Publication Items

In this issue: Remembering Bill Freudenburg; SEJ's Fund for Environmental Journalism grows;  move from daily newspaper job rewards science writer and book author; environment in dramas at Sundance Film Festival; essential reading list for climate change reporters; how to stop procrastinating; students produce impressive series on climate change threats to national security.    

The draft policy, released recently by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), barely addresses media access. It leaves this to the purview of the Commerce Department Public Communications Policy — which has not changed since the last year of the Bush administration.

AP reported President Barack Obama received an award "for making the government more open and transparent — presented to him behind closed doors with no news coverage or public access allowed." The event offered evidence that Obama's minders may be the worst enemies of his presidency — and that the PR pros are badly fumbling the PR ball.

The Freedom-of-Information establishment annually tries to remind the citizens and journalists of our democracy that this form of government must have a free press and lots of information to be healthy. This year was no exception. They celebrated "Sunshine Week," advancing freedom-of-information on many fronts.