Journalism & Media

Tainted Water, Tainted Power — Inside a Hog-Farm Empire

A powerful politician and his family’s groundwater-polluting agricultural business were the focus of an award-winning series that delved into the intersection of politics, power, privilege and regulatory capture. In the latest Inside Story Q&A, journalist Yanqi Xu discusses how the reporting uncovered deep and unexpected impacts on small town economies, water quality and the living conditions of the hog farms’ neighbors.

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Public Broadcasting Cuts Would Harm Free Press

Trump administration efforts to defund public media, now before Congress, are a misguided effort to harm a source of journalism that is highly trusted by audiences, argues the latest WatchDog Opinion column. And while public broadcasting’s diverse funding sources may insulate it from politics to some degree, the attacks do threaten to chill press freedom, including environmental reporting, more broadly. The latest Dog explains.

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"On Ireland’s Peat Bogs: Climate Action Clashes With Tradition – In Pictures"

"Bord na Móna, which was once a peat extraction company, has now committed to one of the largest peatland restoration projects ever undertaken, targeting 33,000 hectares in over 80 bogs with the hope of reducing carbon emissions and increasing biodiversity. But many households still continue to cut turf, relying on it for heating as have previous generations."

Photographs by Clodagh Kilcoyne for Reuters June 15, 2025.

Source: Reuters, 06/16/2025

Researcher Resigns Citing Tulane Censorship On Pollution Racial Disparity

"A Tulane University researcher resigned Wednesday, citing censorship from university leaders who had warned that her advocacy and research exposing the Louisiana petrochemical industry’s health impacts and racial disparities in hiring had triggered blowback from donors and elected officials."

Source: AP, 06/16/2025

Popular NOAA Climate Website Will Be Hobbled, After Trump Cuts Entire Staff

"A widely used federal website that publishes information about changing weather patterns, drought conditions, agricultural best-practices, atmospheric changes and greenhouse gas emissions will no longer be updated, according to current and former employees familiar with the site. The website will stop publishing new content on July 1."

Source: NPR, 06/16/2025

"National Parks Are Told to Delete Content That ‘Disparages Americans’"

"The Interior Department plans to remove or cover up all “inappropriate content” at national parks and sites by Sept. 17 and is asking the park visitors to report any “negative” information about past or living Americans, according to internal documents."

Source: NYTimes, 06/16/2025

National Park Story No Walk in the Park, Post-Budget Cuts

Steep cuts for the U.S. National Park System look likely from the Trump administration, affecting visitors, roiling local businesses and raising political hackles. For environmental journalists, budgets slashed for hundreds of park units could also turn a summer standby story into something closer to disaster coverage. TipSheet has more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources to cover the park nearest you.

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EPA Just Delayed Reporting Safety Data On 16 Toxic Chemicals. What To Know.

"The Environmental Protection Agency extended the deadline for reporting health and safety data for 16 toxic chemicals, including benzene, BPA and vinyl chloride."

Source: Washington Post, 06/13/2025
June 15, 2025

DEADLINE: Canadaland's Audio Journalism Fellowship Program

This paid program offers two early-career audio journalists a Sep-Dec 2025 placement in Canadaland’s newsroom working with and learning from audio storytelling professionals. You'll receive support with research, reporting, scripting, storytelling and audio production, and complete an audio piece from start to finish. Apply by Jun 15.

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