The SEJ WatchDog Alert

The WatchDog Alert (formerly WatchDog TipSheet from 2008-2019) was a regular source of story ideas, articles, updates, events and other information with a focus on freedom-of-information issues of concern to environmental journalists in both the United States and Canada.

WatchDog was compiled, edited and written by Joseph A. Davis, who directs the WatchDog Project, an activity of SEJ's Freedom of Information Task Force that reports on secrecy trends and supports reporters' efforts to make better use of FOIA.

Topics on the Beat:

Journalism & Media

Public

Latest WatchDog Alert Items

November 3, 2010

MY-RTK Lets Users Probe Toxic Emissions from Their Smartphones

myRTK lets you thumb in an address or ZIP code and get back a map or list of Toxics Release Inventory facilities on your feature phone or smart phone.

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Got TMDLs? Sneak Peek of New Pollutant Loading Tool Could Raise Ruckus

EPA in-house tool may be released to public within months. It will give reporters themselves the ability to estimate the cumulative impacts of pollution on water bodies.

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October 20, 2010

Spill Commission: Obama Admin Blocked Release of Oil Flow Data

"The White House blocked efforts by federal scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could have been, according to a panel appointed by President Barack Obama to investigate the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history."

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MSHA Watchdog Journalist Gets FOIA Records After 7 Years

Is the federal government covering up mine disasters? The Mine Safety and Health Administration was certainly not going out of its way to dispel that impression when it waited seven years to produce records sought by Ellen Smith, editor of Mine Safety and Health News.

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Report: Despite Promises, Obama Hasn't Improved Open-Info Much

As soon as he arrived in office, President Obama promised to bring an unprecedented openness to the federal government. A mid-term report by a watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, concludes that Obama's promise has yet to be met.

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Congress Too Busy Electioneering To Make Mandated Reports Public

It's hard to believe that some of the reports Congress demands of federal agencies are not available to the public. But it's true — not because the reports are classified but because neither the agencies nor Congress bothers to publish them.

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Toolbox: Following the Secret Money Can Be a Hard Job. Here's Help

The new buzzword is "dark money." Since the US Supreme Court's decision to override Congress and allow unlimited secret cash from corporations (even from foreign governments) to influence US elections, following the money has gotten hard.

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Feds: People Can Take Photos Outside Court Houses

Photojournalists doing environmental stories have been harassed and blocked by federal police for a decade or more when they try to take pictures of federal facilities from public spaces. Now, under a court settlement, the federal government is publicly acknowledging that it is acting illegally when it does this.

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October 6, 2010

Toolbox: Pipeline Maps Offer Starting Point for Local Stories

The National Pipeline Mapping System, while missing many key pipelines, does show pipeline proximity to densely populated areas, where the greatest threat to life exists.

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Taxpayer-Funded Research Remains Available — for Now

SEJ was one of the groups that opposed HR 801, a bill by House Judiciary Chairman John H. Conyers which would allow private journal publishers to copyright scientific articles based on federally funded research.

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The SEJ WatchDog Alert

Latest WatchDog Alert Items

November 3, 2010

MY-RTK Lets Users Probe Toxic Emissions from Their Smartphones

Got TMDLs? Sneak Peek of New Pollutant Loading Tool Could Raise Ruckus

October 20, 2010

Spill Commission: Obama Admin Blocked Release of Oil Flow Data

MSHA Watchdog Journalist Gets FOIA Records After 7 Years

Report: Despite Promises, Obama Hasn't Improved Open-Info Much

Congress Too Busy Electioneering To Make Mandated Reports Public

Toolbox: Following the Secret Money Can Be a Hard Job. Here's Help

Feds: People Can Take Photos Outside Court Houses

October 6, 2010

Toolbox: Pipeline Maps Offer Starting Point for Local Stories

Taxpayer-Funded Research Remains Available — for Now

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