process and to hopefully having the privilege of serving on the SEJ board.
Thank you for your considering me.
Sam Eaton
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