Author Archives: Dave Poulson

Students study use of unmanned aircraft; study applications to reporting on the environment

By David Poulson
Michigan State University environmental journalism students recently observed a practice flight of an unmanned aircraft over a university farm field.
Researchers are preparing to use the craft to analyze the health of grass for a turf management company. The project is undertaken by the university’s Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems program.
The journalism students are studying the applications of such craft – popularly known as drones – and how they can be used to cover environmental news stories.
Related story.

Robert Goodwin, the unmanned aerial systems project manager for MSU's Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems program, explains a training flight to journalism students.

Robert Goodwin, the unmanned aerial systems project manager for MSU’s Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems program, explains a training flight to journalism students. Image: David Poulson


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Knight Center alum wins national SEJ award, gives tips for success

Brian Bienkowski

Brian Bienkowski


By David Poulson
A graduate of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism has  won national recognition for a series of environmental stories about the Great Lakes.
Brian Bienkowski, now a reporter and editor at Environmental Health News, received second place in a beat reporting category in the contest sponsored by the national Society of Environmental Journalists.
The series is called Stories of the Great Lakes’ People, Places and Creatures.
Bienkowski, a former reporter for the center’s Great Lakes Echo news service,  also received the same award in the same contest last year. He received his masters in journalism degree with a concentration in environmental reporting in 2012 and is the recipient of the center’s Rachel Carson award for outstanding graduate student in environmental journalism.
Here’s a quick Q & A that probes his formula for success:
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Journalists, Great Lakes explorers at rest in Congressional Cemetery

Image: Eric Freedman

Image: Eric Freedman


By Eric Freedman
The Congressional Cemetery sprawls across 32½ acres in the southeastern part of the nation’s capital. Despite its name, most of those buried there – like Mathew Brady and Anne Newport Royall – aren’t former members of the House or Senate.
For those of us who care about journalism, Brady was the groundbreaking Civil War photographer who is credited as the “father of photojournalism.”
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Knight Center faculty, students to present ethanol headline research

Research Director Bruno Takahashi and Knight Center graduate students, Carol Terracina-Hartman and Katie Amann, are presenting research at the upcoming AEJMC Conference in Montreal, August 6-9, 2014.

The poster presentation, “Headlining energy issues: A content analysis of ethanol headlines in the U.S. elite press,” examines issue attributes, themes, tone, and sources in headlines between 1987 and 2011.

This study is a collaboration with Mark Meisner, executive director of the International Environmental Communication Association.

Knight Center faculty affiliate, John Besley (ADV/PR) is also presenting research at AEJMC. His presentations are: “Predictors of Perceptions of Scientists: Comparing 2001 and 2012,” and  “Scientists’ prioritization of goals for online public communication.” The second study is a collaboration with Anthony Dudo, University of Texas at Austin