SEJournal Online

SEJournal is the weekly digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. SEJ members are automatically subscribed. Nonmembers may subscribe using the link below. Send questions, comments, story ideas, articles, news briefs and tips to Editor Adam Glenn at sejournaleditor@sej.org. Or contact Glenn if you're interested in joining the SEJournal volunteer editorial staff.

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Latest SEJournal Issues

September 29, 2021

Getting Glasgow — Covering the Climate Conference From Afar

A critically important global gathering to advance the Paris climate accords gets underway in Scotland next month. And the latest TipSheet offers an extensive walk-through on the UN meeting — basic terminology and negotiating aims, global politics, green climate funds and more — to help environmental journalists report on it with relevance, whether from there or home.
Two Communities, Two Hazards and the Two Award-Winners Reporting Them

Two outstanding features — one on air pollution from a local coke plant in Pennsylvania, another on deaths from a shellfish toxin in Alaska, and both focused on public health, neglected communities and environmental justice — are the subject of the new Inside Story Q&A. Society of Environmental Journalists’ award-winners Nancy Averett and Zoya Teirstein share their reporting insights and advice.

September 22, 2021

The 9/11 Legacy — Fear Drew Curtain Over Environmental Information

Twenty years after the attacks on 9/11, the war on terror has left many risks in the built environment under a cloak of secrecy. For WatchDog Opinion, keeping vital information about such preventable hazards under wraps from the public and journalists is not just wrong, but bad policy. Here’s why. Plus, a rundown for environment reporters of where exactly this secrecy reigns.
Early Toxics Release Inventory Data Can Yield Scoops

In a few weeks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will officially release the latest year’s Toxics Release Inventory. But as Reporter’s Toolbox explains, you can get ahead of the data — and possibly generate some scoops. That’s because EPA quietly releases incomplete preliminary data months earlier. Top tips on making sense of the early data, along with nine smart story leads.
Getting a Fix on Dictation, Transcription Tools, Techniques

Once it was mainly radio reporters who showed up with audio recording devices. But with smartphones now in virtually every pocket, many print journalists also record audio for increased accuracy and accountability. But there’s a problem — dreaded hours of transcribing. That doesn’t deter writer Steven B. Krivit, who has tips to make transcribing a breeze, in the latest Freelance Files.

September 15, 2021

Tracking the Big Climate Bills — An Infrastructure/Reconciliation Breakdown

During the next two weeks, expect a rush of Congressional activity as both chambers attempt to set details that will constitute what some see as possibly the most important climate legislation in years. TipSheet helps you keep track of the action, first setting the stage on two massive measures, and then providing resources to track more than half-a-dozen House committees.
Interactivity Advances Environmental Storytelling, Part I

Decades worth of technical advances, used creatively by journalists, have led to a world of “wow” storytelling, including on the environmental news front. In the new EJ Insight column, SEJournal’s own Joe Davis takes you on a walking tour of the world of interactive storytelling. Plus, an interview with Hannah Fairfield of The New York Times, a leader in the burgeoning field, and our own shortlist of outstanding projects to view.
Interactivity Advances Environmental Storytelling, Part III — Exemplary Examples

View our shortlist of outstanding interactive environmental journalism projects, in this three-part EJ Insight. Plus, in Part I, a walking tour of the world of interactive storytelling, and Part II, a Q&A with Hannah Fairfield, climate editor for The New York Times, and one of the leading practitioners of new interactive storytelling techniques.
“Saving America’s Amazon: The Threat to Our Nation’s Most Biodiverse River System”

A slender new volume makes a substantial case for recognizing (and better protecting) one of America’s most diverse ecosystems — Alabama’s Mobile River Basin. BookShelf Editor Tom Henry reviews Ben Raines’ text, full of fascinating info, images and insights, and which serves as a reminder that some of our nation’s most precious, yet little-noted environments, can be found nearest home.
Interactivity Advances Environmental Storytelling, Part II — Hannah Fairfield Q&A

Hannah Fairfield, climate editor for The New York Times, is one of the leading practitioners of new techniques of interactive storytelling on the environment. SEJournal interviews her for a three-part EJ Insight. Also see Part I, a walking tour of the world of interactive storytelling and Part III, a shortlist of outstanding projects.