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TipSheet is a biweekly source for story ideas, background, interview leads and reporting tools for journalists who cover news of the environment.

For questions and comments, or to suggest future TipSheets, email the TipSheet Editor Joseph A. Davis at sejournaleditor@sej.org.

Journalists can receive TipSheet free by subscribing to the SEJournal Online, the digital news magazine of the Society of Environmental Journalists. Subscribe to the e-newsletter here. TipSheet is also available through the searchable archive below and via RSS feed.


Latest TipSheet Items

June 20, 2017

  • The harmful algal blooms brought on by excessive nutrient pollution in warm summer waters can be dangerous to humans, animals and fish. Our latest TipSheet will help you cover the phenomenon, make the distinction between algae and toxic cyanobacteria, and point you to sources for forecasting outbreaks. 

June 13, 2017

  • With summer heat in many cities comes worsening air pollution, and a crop of smog-related stories. This week's TipSheet explains how smog forms and harms health, then helps you report on local smog factors and learn if your area is in "nonattainment" with EPA ozone standards, themselves a shifting target under Trump. 

June 6, 2017

  • Every summer, beaches are closed across the United States because of pollution that can bring disease to beachgoers. That suggests local stories, such as problems with sewage systems and algal blooms known as 'red tides.' The latest TipSheet shares resources and info to help you cover the local beach closure beat.

May 30, 2017

  • The 2017 hurricane season officially begins this week and experts say it may be worse than usual. So the latest TipSheet has sources and tools to help you prepare for your hurricane coverage. Understand the importance of landfall and storm path, find out about this year's big wild card, and get tips for staying safe.

May 23, 2017

  • Flooding is no longer just a local disaster story. As the phenomenon worsens and spreads, it simultaneously raises issues like development, insurance, stormwater management and climate change. The latest TipSheet runs down longer-term angles of flooding, and offers sources and tools to better cover your own flood stories.

May 16, 2017

  • Concerns about the greater impact of pollution on poor people and ethnic minorities are not new. But now, environmental reporters have more tools than ever for finding and telling these stories. The latest TipSheet spotlights a useful EPA app and numerous other sources to track this ongoing story.

May 9, 2017

  • Fire season is back, if it ever went away. And it's no longer a natural disaster story limited in geographic scope. Now it's a nationwide U.S. story touching on climate, money, politics, zoning, pollution and more. The latest Tipsheet runs down key information sources, plus what make a good peg for your local wildfire reporting.

May 2, 2017

  • Dozens of national monuments established in the last 20 years may lose their federally protected designation under a new order from the Trump administration. Find out which ones may have been targeted near you, how to find stories about the impact on public lands and who the players are in monument politics, in the latest TipSheet.

April 25, 2017

  • Looking for ways to focus on climate change impacts in your area? Dozens of climate marches taking place this Saturday around the United States and the globe may be your opportunity. The latest TipSheet has more, plus info on understanding regional impacts and how states and cities are increasingly in the driver's seat.

April 18, 2017

  • With the ever-adaptable coyote now present in almost all 50 states, environmental journalists can find numerous local stories on the shifting boundaries between human settlements and wildlife. The latest TipSheet has story angles and sources, plus the controversy over coyote killing.

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