Journalists need to know, use, Freedom of Information laws and other investigative tools

This is the 4th in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

By Victoria Witke

All journalists, regardless of the size or power of their outlet, should be building investigative techniques and culture into everything they produce. That’s an attainable goal and essential in improving news credibility and readership, Adam Rhodes said during the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 35th annual conference in Chicago.

Rhodes is an investigative journalist covering queer people in the legal system. Rhodes also doubles as the editor and training director at Investigative Reporters and Editors.

During the conference, Rhodes led a learning session titled “How to Be an Everyday Investigative Watchdog,” an hour-long crash course on incorporating investigative work into daily newsgathering to create beefier stories. The room was packed with dozens of attendees equipped with notebooks, recorders and pens.

“Our chief job as the press is to hold people accountable,” Rhodes said at the beginning of the session. “What else?”

“Uncover stories that matter to readers that aren’t just being a stenographer,” one audience member replied.

Adam Rhodes. Credit: Missouri School of Journalism/University of Missouri

“Yes, absolutely,” Rhodes agreed. “Think of everything that we would not know about our nation, the government, the way that the world really works and moves without journalists asking extra questions.”

Rhodes said public records – things like databases, reports and documents – are rich in investigative story ideas and a matter of filing a Freedom of Information Act request. But, Rhodes said, the majority of investigative work is about a reporter’s mindset – not the easy-to-teach skills like filing a FOIA or finding a dataset on a government website.

“The most important thing is the desire, interest and commitment to do this work well,” Rhodes said.

Yet, there’s a lot of pressure, especially on small newsroom reporters, to turn out stories quickly. Journalists might have limited time to sift through troves of numbers or jargon-filled legal reports. Outlets may not subscribe to services like LexisNexis. Continue reading →

This is the 3rd in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

By Iasmim Amiden dos Santos

Journalists covering environmental justice communities should focus on building long-term relationships, understanding historical context and recognizing community members as partners in knowledge production, speakers said during the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 35th annual conference in Chicago.

As climate change and other environmental crises continue to disproportionately affect low-income, Black, Brown and Indigenous communities across the United States, journalists at the conference discussed how newsrooms can improve trust with communities that have often felt misrepresented or ignored by the media.

The session, titled “Building Trust in Marginalized Communities,” focused on practical ways reporters can move beyond transactional reporting and produce stories that center on lived experiences while acknowledging systemic inequalities.

One approach highlighted during the discussion was bringing journalists and grassroots environmental justice advocates together outside the traditional reporting process to create space for dialogue and mutual understanding.

Nina Ignaczak, founder and executive editor of Planet Detroit. Credit: Giacomo Cain

Nina Ignaczak, the founder and executive editor of Planet Detroit, described how her nonprofit newsroom partnered with the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources to convene climate justice advocates and journalists in September 2025.

According to Ignaczak, the initiative brought together 14 advocates and 14 journalists to design a set of principles for reporting on environmental justice communities. The conversations focused on accountability, context, vulnerability and resilience.

Ignaczak explained that the gathering was designed to create a non-transactional environment where journalists and advocates could openly discuss issues surrounding trust, media harm and newsroom constraints. The discussions also helped the advocates better understand the realities journalists work with, including tight deadlines, limited staffing and the pressures of digital publishing. Continue reading →

This is the 1st in a series of articles by Knight Center students who attended the 2026 annual convention of the Society of Environmental Journalists. 

By Lillian Williams

Lillian Williams

Journalists gathered with street outreach workers during the Society of Environmental Journalism Conference in Chicago to discuss the increasingly severe effects of climate change on the homeless and how reporters can approach the topic with humanity and respect. 

Street outreach workers generally focus on connecting homeless people with shelter, employment and other support that might help them, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.  

The panel was moderated by freelance journalist Erin Rhode, who advised listeners to be aware that interviews could take away from people’s ability to meet their basic needs.  

“In some cities that I’ve worked in in Southern California, you have to be lined up by 3 p.m. if you want a shelter bed that night,” Rhode said.  

Ali Simmons is a street outreach worker with the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. He started the discussion by detailing his firsthand experience working with homeless people during extreme weather events.  

“It was during a polar vortex. A person who was living on the street had real severe health issues and was trying to get out of that world,” Simmons said in reference to living on the street. “Each and every place where he went, because of this mental health condition, everyone kicked him out and he had nowhere to go but the cold.” 

Simmons advised that reporters can effectively report on homelessness by writing about why someone is living in the streets and remains in the streets.   Continue reading →