Toolbox: Searching for Truth in the Age of Alternative Facts (SEJ Workshop, Dallas, Apr 2017)

Photo: Dale Willman

 

The Society of Environmental Journalists held a competitive application process for SEJ member journalists to attend an expenses-paid workshop, "Searching for Truth in the Age of Alternative Facts," to examine the changing landscape of environmental regulation in Dallas, Texas, April 20-23, 2017.

SEJers — 44 in all — 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 at the workshop, held alongside Earth Day Texas. Get the highlights in our report.

SEJ Resources

 

Deregulation Case Studies

“Get Wise on Water Rule” (printable version)

“Trump Review of Auto Emissions Standards Upsets Deal“ (printable version)

Workshopping the Beat

“How To File a FOIA Request” (printable version)

Whistleblowers

Leaker’s Guide, Part 1 (printable version)

Leaker’s Guide, Part 2 (printable version)

 

Regulations

 

“Regulatory Reform in the Trump Era” — a guide by the Environmental Law Institute

Administrative Procedure Act — used to remove recent regulations

The effect of the proposed Trump Administration budget, National Association of Clean Air Agencies

“The Congressional Review Act Assault on our Safeguards,” Center for Progressive Reform

“Rules at Risk (listing of CRA Resolutions),” Coalition for Sensible Safeguards

Legal Planet Resources Page

Legal Planet “2 for 1” order — Part 1 and Part 2

Overall theme of the information wars

Trump Rollback of Climate Policies Could be a Tough Slog

 

Media

 

“Trump’s Attacks on the Media,” Time, commentary

 

Story Framing

 

“The Media Bubble Is Worse Than You Think,” Politico

Tavis Smiley interview with George Lakoff

The importance of unconscious thought, with George Lakoff

Don’t Think of an Elephant

“Why Democracy Is Public: The American Dream Beats the Nightmare,” Lakoff/Smith

How to Help Trump: The Power of Repetition

A taxonomy of Trump Tweets

 

Legal

 

Legal Planet – environmental law blog from UC-Berkeley

History and Current Status of the EPA, Sean Hecht

 

Science

 

“Why March for Science?” George Lakoff

“Measuring Global Warming Costs,” Washington Post

 

Political

 

“Stopping Carbon Will Be Like Stopping Heroin Addiction,” CA Gov. Jerry Brown, Los Angeles Times

 

Forty-four journalists attended the Dallas workshop. Both photos are courtesy of Dale Willman.	Speaker George Lakoff is an author, linguist and cognitive scientist; Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics, and director of the Center for the Neural Mind and Society at UC Berkeley.