Publication Items

Using Social Media for Storytelling

Find ways to enhance your digital storytelling with the first in a series of Reporter's Toolbox columns that look at the new generation of quick-to-learn, easy-to-use techniques. This week, we look at powerful (and free) tools found on some of the biggest social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media
Region:
National (U.S.)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Using Social Media for Storytelling
Feds Scrub Climate Info; plus Libel Suit, Spill Catcher, Surveillance & Water Data

As some warned, federal environmental agencies have begun to purge web info on topics like climate change. WatchDog TipSheet has that story, plus items about an unusual libel lawsuit, a news outfit using satellite for groundtruthing, a new source of online water data, how journalists can protect against surveillance and more.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change
Disasters
Energy & Fuel
Environmental Politics
Government
Journalism & Media
Laws & Regulations
Water & Oceans
Region:
National (U.S.)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Feds Scrub Climate Info; plus Libel Suit, Spill Catcher, Surveillance & Water Data
Get Ready for Hurricanes

The 2017 hurricane season officially begins this week and experts say it may be worse than usual. So the latest TipSheet has sources and tools to help you prepare for your hurricane coverage. Understand the importance of landfall and storm path, find out about this year's big wild card, and get tips for staying safe.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change
Disasters
Journalism & Media
Region:
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV)
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT)
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Get Ready for Hurricanes
Lead in Drinking Water Remains Widespread Problem

More stories about lead contamination of drinking water are unfolding around the country, even as the Flint disaster lingers. A new Issue Backgrounder details how lead gets into drinking water, how it leads to health problems among the most prevalent in the United States, and what solutions might address the crisis.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals
Health
Laws & Regulations
People & Population
Region:
National (U.S.)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Lead in Drinking Water Remains Widespread Problem
Are You Ready for Flood Season?

Flooding is no longer just a local disaster story. As the phenomenon worsens and spreads, it simultaneously raises issues like development, insurance, stormwater management and climate change. The latest TipSheet runs down longer-term angles of flooding, and offers sources and tools to better cover your own flood stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters
Journalism & Media
Water & Oceans
Region:
National (U.S.)
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT)
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)
South America
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Are You Ready for Flood Season?
Working with Leaks and Whistleblowers, Part Two

In the second of a two-part WatchDog TipSheet on the relationship between journalists and whistleblowers, we take a closer look at how to apply basic security measures, the importance of obtaining documents and understanding the legal status of leaked information. And in case you missed it, Part One of the series.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Activism
Environmental Politics
Government
Journalism & Media
Laws & Regulations
Region:
National (U.S.)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Working with Leaks and Whistleblowers, Part Two
Connecting Superfund to Environmental Justice Stories

Concerns about the greater impact of pollution on poor people and ethnic minorities are not new. But now, environmental reporters have more tools than ever for finding and telling these stories. The latest TipSheet spotlights a useful EPA app and numerous other sources to track this ongoing story.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Activism
Environmental Politics
Health
People & Population
Waste
Region:
National (U.S.)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Connecting Superfund to Environmental Justice Stories
Working with Leaks and Whistleblowers, Part One

In the first of a two-part WatchDog TipSheet, we explore the relationship between journalist and anonymous leaker. How to find whistleblowers, build their trust and establish groundrules that work for you. Also, when not to rely on anonymous leaks. Next week: Security, documentation and the law around leaks.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media
Region:
National (U.S.)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Working with Leaks and Whistleblowers, Part One
Wildfire Season Comes Earlier, Bringing Broader Stories

Fire season is back, if it ever went away. And it's no longer a natural disaster story limited in geographic scope. Now it's a nationwide U.S. story touching on climate, money, politics, zoning, pollution and more. The latest Tipsheet runs down key information sources, plus what make a good peg for your local wildfire reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change
Disasters
Forests
Region:
National (U.S.)
California
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY)
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN)
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX)
Canada
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Wildfire Season Comes Earlier, Bringing Broader Stories
Reporters Look Under Regulatory Hood at Dallas Workshop

SEJers heard from top experts in environmental law and the science of communicating to news consumers, as well as receiving training in FOIA, databases and key digital storytelling tools at a four-day workshop in Dallas, held alongside Earth Day Texas. Get the highlights in our report from the late April gathering.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change
Environmental Politics
Government
Journalism & Media
Laws & Regulations
Region:
National (U.S.)
Visibility:
Public
- Read more about Reporters Look Under Regulatory Hood at Dallas Workshop