Reporting Tools

Leaking is back. Today, all the best stories are based on leaks. Journalists are discovering that if the EPA press office puts out a story, it probably isn't news and may not even be true.

For some while it's been pretty clear that reporters have only slim chances of getting useful help from the US EPA press office — or the equivalent at many (not all) other agencies. If you expect nothing from the press office, you will rarely be disappointed. But don't be afraid of them; that's what they want. Here are some pro tips to aid your reporting.

Here is a list of resources mentioned in the Oct. 6, 2017, concurrent session on "Working Around PIOs Who Don’t Live Up to Their Titles" at the SEJ Annual Conference in Pittsburgh.

SEJ brought 44 member journalists to Dallas, Texas, April 20-23, 2017 for an expenses-paid workshop to examine the changing landscape of environmental regulation. Attendees 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. Here are resources and tools from the workshop to aid you in your reporting. Photo: UC Berkeley prof/linguist George Lakoff; courtesy of Dale Willman.

Here you'll find essential resources for disaster reporting, originally prepared for the SEJ workshop, "Disasters and Extreme Weather: Gathering the News, Keeping Safe," September 3, 2014, in New Orleans. Updated August 25, 2017.

Video coverage is available for the SEJ-hosted SRI on Shale Gas and Oil Development in Pittsburgh, PA., which helped journalists understand the legal, scientific, health and economic issues surrounding shale gas and oil development, and give them the context needed so that they can better inform their communities about these important topics.

SEJ hosted two sessions at Investigative Reporters and Editors’ June 26-29, 2014 conference in San Francisco – one on the western drought and another on the oceans.

SEJ hosted two sessions at Investigative Reporters and Editors' June 26-29, 2014 conference in San Francisco – one on the oceans and another on the western drought. See the panelists and download the tipsheets.

Water control structures — dams, locks, weirs, reservoirs, impoundments, and levees — are a gold mine of environmental stories. They affect not only the quality of life in human communities, but also the integrity of ecosystems. There are a variety of databases and data resources that can help reporters get a better grip on the many stories that center on dams and levees.

This live online reference service allows you to chat with a librarian any time of day or night. You are provided with a transcript and outgoing links, as well as follow up, referral, and one-stop reporting tools for all types of reference services.