Category Archives: Researcher stories

PESTICIDE EXPOSURE – Dangerous pesticides remain in use despite expert concerns, investigations show

This is the 2nd in a series of feature stories on environmental topics by Knight Center students who attended the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists conference.

By Ruth Thornton

Ruth Thornton

The widespread use of several potent pesticides remains a problem in several countries, according to investigative reporters.

Their research shows that the often-cozy relationship between government officials who issue permits and the industry endangers not only the environment but also human lives.

The reporters discussed their reporting on a panel at this year’s Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual conference at Arizona State University.

Panel members were Liza Gross, a reporter with Inside Climate News, Sanket Jain, an independent journalist, Talli Nauman, a contributing editor at Buffalo’s Fire, and Carla Ruas, a freelance journalist. The panel was moderated by Mark Schapiro, an investigative journalist and lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Toxic fumigant pesticide use in California

The “toxic fumigant 1,3-D should probably not be on the market, because it’s been known to be a carcinogen for years,” Gross said.

The fumigant 1,3-D, short for 1,3-Dichloropropene, is a pesticide also known under its tradename Telone. It is applied to farm soils to control nematodes, a type of worm that can harm crops, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It was first registered in the 1950s.

SEJ Pesticide Panel

Gross said she originally focused on that chemical when an advocacy group in California was upset that regulators in the state proposed standards that would have exposed residents near application sites to about 14 times the safe amount.

“When I started looking into 1,3-D’s regulatory history, I found some troubling things that were going on at the federal level,” Gross said.

“It was pretty clear, without that much digging, that I could test the idea that there was regulatory capture going on there,” she said. Continue reading

PREGNANCY & CLIMATE

Climate change makes pregnancy more dangerous, impacts reproductive health, journalists say

This is the 1st in a series of feature stories on environmental topics by Knight Center students who attended the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists conference.

By Clara Lincolnhol

Clara Lincolnhol

There is no such thing as an “uncomplicated pregnancy” now for most women, thanks to climate change, said journalists at the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalists Conference.

Pregnant women use more oxygen and water than non-pregnant ones, making them more sensitive to changes in their environments.

They also have a harder time regulating their body temperature, said Jesssica Kutz, a reporter for The 19th.

Climate change directly affects pregnant women through warming temperatures and worsening air quality, making pregnancy more difficult and dangerous, she said.

It can also impact accessibility to, and the effectiveness of, contraceptives. For example, many Americans order birth control pills by mail, but if temperatures climb too high while the pills are in an enclosed space, like a mailbox, they become ineffective, Kutz said.

Climate change-induced natural disasters limit accessibility to reproductive health care by making it physically impossible at times to receive care. That can be through closures, damage to health centers, impassable roads and power outages that render certain medications unviable, she said. Continue reading

Paid summer reporting internships available for MSU students at five Michigan news organizations

Michigan State University students with diverse backgrounds and life experiences are eligible for five paid internships this summer at major multi-media Michigan news organizations.

These internships through MSU’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism meet the MSU J-School’s internship requirement. Environmental expertise or particular interest is not required. But you’ll gain both.

The application deadline is 10 p.m. on March 26, 2025

Four internships are with members of the Great Lakes News Collaborative, a group of independent and multi-media news organizations. They are:

  • Bridge Michigan, Michigan’s largest nonprofit news service
  • Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, a monthly magazine-style television program with online daily reports
  • Circle of Blue, a Traverse City-based news service reporting on worldwide water challenges
  • Michigan Public – Michigan’s largest NPR news outlet.

A fifth internship is at Planet Detroit, an independent nonprofit local news organization that reports on the environment and public health in Detroit and Southeast Michigan.

FAQ

Q: Who is eligible?

A: Michigan State University students with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. That includes students graduating at the end of spring semester 2025 or later. It includes students who major in journalism, digital storytelling and other relevant majors. Continue reading

Remembering Madison Hall

Madison Hall poses for a photo in front of mountains in Polynesia.

Madison Hall poses for a photo in front of mountains in Polynesia.

Madison Hall, a Knight Center alum who changed careers from the world of finance to the environmental world, died on New Year’s Day at age 66.

Madison earned a master’s degree in environmental journalism in 2007, then stayed at MSU for doctoral studies in Fisheries & Wildlife.

Madison’s Knight Center friend and classmate, Hannah Northey, said, “For the past few years, Madison Hall traversed the globe giving science- and environment-focused lectures aboard cruise ships. Madison’s genuine love for the natural world came through these presentations to rave reviews. No matter the destination, Madison enthusiastically shared in-depth knowledge on topics ranging from glaciers in Alaska to marine life in Australia.”