Great Lakes Echo is an award-winning non-profit environmental news service operated by the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. The most recent stories are listed in the column at right under Great Lakes news.
Reporting is provided by graduate and undergraduate students, paid journalists and through partnerships with other university journalism programs and non-profit news agencies. This outreach, education and research tool honors traditional journalism values of fairness and accuracy while advancing creative reader engagement and new story forms.
The service also supports environmental reporting on WKAR public radio.
Stories are distributed online and through MSU’s Capital News Service. They are available for use by other news agencies and other organizations provided that the reporter’s byline and a link to greatlakesecho.org are retained.
Working for Echo
Journalism students at Michigan State University and other universities are encouraged to submit stories relevant to the Great Lakes environment for publication consideration.
These may be stories produced independently or in the context of Knight Center or other journalism school coursework. While Echo does not pay for such stories, students whose stories meet publication standards benefit from professional editing and gain clips for their portfolio. Submitting stories could lead to a paid job as an Echo news producer.
The best way to keep track of the occasional paid student opportunities is to sign up for Knightline – the listserv of MSU’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism – and to watch for announcements on the Knight Center’s website.
When funding allows, Echo pays for professional freelance submissions. We are currently not accepting unsolicited freelance work.
News tips
Got a news tip relevant to the environment of the Great Lakes region?
Send it to greatlakesecho@gmail.com or contact Echo editor David Poulson at poulsondavid@gmail.com or 517 432 5417.
Recognition
Echo has been recognized by the Knight Batten Awards for innovations in journalism and by the Healing Our Waters coalition for excellence in reporting. A number of student-produced news stories produced for Great Lakes Echo have been recognized in the annual Society of Professional Journalists contest.