Unofficial Conference Blog | Society of Environmental Journalists

Freelance Success Beat Dinner

SEJ freelancers Karen Schaefer and Meera Subramanian hosted a beat dinner on the Friday during the conference to share information about how to make the freelance life work, at least a little better. Here's a resource list we ended up with, put together from a variety of sources, including many gleanings from the ever helpful SEJ-Freelance listserv, participant suggestions, places people learned about from Maya Smart, and more. It's by no means exhaustive, and possibly redundant to other resource lists out there, but we wanted to share it in case it helps even one floundering freelance soul out there. Feel free to share widely.  

 

The Business of Freelancing:

Poynter Online: http://www.poynter.org

Writer’s Market: http://www.writersmarket.com

Elance: http://www.elance.com

CNN Small Business: http://money.cnn.com/smallbusiness

Wall Street Journal Small Business Marketing: http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-small-business-marketing.html

Inc.com: http://www.inc.com

Biz Journals: http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/small_business

Small Business Planner: http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html

Writer’s Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/GeneralMenu

Writing Coach: http://www.writingcoach.com

Freelance Success: http://www.freelancesuccess.com

Association of Independents in Radio: http://airmedia.org

Daily Freelance Net: http://www.freelancedaily.net

Editorial Freelancers Association: http://www.the-efa.org

Editorial Pay Rates: http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.php

Registering a business name: http://www.business.gov/register/business-name

Small business FAQ: http://www.business.gov/faqs

State taxes: http://www.business.gov/manage/taxes/state.html

IRS Small Business, including Employer Identification Number (EIN), taxes and more: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html

Best Business Practices for Photographers: http://www.best-business-practices.com

 

Tools:

Blog Talk Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com — Social network Internet radio site that supports free talk radio show hosting, podcasts and more.

Transom.org: http://transom.org — A website showcasing the work of new public radio, with a fantastic section on tools.

PRX: http://www.prx.org/ — Public Radio Exchange, a website where radio stations and independent producers can share their work.  If radio stations air indy work, there’s a small royalty.

The Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams: http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Robin-Williams/dp/0321534042/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285258063&sr=8-1

Sound Reporting, put out by NPR: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reporting-Guide-Journalism-Production/dp/0226431789

 

Rights:

Media Perils: http://publiability.com/ — Liability insurance.

Contract Lingo: http://www.writingcoach.com/blog/bid/43764/Contract-Terms-Every-Freelance-Writer-Should-Know

Creative Commons: http://creativecommons.org — An open-source approach to copyright.

Covering your Ass (by SEJ-er Alion Kerr) http://writetodone.com/2010/10/15/are-you-using-protection-free-speech-libel-and-covering-your-ass/

 

Health Insurance:

Freelancers Union: http://www.freelancersunion.org/insurance/explore

MediaBistro: http://www.mediabistro.com/insurance

The Artists Health Insurance Resource Center directory: http://www.ahirc.org

E Health insurance: http://ehealthinsurance.com

National Writers Union: http://www.nwu.org

 

Alternative Funding Sources:

SEJ list of fellowships and workshops: http://www.sej.org/initiatives/awards-fellowships/non-sej-environmental-journalism-fellowships-and-workshops

Spot.Us: http://spot.us/ — Spot.Us is a nonprofit project of the "Center for Media Change" and funded by various groups like the Knight Foundation.

Fund for Environmental Journalism (SEJ): http://www.sej.org/initiatives/fund+for+environmental+journalism/overview

Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com

National Geographic Expeditions: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/grants-programs/ec-apply/

Fund for Investigative Journalism: http://fij.org

Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting: http://pulitzercenter.org/travel-grants

Investigative Reporters and Editors: http://www.ire.org (Also have trainings)

Foundation Center: http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/gtio.html

Consider museums, historical societies, etc.

 

Nonprofit Journalism:

ProPublica: http://www.propublica.org/ ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

Rocky Mountain Investigative News Network ((I-News): http://www.inewsnetwork.org/

InvestigateWest:  http://invw.org/ - A non-profit investigative journalism team started by former investigative journalists from the now-closed Seattle Post-Intelligencer.  InvestigateWest uses foundation funding along with donations from private individuals to create multi-media content for the general public and media partners. 

InvestigateWest, Lessons from the First Year: http://www.knightdigitalmediacenter.org/leadership_blog/comments/20100824_investigatewest_lessons_from_the_first_year/

The Journalism Shop:  ww.thejournalismshop.com - A cooperative composed primarily of former Los Angeles Times staffers laid off or bought out during the current financial storm.

Oregon News Incubator: https://newsincubator.wordpress.com/ - A nonprofit network that advances entrepreneurial journalism in the evolving media ecosystem, supporting structures, tools and collaborative space for independent and emerging media producers.

 

**Many more at sej.org**

 

 

 

 

Understanding the Role of Microbes in Biodegradation of Gulf Oil

The use of dispersants during the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster has been a thought- provoking, highly debatable issue. Speaking at a network lunch, Dr. Claire Paris-Limouzy from the University of Miami disagreed on using of dispersants to remove oil, saying that we have negligible knowledge about their impact on the ocean ecosystem. We also lack the basic knowledge about the chemical structure and what kind on dispersant to be used for a particular type of oil.

Thus, a lot of scientific research is required to understand and broaden our knowledge about dispersants, and how to use them at the right time, in the right way.

Many consider dispersants a never-use option, because they are harmful for the ocean ecosystem.  In my opinion part of oil was dispersed from ocean was possible only due to the use of dispersants.

Dr. Paris-Limouzy further explained that some amount of oil in the Gulf might have evaporated, weathered and submerged. She further added that  approximately 30 percent of oil is biodegradable and 40 percent is submerged and probably remains in the water column.

Several biological factors like microbes can help in degrading oil naturally. Thus, one needs to consider how these microbes help in degradation.

There are very few studies being done at present to find out the role of microbes in degradation of oil. I am working on one such project, with the objective to understand how microbial communities in near-shore environments respond to natural or anthropogenic exposure to hydrocarbons, and whether microbial communites in different habitats such as oyster beds, beach etc., respond in a similar way. The image above shows microbes degrading oil in the Gulf oil plume shown by Berkeley Lab. 

The image on left shows an analysis with Berkeley Lab’s phyloChip (an analyzing tool), revealing that the dominant microbe in the dispersed Gulf of Mexico oil plume was a new species, closely related to members of Oceanospirillales.  

The image below demonstrates use of phyloChip in one of the project.

 

 

 

 

In my opinion use of dispersants might be useful for oil dispersion, but has toxic effects on deep sea fishes, and even on some microorganisms that are primary producers of ocean ecosystems, such as like phytoplankton driving photosysnthesis.

 

 

Alcanivorax borkumensis is the main microbe breaking down oil in the Gulf.

Audio: Mike Kenmille and the Chief Cliff Singers

 

The Missoula conference kicked off last Wednesday with great performances by Montana Indian singers and drummers. I kicked myself for leaving my professional-quality recorder and microphone at home.

But using what I had on hand -- an iPod Touch with a standard "Voice Memo" application, and the inline mic on my headphones -- I got this suprisingly decent recording of the final Round Dance performed by Mike Kenmille and the Chief Cliff Singers, of the Kootenai Tribe on the Flathead Indian Reservation:

RoundDanceSEJ

For sure, the audio quality isn't up to public radio standards. That said, good thing I didn't just throw my hands up because the good kit was in a drawer in New York City.  This recording captures the moment well enough to reminice about the evening, and to make a record of the performance available here on the web. 

It's easy to imagine doing this again if I encounter a story unexpectedly while out and about.  I don't carry my Sony PCM-D50 in my bag all the time, but I'm seldom without my iPod Touch.

This turned into a case study of just how capable even low-end digital equipment can be, and what we as journalists can do with it -- as long as we're open to experimentation, and not hung up on achieving perfection instead of getting the story.

 

Video: Clark Fork River Superfund Site

 

This video was filmed during Society of Environmental Journalists Conference tour of the Clark Fork River Superfund Site, on Oct.14, 2010, as well as during the walk with Prof. Erick Greene on Oct. 17.

I edited the film on iMovie during layovers on my way home to Asheville, North Carolina.

A special thanks to everyone involved with the conference, especially the video workshops. I also have my first attempt at a photo blog and will soon have an essay up from the tour on my new blog.

Tour: Preserving Wildlife in a Changing World

The morning sun warmed journalists and environmentalists as they set off at 8:30 am on Thursday to learn about "Preserving Wildlife in a Changing World." 

The group spent the day exploring the homes of the snowshoe hare, lynx, elk, wolf, and dozens of other species living on the edges of Montana's urban areas.

At the first stop, they visited a new housing development near Missoula, with views across urban elk habitat.

On Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal land, game cameras monitoring wildlife corridors -- underpasses and overpasses -- caught footage of curious journalists instead.

As the tour rolled to the Seeley Lake area, experts discussed wolf management by way of hunting and non-lethal practices.

Upon arrival the group met a caged wild hare, whose ears and feet were beginning their seasonal change from earthen brown to snowy white. The animal was one of many being tracked by University of Montana researchers.

The group left the Flathead National Forest en route to the Rattlesnake Valley, ending the day's tour with a demonstration by Pepin, a canine employed by Working Dogs for Conservation. This obsessive shepherd is trained to memorize the scent of species scat, in order to locate that animal’s feces in the field to  determine population size.

Video: Preserving Wildlife in a Changing World

Conservation biologist Megan Parker trains dogs to find endangered and invasive species by sniffing out scat (bears, snow leopard) or even the creatures themselves (snails, noxious weeds). It's an inspired twist on the age-old practice of using the extraordinary canine sense of smell to find game, criminals, bombs, even cancer.

Parker gave us a demo with her Belgian shepherd Pepin in a field outside of Missoula, where she'd planted black bear scat.

 

I produced this video as part of the conference's great video training workshop: a day in the classroom at UMT on Wednesday, shooting video on the Thursday tours, and then back at the computer for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon to make something out of what we'd shot.  

I shot this on a Flip Mino and (when the batteries ran out) a Canon SD1400 IS point-&-shoot, and produced it using Final Cut Pro, and later added the titles with iMovie.  Other than a single-edit iMovie video of my daughter, this is my first video!  

Thanks to the great instructors, Denise Dowling, Jeremy Lurgio, Anne Medley and Kagan Yochim of the UMT School of Journalism, SEJ stalwart Amy Gahran, Amol Pavangadkar of Michigan State's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, Michael Scott of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and SEJ member Sara Shipley Hiles, who went from student at last year's not-so-successful video workshop to instructor at this year's workshop.

SEJ 2010: From a Young Engineer's Perspective

We all know that engineers tend to look at the world from a unique perspective. Instead of half-empty or half-full, the engineer's glass appears to be twice as big as necessary. After all, this is the crowd that can chronologically list Star Trek episodes while window shopping Radio Shack, right? So what on Earth is a young engineer to make of a discussion about environmental journalism?

As a young graduate engineer, I was graciously sponsored to attend SEJ 2010 by the Metcalf Institute, through their NSF RAPID grant. What I found was a remarkable connection between scientists and the journalists that heroically cover the field. Many scientists view their discipline through an isolationist lens, yet the interrelationships between science, journalism, politics and the public is strikingly symbiotic and inexorably intertwined. I would agree that the challenges facing our planet have evolved. While our scientific capabilities have also risen proportionally, our ability to address those challenges has dwindled. In many ways, we are like a V12 roadster with an expert driver and a blown transmission; our inability to "engage" results in both ignorance and inaction.

Now any clever person can define a problem, but how on Earth can we move forward in addressing it? From the seminars, panels, and side conversations at SEJ, I would humbly suggest three key changes, as a starting point:

Tips for Making Multimedia

Multimedia reporting can seem overwhelming. There's audio, video, photography and text to choose from -- and that's before you get the media back to your desk.

Here are some tips from the session I lead with Andrea Kissack on Saturday, on choosing your media for online reporting. We're with Quest, a multimedia environmental series at KQED Public Broadcasting in San Francisco. At the session, we  discussed some of the lessons we've learned and the various strengths of different kinds of multimedia projects (listed here from easy to more resource intensive).

Easier Multimedia

Acquire it - Scientists and researchers are increasingly gathering their own media. Check to see if your subject has already done some of the work for you. Video and stills increasingly common, especially in the case of field work.

In this Quest blog post, reporter Amy Standen acquired a 30 second infrared video of  gas fumes emitted at the pump.  Look for materials that can visually illustrate a concept central to the story.

Basic Photo Slideshow - A captioned photo slideshow can come together very quickly. This slideshow (second item in the blog post) was created with Soundslides.

Slideshows are easily consumed online and are a low commitment way for your audience to interact with your content. The pacing is slower than video, but that can be a good thing. Photos invite the viewer to study the image and reflect on the content.

Tour: Managing Indian Country

Members of the "Managing Indian Country" tour saw a herd of American bison at the Bison National Wildlife Refuge. The herd was just outside the tour bus but we were kept inside for safety reasons. There were young bison close to their mothers and big bulls wandering in their midst.

One of the most interesting sights was a lone bull bison sitting in the fog in a valley by himself. A refuge official said it's not uncommon for an old bull bison to decide he just wants to live alone from the herd. The refuge rangers on their horses can try to scare the bison into rejoin the herd but if he doesn't want to, there isn't much they can do about it.

 

 

 

Photo: Copyright © Bruce Ritchie

 

Video: Flathead Lake - The Pristine and the Alien

A grateful 20-20-20 fellowship recipient, I arrived early in Missoula to take the Wednesday video workshop. On Thursday, I headed out to Flathead Lake with my Nikon D90 (but, sorry, no tripod), and on Saturday afternoon, turned the footage into this, my very first video.