“The news for environmental journalism in the United States is grim and getting grimmer,” says journalist Zofeen Ebrahim in her October 15 story “U.S. Science Reporters Becoming an Endangered Species,” published by the Inter Press Service News Agency.
Ebrahim based her conclusion on discussions with colleagues, including Food & Environment Reporting Network’s editor in chief Sam Fromartz, at the annual conference of the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“At a time when conversations should be revolving around climate change, energy, natural resources, and sustainable development, space for environmental reporting and coverage in the United States seems to be shrinking,” Ebrahim writes.
She points out that by 2012 only 19 American newspapers featured weekly science sections, down from 85 in 1989. Johns Hopkins University has closed its well-regarded science writing program, and Columbia University has ended its earth science and environmental journalism program.
“The commercial media…are under severe pressure to cover issues [such as sports and celebrities] that increases their sales, ratings, listenerships, and online views,” writes Ebrahim.
But, as Fromartz tells Ebrahim, “Without journalists to uncover stories and speak to authoritative sources, the public loses.”
“A potential knowledge gap arises as environmental journalism shrinks,” says Fromartz. “The public learns less about environmental and related health issues, but at the same time may fall prey to unscientific claims that often hold sway on the Internet.”
FERN and other non-profit journalism organizations have stepped in to fill this gap. “We see a lot of great work taking place outside the traditional media structure,” added SEJ’s executive director Beth Parke.
The worry, says Scott Dodd, editor of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s OnEarth.org, is that “fewer people are seeing the important stories that these new outlets are telling.”
Just another good reason to support FERN.