Category Archives: Research

        
 
 
 
 

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 →

From MSU student to media leader: Susan Goldberg returns to inspire future journalists

By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira

Award-winning journalist Susan Goldberg, the president and CEO of GBH and former editor-in-chief of National Geographic, returned to the MSU campus to speak with students, faculty and community members at the Neal Shine Ethics Lecture.

Susan Goldberg speaking on March 10th at MSU’s WKAR

Goldberg’s visit was part of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism’s commemoration of the 30th anniversary of environmental journalism at MSU.

Her talk at the WKAR TV studio focused on the power of storytelling and the responsibility journalists have to deliver accurate, meaningful information to the public.

“There is nothing more important than telling accurate, important, timely stories that shine a light into dark corners so problems can be fixed,” Goldberg told the audience.

The annual lecture honors the legacy of Neal Shine, a former publisher and editor of the Detroit Free Press who championed ethical journalism and public service reporting.

Goldberg’s talk, “Storytelling that Matters,” centered on how journalists can better communicate complicated issues such as science and climate change. She outlined principles for effective storytelling, including finding ways to make audiences care, sparking curiosity and focusing on solutions instead of only highlighting problems. Continue reading →

How journalists can be the scientist their story needs

By Shealyn Paulis

This is the 7th in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the annual conference of the National Association of Science Writers.

When journalists and science writers gathered in the windy city of Chicago, a panel offered space for veteran science reporters to share their experiences when their jobs called for a step beyond typical journalistic requirements.

These stories explored when journalists also became scientists, and how these experiences bettered their coverage.

The gathering of those concerned with science’s involvement with journalism comes as the Trump administration leads an unprecedented attack on science throughout its first year in office. This includes redrawn requirements for funding approval and historically large cuts to federal research funding in the name of efficiency.

In 2025, the National Science Foundation showed a 25% reduction in funding compared to the average of the past 10 years.

(Left to Right) Moderator Priyanka Runwal and panellists Patricia Clarembaux and Wendy Ruderman take questions from the SciWri2025 crowd following presentations.

The National Association of Science Writers session was organized and moderated by Priyanka Runwal, associate editor of Chemical & Engineering News. She began by introducing the topic of reporters conducting their own research and data-gathering methods, while emphasizing the crucial timing of the panel.

Runwal explained that as the scientific community faces mounting difficulties imposed by the government,  leaving journalists with fewer resources for their reporting.

If journalists gather and analyze their own data, they have the opportunity to not only enhance their coverage, but do some of the work researchers are unable to do during difficult times. Continue reading →