Four science journalists discussed framing compelling stories about obscure animals. From left: Benji Jones, Maya Kapoor, Douglas Main and Bethany Brookshire. Image: Ruth Thornton.

PHILADELPHIA – One of the many challenges of environmental journalism is making the general public care about animals that are not cute or ecosystems that are obscure.

A recent session of this year’s Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference taught journalists how to do just that.

Four science journalists discussed how they framed stories about lesser-known species including pigeons, the American chestnut tree and ice worms that live in glaciers.

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Map of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basins that shows the artificial canal connection running through Illinois that has connected them since 1900. Wisconsin is part of both watersheds. Image: Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, Biological Invasions.

The Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin supply freshwater and drain wastewater for millions of people.

Two of the largest watersheds in the U.S., they span state and political boundaries.

The expanse of the watersheds across communities challenge the connecting of differing interests and collective policy to local readers. A panel of reporters from the region recently discussed best practices for reporting on watersheds at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Philadelphia.

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By Shanelle Khalasawi

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories coming out of a recent meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Philadelphia.

Environmental reporting experts at the recent Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Philadelphia discussed how to report on climate in a more productive way.

Allen Arthur, the engagement director at Solutions Journalism Network, emphasized the need to avoid negative sentiments while engaging in the climate crisis dialogue to promote engagement in community-based activities.

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By Amalia Medina

Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories coming out of a recent meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists in Philadelphia.

When reporting in rural communities, journalists must “listen and shut up.”

That was the advice of former Native News Online managing editor and author Valerie Vande Panne, a panelist at a session of the recent Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference in Philadelphia.

The panel confronted a key issue in rural reporting: helicopter journalism. The practice, which involves a reporter making quick trips to new towns to extract stories, fails to establish a connection, the panelist said. It also fails to reflect communities accurately and it contributes to sowing distrust in the media.

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