In advance of Earth Day, the Walton Family Foundation today announced a new initiative aimed at strengthening the field of environmental journalism. #HeresWhy seeks to explore the challenges facing environmental journalism, expand the audience for environmental news, and determine what role philanthropy can play in bolstering the field.
Category: Journalism
Forbes launches new sustainability channel and bolsters commitment to environmental journalism
Read the full story from Forbes.
Forbes, the world’s biggest business media brand, today announced the launch of a new editorial channel, Forbes Sustainability, dedicated to covering the most pressing issues related to climate change and sustainability.
Society of Environmental Journalists now accepting proposals for story grants of up to $5,000
The Society of Environmental Journalists is now accepting proposals for story grants of up to $5,000 on two topics:
- Environment-climate-religion connections, including underrepresented religions. Register for the related #SEJ2021 Webinar here.
- Environmental health and justice in the United States, including chemical/toxic exposure and pollution. Register for the related #SEJ2021 Webinar here.
Story projects that reflect diverse and inclusive perspectives (including, but not limited to, gender, racial, ethnic, religious, and economic diversity) and that reach local audiences are particularly encouraged.
The application portal is open now and proposals will be accepted until June 15, 2021. Proposals must include a brief narrative, dissemination plan, impact measurement plan, resume/CV, letter of support from editor(s), and budget (with a maximum stipend of $2000 per person).
COVID-19 Changes: To address the current crisis, SEJ’s Fund for Environmental Journalism has made some changes:
- Stipends: Freelance journalists and directly employed staff at 501c3 news outlets can apply for stipends of up to $2000 per individual. Proposals that support multiple journalists are encouraged.
- Travel: Any proposals that include travel funding must include an explanation of how the applicant will both (1) comply with current government travel restrictions and public health best practices and (2) ensure that the project can be completed within one year of grant award. Projects that are dependent on travel across national borders are discouraged, and will require additional justification or explanation.
Entry fees are waived for members of SEJ, members of the Religion News Association, and members of diversity journalism associations (e.g., NAHJ, NABJ, NAJA, AAJA, SAJA, NLGJA, and the Uproot Project). Non-members may apply with $40 fee. All applicants must meet SEJ’s membership eligibility requirements. Please review the complete guidelines before applying.
#SEJ2021 Webinar – The U.S. Climate Summit: What Comes Next?
Apr 26, 2021, noon CDT
Register here.
With this week’s U.S. Climate Summit, the Biden Administration is seeking to retake the reins on global climate change leadership by setting a new carbon emissions reduction target. But will this leadership translate into environmental policy changes that protect people, including marginalized communities at home and abroad?
Join the Society of Environmental Journalists on Monday for an overview of the flurry of federal climate change activity since Biden took office and hear from leaders in business, environmental justice, and the climate youth movement on what comes next.
How well does the media cover the climate movement?
Read the full story in the Columbia Journalism Review.
For some journalists, covering activism presents an uncomfortable dilemma. Too much coverage might come across as cheerleading or make journalists look like they are activists themselves, contradicting institutional notions of neutrality. A reporter’s job is to cover the news, the argument goes, not boost one side or the other.
Fair enough. But activists are newsmakers—just like the politicians, scientists, and corporate officials we cover all the time.
A group of climate journalists are launching The Uproot Project to support environmental journalists of color
Read the full story from NiemanLab.
“Those of us who cover the environment know that there are very many of us who are Black or Indigenous, or people of color, but the folks who get the byline at the big magazines, who get the cover stories on climate change are often white older dudes.”
2021 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment
SEJournal looks ahead to key issues in the coming year with this 2021 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment special report. The report will be formally launched Jan. 27, 2021 at an annual roundtable organized by the Society of Environmental Journalists, hosted virtually by National Geographic Society, and co-sponsored by the Wilson Center. Check out the guide’s various Backgrounders, TipSheets and WatchDog reports, and watch for updates to come, including additional reports, an overview analysis and live event coverage.
Winners: SEJ 19th Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment
The Society of Environmental Journalists is pleased to announce the winners of the SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment, which honor the best articles, radio broadcasts and videos released from March 1, 2019, through February 29, 2020, and the best books on environmental topics published in 2019.
The SEJ contest is the world’s largest and most comprehensive environmental journalism competition. The number of entries in the 2020 contest peaked at 499, another all-time high for the contest. Entries were judged by independent panels of journalists and professors.
Winners were honored at the #SEJ2020 Virtual Conference on Sept. 16, 23 and 30, including the live announcement of the winner of the Nina Mason Pulliam Award and $10,000 cash prize, selected from the first-place winners in all categories.
SEJ’s 2020 Awards for Reporting on the Environment are…
- Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Beat Reporting (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Beat Reporting (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Explanatory Reporting (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Explanatory Reporting (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Feature Story (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Feature Story (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Student Reporting
- Rachel Carson Environment Book Award
Winners: SEJ 19th Annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment
The Society of Environmental Journalists is pleased to announce the winners of the SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment, which honor the best articles, radio broadcasts and videos released from March 1, 2019, through February 29, 2020, and the best books on environmental topics published in 2019.
Click on the links below to learn more about the winners.
- Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Beat Reporting (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Beat Reporting (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Explanatory Reporting (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Explanatory Reporting (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Feature Story (Large Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Feature Story (Small Newsroom or Circulation)
- Outstanding Student Reporting
- Rachel Carson Environment Book Award
National Association of Science Writers announces new Diversity Reporting Grants
Application deadline: August 15, 2020, 11:59 pm Eastern Time
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives and represents hardships for many of us. This can be especially true for freelance writers, who may be finding it particularly difficult to secure work in these challenging economic times. In light of the NASW Diversity Committee’s aim to support the science writing community, we are launching a set of Diversity Reporting Grants. This program will support five reporting grants of $1,000 each.
We are seeking to fund strong, high-impact story proposals, involving one or more freelancers, that will focus on how a science or health-related issue is affecting marginalized communities. Proposed projects can include COVID-19 stories, but the grants won’t be limited to pandemic-related coverage. This opportunity is open to all freelance science writers pitching to publications or radio or broadcast outlets based in the U.S.
Funds can be used to support travel, reporting costs, and/or the recipient’s time. Applicants will need to demonstrate that there is interest from at least one publication, broadly defined, in commissioning their piece. We ask that selected recipients note in the piece if possible, or in their portfolio, that it was supported, in whole or part, by an NASW Diversity Reporting Grant.
