Government

June 29, 2020

DEADLINE: NPF's Tracking Coronavirus Relief Funds: How to Follow the Taxpayers' Money

National Press Foundation will offer a free online training program for 25 journalists to help them track how federal pandemic assistance funds are being used. The training will be held for two hours per day from July 13-17 (10 hours total). Fellows will be offered subsequent confidential follow-up sessions with experts and data analysts to help them bring their stories to successful publication.

Visibility: 

"'Gutted' Interior Agency Moves Out West With Top Posts Unfilled"

"The Interior Department is struggling to fill top positions at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) despite assurances from officials that the agency's relocation from Washington to Colorado is helping recruit top talent, according to an analysis by The Hill."

Source: The Hill, 06/03/2020

Letter From DC: Journalists Standing Together

Society of Environmental Journalists' Executive Director Meaghan Parker offers reassurance to members on SEJ's stability in a time of turmoil, while stressing the importance of ongoing initiatives to support a free press, as well as journalists and communities of color. See also:

Visibility: 

Hurricane Season Collides With Coronavirus, as Communities Plan

"Robin Rokobauer doesn't like to chance it. When there's a hurricane, she almost always evacuates. Rokobauer lives in Cocoa Beach, on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and 153-mile-long Indian River Lagoon. Her mother is 93."

Source: InsideClimate News, 06/02/2020

Using Data Sources To Track Climate-Driven Mayhem at Superfund Sites

Hazardous waste and floodwaters don’t typically mix well together. So when a Michigan dam recently burst, and flooded not just the local community, but also threatened a nearby Superfund site, it prompted Reporter’s Toolbox to look at how environmental journalists could track similar threats in their areas, especially as climate change raises the risks of similar disasters.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Visibility: 

"Senior Interior Official Broke Ethics Rules a 2nd Time, Watchdog Says"

"A senior Department of Interior official violated federal ethics rules by using his position to try to get a family member a job at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department’s internal watchdog said in a report published Friday."

Source: NYTimes, 06/01/2020

SEJ Speaks Out Against Police Assaults on Journalists

There have been multiple incidents over the last few days of police spraying tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets at journalists covering demonstrations and unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minneapolis last week. These assaults represent an attack on the freedoms to which all Americans are entitled under the U.S. Constitution. SEJ calls on all law enforcement officers and agencies to respect journalists’ First Amendment right to cover the demonstrations as well as police conduct. The people have a right to know, more than ever before, during this critical time.

Visibility: 

"Virus Crisis Exposes Cascading Weaknesses in U.S. Disaster Response"

"For decades, the backbone of the nation’s disaster response system — and a hallmark of American generosity — has been its army of volunteers who race toward danger to help shelter, feed and counsel victims of hurricanes, wildfires and other calamities. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has exposed a critical weakness in this system."

Source: NYTimes, 05/26/2020

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Government