My name is Aarón Miguel Cantú and I’m running to serve on SEJ’s board of directors.
There are two main reasons I’ve decided to run. First, I’ve been fortunate in my career and want to extend opportunities to journalists, especially freelancers, who are underrepresented in environmental journalism. Second, I want to update how our profession engages with the climate crisis, the increasingly urgent and unavoidable issue of our time.
Thanks to a fellowship, this past year I had the chance to attend several conferences, including SEJ. One of my goals on the board will be to fundraise for and organize more of these programs, especially for working class, non-white, non-male and LGBTQ+ journalists. In addition, I believe professional organizations should be inclusive of people with different abilities and vulnerabilities, including to COVID, and I’ll be an advocate for an SEJ where everybody feels welcome and safe.
I’ve personally experienced how difficult it can be for underrepresented journalists to stay in this field, especially as a freelancer. As our industry continues to endure layoffs, closures and hedge fund takeovers, freelancing is a reality for more journalists. To that end, I will work to tailor SEJ’s programming and resources to account for the realities of journalism today. This could include workshops on pitching, ongoing discussions for how to negotiate rates, worker organizing events among freelancers, safety practices in the face of online and physical abuse and more.
Finally, as a board member, I will reject solicitations from the fossil fuel industry to present at SEJ’s conference, because I recognize that this is part of a deceptive playbook. And I’ll push to begin tracking SEJ’s greenhouse gas emissions and seek innovative ways to reduce them—such as expanding remote panels and conference participation—while maintaining the organization's vibrant sense of connectedness. In my view, SEJ should serve as a model for other professional associations that are at a crossroads for how to navigate the climate crisis.
A little about me: Since 2021 I’ve been an investigative reporter with Capital & Main, where I cover the influence of the oil and gas industry on California’s climate policy. My stories have exposed the fossil fuel industry’s machinations, inspired legislation and resignations, and earned multiple awards. In the past, in addition to climate, I covered immigration and federal criminal justice as a Type Investigations fellow, reported on local issues for an alt-weekly in New Mexico, did communications work for a bail fund and even taught English Language Arts to 6th graders. These experiences have helped me adapt, change and grow in different ways over the years and they’ve equipped me with the skills to steer SEJ in new directions.
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