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Reporter's Toolbox

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Reporter's Toolbox is a regular column focused on the world of data journalism, with an emphasis on data tools, techniques and database resources that journalists can use to improve their environmental reporting.

For questions and comments, or to suggest future Reporter's Toolboxes, email Toolbox Editor Joseph A. Davis at sejournaleditor@sej.org.

Journalists can receive Reporter's Toolbox free by subscribing to the SEJournal Online, the digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Subscribe to the e-newsletter here.

Public

July 10, 2024

  • ‘Endangered’ USGS Pesticide Database Shows Wide Chemical Impact

    Pesticides are a major environmental and public health issue — harming vulnerable human populations, as well as contributing to declines in insect populations and even the birds that feed on them. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores an invaluable government database that reports estimates of county-level use of a wide array of these chemicals, but which recently faced severe cutbacks. Read more about the Pesticide National Synthesis Project.

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June 19, 2024

  • Tracking the EPA Agenda Through Agency Grants

    Much of what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accomplishes, whether cleaning up water, shoring up infrastructure or reducing climate change, is done through its grants program. To help track that spending, the latest Reporter’s Toolbox points reporters to an enhanced EPA grant database tool that lets you search by geography and across other databases. More on how to make the most of it.

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June 5, 2024

  • New HeatRisk Data Site Helps Warn on Health Threats

    As global warming worsens heat-related illnesses, U.S. government agencies have refined a data tool whose greatest value may be to warn people about the extreme heat events that can send them to the emergency room or worse. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox explores the improved HeatRisk site and how its combination of climate and medical considerations refocuses attention on the vulnerable.

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May 22, 2024

  • Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Helps Tell the Climate Story

    A massive data set that tracks greenhouse gas emissions in the United States is now newly updated, and the latest Reporter’s Toolbox calls it essential for informed reporting on U.S. climate policy. Its three decades-plus of measurements can help journalists track big emitters near them and from a variety of major sources ranging from landfill methane to industrial polluters.

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May 8, 2024

  • Ag Census Offers Journalists Acres of Data

    The latest data from the five-year USDA agriculture census has specialized features that suggest numerous environmental stories — whether on irrigation, pesticides and fertilizer, renewable energy, conservation or more. There’s even a feature that provides data by congressional district. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox has more on the data source and how to use it smartly for your coverage.

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April 24, 2024

  • Energy Data With Global Reach — and Policy Fallout

    If solid data about the world’s energy and climate change realities is what you need for your environmental reporting, the latest Reporter’s Toolbox suggests you scour the vast datasets of the intergovernmental body known as the International Energy Agency. Its data (mostly open) chronicles much about the energy transition and offers easy-to-browse info and free-to-use charts. Plus, it’s not afraid to make policy recommendations.

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March 27, 2024

  • Finding Your Way Through the Forest of Forest Data

    Forests are full of environmental stories, from timber sales and wildlife habitat to climate change and hunting. And for reporters in search of resources to report them, the U.S. Forest Service offers an immense array of datasets to match the hundreds of millions of acres of land under its domain. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox gets you started on using the vast Forest Service data collection.

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March 13, 2024

  • Map Model Offers Up Data on Climate Disaster-Proofing

    How well are U.S. communities preparing for the threats of climate change? A data-rich climate mapping resource that provides vibrant insight into resilience and adaptation can help reporters better understand the answer, even down to the neighborhood level. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox takes a closer look, including at the many data sets that feed into the resource.

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February 28, 2024

  • Spill-Tracking Data Sources Help Cover Hazmat Events

    A new Spill Tracker website is a good source of information on chemical spills, albeit one with an agenda. But according to the latest Reporter’s Toolbox, it’s just one among a set of powerful resources for covering dangerous releases, large and small. More on Spill Tracker, plus another half-dozen-plus government and nonprofit data sources on petrochemical incidents.

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February 14, 2024

  • Energy Transition Insights From a Mega-Trove of Power Plant Data

    To get a bead on where electric power plants fit in the energy transition, Reporter’s Toolbox suggests a useful dataset collected directly from electricity generators. In this second of two parts, explore the vast array of data available from the Energy Information Administration. Plus, a pro tip on finding data around the climate consequences of power generation.

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SEJournal Online is the digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Learn more about SEJournal Online, including submission, subscription and advertising information.