Author Archives: Barb Miller

Knight Center grant supports invasive plants coverage

A Knight Center grant supporting coverage of environmental problems on the campus of an Ann Arbor high school has prodcued a new in-depth article on invasive plants.

Dominic Marroni, a student at Skyline High School, wrote the story, “Invasives and Oak Wilt Threaten Skyline Natural Areas, Adjacent Neighborhoods.”

Phragmities in between the baseball field and the tennis courts at Skyline High School in Ann Abror. Credit: Dominic Marroni.

Skyline’s reporting project received financial support from a Knight Center program that encourages collaboration between journalism and environmental science courses in high schools across Michigan.

WILDLIFE OBSERVATION

Research highlights role of wildlife observations in encouraging wildlife-friendly gardening

This is the 5th in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

By Iasmim Amiden dos Santos

Research presented at the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference in Chicago highlighted the role residential yards can play in supporting wildlife and explored what scientists know — and still do not know — about the factors that influence wildlife-friendly gardening.

“The future of biodiversity can start when we just notice a bird in our yard,” Emily Minor, a professor and director of graduate studies in biological sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), said at the beginning of her presentation, “The Extinction of Experience.”

Emily Minor speaks at the SEJ annual conference in Chicago. Credit: Giacomo Cain

Minor presented research conducted with her advisee, Nikolas Ballut, a graduate student in biological sciences, and Andrés M. Urcuqui-Bustamante, an assistant professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Policy at the university.

Their study reviewed existing scientific literature on wildlife gardening, a term used to describe landscaping practices intended to support wildlife in residential spaces. These practices include planting native vegetation, providing food and habitat resources, and managing yards in ways that benefit birds, pollinators and other species.

Residential yards and gardens provide a variety of benefits for people, including access to nature, green infrastructure and improved well-being. At the same time, they can provide important resources for wildlife, particularly in urban areas where natural habitat is limited.

According to their research, previous studies have shown that people manage their yards in different ways to attract or discourage wildlife. Studies have also suggested that seeing wildlife can influence how people think about nature and conservation. Continue reading →

INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS

Journalists need to know, use, Freedom of Information laws and other investigative tools

This is the 4th in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

By Victoria Witke

All journalists, regardless of the size or power of their outlet, should be building investigative techniques and culture into everything they produce. That’s an attainable goal and essential in improving news credibility and readership, Adam Rhodes said during the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 35th annual conference in Chicago.

Rhodes is an investigative journalist covering queer people in the legal system. Rhodes also doubles as the editor and training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors.

During the conference, Rhodes led a learning session titled “How to Be an Everyday Investigative Watchdog,” an hour-long crash course on incorporating investigative work into daily newsgathering to create beefier stories. The room was packed with dozens of attendees equipped with notebooks, recorders and pens.

“Our chief job as the press is to hold people accountable,” Rhodes said at the beginning of the session. “What else?”

“Uncover stories that matter to readers that aren’t just being a stenographer,” one audience member replied.

Adam Rhodes. Credit: Missouri School of Journalism/University of Missouri

“Yes, absolutely,” Rhodes agreed. “Think of everything that we would not know about our nation, the government, the way that the world really works and moves without journalists asking extra questions.”

Rhodes said public records – things like databases, reports and documents – are rich in investigative story ideas and a matter of filing a Freedom of Information Act request. But, Rhodes said, the majority of investigative work is about a reporter’s mindset – not the easy-to-teach skills like filing a FOIA or finding a dataset on a government website.

“The most important thing is the desire, interest and commitment to do this work well,” Rhodes said.

Yet, there’s a lot of pressure, especially on small newsroom reporters, to turn out stories quickly. Journalists might have limited time to sift through troves of numbers or jargon-filled legal reports. Outlets may not subscribe to services like LexisNexis. Continue reading →

Environmental journalists discuss how to better cover marginalized communities

This is the 3rd in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

By Iasmim Amiden dos Santos

Journalists covering environmental justice communities should focus on building long-term relationships, understanding historical context and recognizing community members as partners in knowledge production, speakers said during the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 35th annual conference in Chicago.

As climate change and other environmental crises continue to disproportionately affect low-income, Black, Brown and Indigenous communities across the United States, journalists at the conference discussed how newsrooms can improve trust with communities that have often felt misrepresented or ignored by the media.

The session, titled “Building Trust in Marginalized Communities,” focused on practical ways reporters can move beyond transactional reporting and produce stories that center on lived experiences while acknowledging systemic inequalities.

One approach highlighted during the discussion was bringing journalists and grassroots environmental justice advocates together outside the traditional reporting process to create space for dialogue and mutual understanding.

Nina Ignaczak, founder and executive editor of Planet Detroit. Credit: Giacomo Cain

Nina Ignaczak, the founder and executive editor of Planet Detroit, described how her nonprofit newsroom partnered with the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources to convene climate justice advocates and journalists in September 2025.

According to Ignaczak, the initiative brought together 14 advocates and 14 journalists to design a set of principles for reporting on environmental justice communities. The conversations focused on accountability, context, vulnerability and resilience.

Ignaczak explained that the gathering was designed to create a non-transactional environment where journalists and advocates could openly discuss issues surrounding trust, media harm and newsroom constraints. The discussions also helped the advocates better understand the realities journalists work with, including tight deadlines, limited staffing and the pressures of digital publishing. Continue reading →