Clips

A selection of published articles, by topic.

Climate Change Impacts and Policy

Congress Again Punts Flood Insurance Reform into Future
Link / PDF
Climate Liability News (later Climate Docket)
Congress has extended the National Flood Insurance Program, which protects 5 million U.S. properties, through the end of this year’s hurricane season Nov. 30. But there is little movement toward the long-term reform experts say is desperately needed. 

Credit Downgrades Imminent for Cities Unprepared for Climate Impacts
Link / PDF
Climate Liability News (later Climate Docket) 
Federal subsidies for rebuilding flooded properties, coupled with the rollback of standards for that rebuilding, create the illusion that cities and towns can continue to ignore flood risks without financial consequences. But a reckoning is coming, according to a new white paper.

In Liability Cases, Oil Companies Argue Climate Change is Your Fault
Link / PDF
Climate Liability News
Are oil companies that drill for, process and distribute fossil fuels responsible for climate change, or does the blame fall on consumers who use these fuels as energy and release carbon dioxide emissions that warm the atmosphere? Does their use of the product ultimately make consumers, rather than the oil companies, responsible for sea level rise and melting glaciers?

Sea Level Rise Threatens Billions in Coastal Real Estate by 2045
Climate Liability News
Coastal communities may have even less time to prepare for rising seas than previously thought, says a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists. 

California AG, Pushed From the Left in Primary Battle, Avoids Discussing Exxon Probe
Climate Liability News
Heading into Tuesday’s open primary elections in California, the candidates for state attorney general have all been clear about where they stand on a potential state investigation into whether oil giant ExxonMobil misled the public about climate change, except one: the incumbent.

Oil Industry Pushes Back on Climate Suits With Dubious Claims on Bond Issue
Climate Liability News
The fossil fuel industry says local governments are telling courts they face staggering climate-related costs but are not disclosing those risks to potential municipal bond investors. Yet interviews with experts and a review of bond documents suggest this argument has little substance.

Read more of my stories for Climate Liability News. 

International Environmental Journalism:


Environmental Reporting and Media Development: Equipping Journalists with the Training and Tools to Cover a Critical Beat
Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA)
How media development organizations are helping improve the public’s understanding of climate change and other environmental issues by training reporters and citizens; supporting investigations; and creating innovative ways to gather information, present environmental data and engage the public. 

The Digital and Technological Revolution in News:
Why Now is the Time for Media Innovation in Africa
PBS MediaShift
In Africa, where mobile news and digital innovation are growing but startup capital is too often scarce, innovators have a unique opportunity to help reinvent media.

Armies of One
American Journalism Review
Are ABC’s new one-person foreign bureaus a model for covering the world in the digital age?

Eye on CBS
American Journalism Review
The network launches a blog to scrutinize its news operation.

Wiki: Don’t Lose That Number
American Journalism Review
Despite the Los Angeles Times’ fiasco, the interactive online tool holds promise for journalism.

Dotcom Bloom
American Journalism Review
The Web seemed poised to blossom with stand-alone news sites

The End of the Affair
American Journalism Review
Squeezed for profits, newspapers send their staff film critics packing. Is this sound cost-cutting or a missed opportunity?

Watchdog Reporting and Journalism Ethics:
Statehouse Exodus
American Journalism Review (Cover story)
AJR’s latest survey of the nation’s state capitols finds a dramatic decrease in the number of newspaper reporters covering state government full time. Digital news outlets are springing up to fill the breach. When will these efforts be enough to compensate for the loss of the newspaper watchdogs?

Knocking Down the Stonewall
American Journalism Review
What should news organizations do when a story comes under fire?

Endangered Species
American Journalism Review
Many newspapers are laying off the reporters who monitor the federal government from a local angle. The cost could be steep.

Government and Policy:
Bar None: Businesses That Sell Alcohol to Minors Get Off With a Fine
Capital News Service, Prince George’s Journal
Using hard copies of Maryland state government records, I created a database and analyzed it to report this story, which was a finalist for an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award.

State’s Lawmakers Overwhelmingly Back Anti-Terror Bill, Split on Economic Plan
Capital News Service

Wealthy Maryland Fares Poorly Overall in Federal Grant Programs, Study Shows
Capital News Service

State Delivers $400 Million Homeland Security Wish List to Federal Government
Capital News Service

Census Report on Shelter Residents Just Scratches Surface of Homelessness
Capital News Service

Travel:
The Buzz on Slovenian Honey
The Wall Street Journal Europe
In Slovenia, where one out of every 250 residents keeps bees, the hills are alive with the buzz of honey making. On a hot summer afternoon at a sidewalk cafe, it is often a bee, rather than a fly, that alights on the rim of your coffee cup or beer glass…

How to Get to: Slovenia
Sherman’s Travel
From Slovenia’s picturesque capital to the rugged Julian Alps

The Destination: Ljubljana, Slovenia Conde Nast Traveler
From Roman relics to avant garde artists