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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.

TipSheet | Reporter's Toolbox | Backgrounders | WatchDog |

BookShelf | EJ Academy | EJ InSight | Voices of Environmental Justice |

Features | FEJ StoryLog | Freelance Files | Inside Story | SEJ News

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April 19, 2023

  • The debate over drilling on public lands goes back decades. But now our view of how — or even whether — to use public lands faces the unprecedented reality of climate change, fire, drought, floods and the transition to clean energy. The latest Backgrounder explains how we got here and where the current battles rage, including over the Alaskan North Slope’s massive Willow Project.

  • Most environmental journalists are familiar with the Toxics Release Inventory as a data reporting tool. But there’s another potentially useful chemical reporting database, this one focused on the highest-volume chemicals. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores the Chemical Data Reporting National Review, reports on how its data is gathered and shares its strengths — and some weaknesses.

  • Veteran environmental justice reporter and co-founder of The Uproot Project Yessenia Funes has signed on with SEJournal to inaugurate the publication’s new environmental justice column. Funes joins the masthead this spring and expects to publish her first quarterly column this summer. Also, SEJournal has brought on a group of new editors to bolster its Inside Story, FEJ StoryLog, Features and other sections. See who our new volunteers are.

April 12, 2023

  • As fishing season begins in many parts of the United States, climate change and pollution can make the sport a, well, can of worms. For the latest TipSheet, though, that means insights and stories for environmental journalists. A thumbnail on key issues, with story ideas and reporting resources. Plus, for those going to #SEJ2023 Boise, famed fishing spots.

  • The push to replace gas-guzzling vehicles with electric-powered alternatives is hitting significant speed bumps. The existing supply of lithium for batteries can’t keep up with demand, and new mining proposals often face opposition from area residents worried about local impacts. Radio reporter David Boraks has been covering one such conflict in North Carolina. He shares his insights and reporting tips.

  • For BookShelf Editor Tom Henry, historian Douglas Brinkley's latest volume is a remarkable opportunity for anyone seeking an in-depth understanding of the “Great Environmental Awakening” and the myriad personalities that helped drive it. And not just the names you’d expect, but unlikely ones such as convicted Watergate figure John Ehrlichman, MLK Jr. widow Coretta Scott King and UAW President Walter Reuther. Discover what other lessons abound in this “utterly brilliant” new book.

April 5, 2023

  • When it comes to a core data set that just keeps giving for environmental journalists, Reporter’s Toolbox points you to the Toxics Release Inventory. A new year of data has just been released, with much insight to be extracted. And the TRI now also includes PFAS chemicals for the first time. Here’s how to use it for your local stories.

  • If the government is already struggling to protect iconic creatures like the endangered red wolf from extinction in the wild, how will it manage with other threatened species? That concern is at the core of an Inside Story Q&A with journalist Jimmy Tobias, whose award-winning feature turned stacks of dry documents into the story of one wolf’s death and helped turn things around. Watch a brief video summary from Tobias of what drove the collapse of the reintroduction program.

  • For journalists of all stripes, the central pillar of libel law protecting them from damaging defamation suits is Times v. Sullivan. And while at least a couple of Supreme Court justices have indicated an openness to reevaluating the decades-old decision, WatchDog Opinion warns that the real risk to defamation protections may come in the form of legislation, such as from states like Florida.

March 29, 2023

  • With the federal government now requiring that states pay closer attention to cybersecurity risks in their regular audits of public drinking water systems, environmental journalists should be doing the same, suggests the latest TipSheet. Here’s how to gauge the cyber risk and to understand the current safe drinking water regulatory regime, plus story ideas and resources to bolster your local reporting.

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