Category Archives: Eric Freedman

Eric Freedman is the director of Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism

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.

STEEL MILLS

Steel pollution still plagues Northwest Indiana

By Lillian Williams

This is the 2nd in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Water and air pollution caused by steel production has been negatively affecting residents of Northwest Indiana for over a century.

Terry Steagall works with Gary Advocates for Responsible Development. He said he witnessed significant water pollution during his 41 years working in steel mills.

“Our shop was right off the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, one of the most polluted bodies of water on the Great Lakes,” Steagall said. “They’ve had to basically dredge it so the boats going through wouldn’t drag up the PCBs and other chemicals.”

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, PCBs (or polychlorinated biphenyls) were used in plastics, electrical equipment and motor oil. PCB production was banned in 1979 because of possible health risks.

Terry Steagall.
Photo by Matthew Kaplan

Pollution also adversely affects the Indiana economy, according to Steagall.

“This place at one time used to flourish with perch, and there used to be commercial fishing out here that no longer is happening,” Steagall said during a recent Society of Environmental Journalists field visit to Gary.

According to Industrious Labs, an organization that works to reduce pollution caused by industries, steel production causes significant air pollution, releasing chemicals like benzene, lead, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide.

Gary is home to the steel mill Gary Works. The city’s population has dropped from over 150,000 in 1980 to under 70,000 during the 2020 census. Continue reading →

Knight Center crew attends Society of Environmental Journalists conference

Knight Center director Eric Freedman and research director Bruno Takahashi led a delegation of six students to the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference at the University of Illinois Chicago.

This year’s theme was Health, Humanity and Climate Change: The Systems That Sustain Us.

Participating students were Iasmim Amiden dos Santos, Anna Ironside, Tori Witke, Cate Kim, Lily Williams and Akia Thrower. They’ll be writing articles for the Knight Center website drawn from the conference’s workshops, field visits, presentations and panel discussions.

Retired Knight Center director Jim Detjen, a cofounder and first president of SEJ, also attended.

MSU contingent at SEJ

This photo shows the Knight Center crew with MSU alumni Brian Bienkowski, Ruth Thornton, Joe Koenig, Chioma Lewis, Emelia Askari and Gabby Nelson.

High schools receive environmental journalism grants

By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira

The Knight Center has awarded grants to four Michigan high schools to support collaboration between their journalism and environmental science classes. Their projects bring together scientific research and student storytelling while also connecting schools with professional mentors who guide the work.

The grants go to:

  • Manchester Junior/Senior High School in Manchester for a project centered on its long- running greenhouse program. Environmental science students grow and care for plants while learning sustainable practices, and journalism students document the process through stories, photo essays and video reports. The content will be shared through school publications, social media and local outlets, providing information to the community about sustainable agriculture and student work.

The teachers are Randy Smith and Carla Zygner.

  • The School at Marygrove in Detroit for a project focused on studying a natural area known as The Grove. Environmental science students research the health of the ecosystem and track environmental changes over time, while journalism students create multimedia stories to make those findings accessible to a broader audience. The project aims to raise awareness and encourage better environmental decision-making in the community

The teachers are Kerry Williams and Alistair Bomphray. Continue reading →