Knight Center alum James Crugnale recently landed a job as an editor at the Weather Channel in New York City.
He helps edit the science section of Weather.com which has expanded beyond its coverage of the forecast.
“I’ll be helping out on stories about space, nature, cool new discoveries, mysteries of the planet, the environment and health,” Crugnale said.  “Besides lists and
slideshows, I’ll be working on long-form stories and thoroughly reported science pieces.”
The Weather Channel made a serious investment in original video, journalism, and
photo content in 2013 and its digital news offering has been greatly bolstered, he
said.
Crugnale graduated with a masters degree from Michigan State University’s School
of Journalism with a specialization in environmental journalism in 2009. Previously he worked as a blogger/reporter for Mediaite and The Wrap.

Knight Center alum Anisa Peters is the coordinating producer at Smithsonian Earth, a newly launched subscription service that streams nature and wildlife programming for Video On Demand devices like Apple TV and Roku.
Peters is involved in developing short-form stories, writing, field producing and post-producing.  She also works with the director of digital media on maintaining existing relationships with Smithsonian’s partners and exploring new partnerships.
“It’s an exciting time for Smithsonian Networks,” Peters said. “Hopefully there are enough people out there that are as passionate about nature as I am, and will subscribe to our app.” Continue reading →

When Knight Center alum Debbie Munson Badini worked at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, she was often frustrated by reports of people dying while enjoying the water or woods, especially when the death could have been prevented with basic safety measures.
“My philosophy is that we need people to engage with nature and the environment if we want them to care about it,” she said. “Empowering citizens to feel confident about their safety while recreating outdoors plays a big part in getting them outside and connected to the world around them.”
Now the 2005 graduate of MSU’s masters in journalism program does just that as the new outreach and education coordinator for the Minnesota DNR’s boating and water safety program in St. Paul.
Continue reading →