cej

Reaping rewards of riveting river reporting

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 18:14:26 +0000

Reaping rewards of riveting river reporting Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/11/2024 - 12:14

By Joe Arney

Like a river, a good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. So, when Luke Runyon was experimenting with a new format to tell the story of the Colorado River, he traced its geography to help move listeners along.

He’s not the first to tell the story of the Colorado River from its high-altitude headwaters to its Mexican mouth. But as he experimented with long-form narrative for a six-part podcast series, Runyon found bringing his listeners along on a journey down the river made for more compelling storytelling.

“I really wanted this series to focus on human stories—the people who are adapting to water scarcity and climate change in real time,” said Runyon, co-director of The Water Desk at the University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Media, Communication and Information. “When it comes to covering water, you can get bogged down in the day-to-day negotiations between states or policymakers, and for this series, I wanted to dispense with the bickering and share what was happening on the ground.”

That series, “Thirst Gap: Learning to Live With Less on the Colorado River,” drew widespread acclaim upon its release in spring 2023. Last month, the project won a national Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association, awarded to projects that exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.

It’s among the most prestigious honors in journalism and is quite the honor for a reporter and editor who, when he first moved from covering agriculture to water issues, wasn’t sure he’d have enough news to cover.

“I was a little worried, at first,” Runyon said of moving from the agriculture beat at Harvest Public Media and KUNC to covering water full-time for the NPR member station in 2017. “But now, I could name 10 other reporters throughout the West focused solely on water. There has been an explosion of interest in the river in the last four or five years, and a lot of pent-up demand for these stories.”

‘One of the best things I’ve ever done’

That demand is driven by a growing population that has strained the complex compact apportioning water in the Southwest—a troubling trend exacerbated by a changing climate. But Runyon’s work resonates with his audience because he is effective at finding the right voices and showing how, even amid partisan paralysis, concerns about water are making unlikely bedfellows—like between ranchers and rafters.

“When it comes to covering water, you can get bogged down in the day-to-day negotiations between states or policymakers, and for this series, I wanted to dispense with the bickering and share what was happening on the ground.”
Luke Runyon, co-director, The Water Desk

Runyon augmented his storytelling skills through a Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism, which he completed in 2022. He called the experience “one of the best things I’ve ever done,” whether it was auditing courses that gave him a broader perspective on the topics he tackled in “Thirst Gap” or meeting like-minded colleagues who supported him as he broke ground on the project.

“It really was helpful for me to be thinking about these bigger, broader questions as I was getting into that series,” said Runyon, who was quick to credit his editor and sound designer for helping each episode shine.

The Scripps fellowship is administered by CMCI’s Center for Environmental Journalism. Hillary Rosner, the center’s assistant director, recalled Runyon’s enthusiasm for the program as a fellow; he organized a field trip to Estes Park, Loveland and other locations to demonstrate how water is moved across Colorado.

“As a fellow, he was a real asset—partly because of his enthusiasm and partly because he really understands how water in the West intersects with so many aspects of our lives,” Rosner said. “He’s able to share that knowledge in a way that I think can inspire new ideas, and you see that in the podcast, especially.”

The Murrow award, she said, is incredibly validating for CEJ and the fellowship, which attracts journalists from National Geographic, The New Yorker, CNN, The Guardian, PBS, NPR and others eager to sit in on classes to broaden their perspectives and spend time digging deep into important environmental issues.

“Luke’s podcast is exactly the kind of in-depth project that is really hard to do in the absence of something like this fellowship,” Rosner said.

Guiding other reporters on the path

Now, in his role with CMCI’s Water Desk, Runyon is helping other reporters engage these crucial issues. On any given day, he may be fielding calls from journalists struggling to make sense of water policy, running webinars or training events for newsrooms, or offering an editor’s perspective on how partner news organizations can collaborate to pursue a project.

“I was looking to flex some different journalistic muscles and learn some new skills in a news landscape that’s changing very rapidly,” Runyon said. “Journalism is a lot more collaborative now—you get a lot more done via partnerships, due to limited resources that news organizations have—and my goal is to be a resource for reporters and make sure the water journalism happening in the West is the best it can be.”

The podcast format itself presented a new challenge for Runyon, who is more used to writing a few minutes’ worth of copy for a broadcast. But he relished the chance to try something new.

“It was refreshing to find a new way to tell a story that I think of from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep,” he said. “I’ve been on this beat now for seven years or so, and I’m still learning and still finding things that are surprising. And that’s what keeps me so interested in my work.”

Luke Runyon, co-director of CMCI’s Water Desk, earned a national Murrow Award for an in-depth podcast series on the declining Colorado River.

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Accomplished journalists join newest class of Scripps Fellows

Anonymous — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 20:24:06 +0000

Accomplished journalists join newest class of Scripps Fellows Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 06/22/2024 - 14:24

By Iris Serrano

The College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder has named five exceptional journalists to its 2024-25 class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism.

“This year’s terrific incoming class of Ted Scripps Fellows hails from around the country and works across multiple platforms, including photography, podcasts, documentary, long-form narrative and daily news,” said Hillary Rosner, assistant director of the Center for Environmental Journalism—which oversees the Scripps Fellows program—and a teaching assistant professor at CMCI. “Together, they bring decades of experience and expertise to ��Ƶ Boulder, where they will learn from university researchers and share their knowledge with the community.”

Established in 1993, the Ted Scripps Fellowship has been based at the University of Colorado Boulder since 1997. The program, which is supported by a grant from the Scripps Howard Fund, aims to give full-time journalists working in any medium the knowledge and tools to report on today’s pressing environmental issues in ways that resonate with diverse audiences. Over a nine-month period, fellows attend classes at the University of Colorado Boulder, participate in weekly seminars and field trips, and pursue their own journalistic projects on a wide range of environmental topics.

The incoming class includes:

Steven Bedard, co-founder and editor, BioGraphic. Bedard has spent the last 25 years writing and producing science stories on everything from archaeology to evolution. During the fellowship, he will explore how species are responding to global change, looking at the intersection between systems-scale events and the individual organisms’ biology.

Taylor Dolven, reporter, The Boston Globe. Dolven focuses on how transportation intersects with climate change and economic inequality. Previously, as a reporter at the Miami Herald, she exposed how cruise companies kept workers at sea without pay during the pandemic. As a fellow, Dolven will research how Americans’ reliance on cars and the transition to electric vehicles impacts lithium-rich communities in South America.

Catherine (Cat) Jaffee, founder and audio producer, House of Pod. Jaffee will spend her fellowship developing an audio series that explores how both ecosystems and human bodies repair themselves, and how overlapping biomedical and bioengineered solutions apply to both. Jaffee has produced more than 1,000 podcast episodes for outlets such as PBS and National Geographic.

Neeta Satam, independent photojournalist. Satam is an Indian photojournalist and National Geographic explorer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post and elsewhere. As a fellow, she will expand a long-term project that documents the impact of climate change on a community in the Himalayas, with an emphasis on gender inequity.

Leah Varjacques, visual journalist and documentary producer. Varjacques has produced and edited digital and television documentaries for The New York Times, The Atlantic and Vice News, where she won an Emmy in 2021. She plans to study climate adaptation and human geography to produce a short documentary about the impacts of Indonesia's future capital city on East Borneo's Indigenous people.

The new class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism will expand their work at CMCI to share and educate the community through documentaries, audio series and research.

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Journalists from top media outlets headline new class of Scripps fellows

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 19:49:19 +0000

Journalists from top media outlets headline new class of Scripps fellows Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 07/11/2023 - 13:49

By Joe Arney

The New York Times. The BBC. National Geographic. CNN.

The 2023-24 class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism at ��Ƶ Boulder brings experience from the world’s most prestigious media outlets to the Center for Environmental Journalism.

“We are always impressed by the quality of journalists who apply to this fellowship, but this year’s pool was truly distinguished,” said Hillary Rosner, assistant director of the Center for Environmental Journalism and a teaching assistant professor at the College of Media, Communication and Information. “The incoming fellows bring a variety of interests and perspectives to topics around climate change—including environmental justice and gender issues—and are comfortable using multiple platforms to tell stories and connect with people.”

Established in 1993, the Scripps fellowship has been based at the University of Colorado Boulder since 1997. The program aims to give full-time journalists working in any medium the knowledge and tools to report on today’s pressing environmental issues in ways that resonate with diverse audiences. Over a nine-month period, fellows attend classes at the University of Colorado Boulder, participate in weekly seminars and field trips, and pursue their own journalistic projects on a wide range of environmental topics.

This year’s class consists of:

Kara Fox, digital producer, CNN International. Fox’s work unpacks the why and how behind breaking news, with a reporting focus on women’s issues, geopolitics, culture and corruption. She also has worked at National Geographic Adventure Magazine and the World Picture Network. During her fellowship, she plans to develop a project about climate change’s unique threats to women.
Rebecca Halleck, senior editor, The New York Times. Halleck will spend her fellowship examining the legal and policy frameworks surrounding climate change and climate action. She was part of the Times’ live coverage of the coronavirus, which won a Pulitzer Prize, and has also served as a digital editor at the Chicago Tribune.
Elliot Ross, photographer. Ross’ work documenting the American West—in particular, the water crisis and its impact on indigenous communities and geopolitics—has offered him opportunities to collaborate with National Geographic Magazine, TIME, The New York Times and The New Yorker. As a fellow, he aims to build out a long-term project, Geography of Hope, exploring environmental and social issues in the Glen Canyon ecosystem.
Ishan Thakore, multimedia producer and journalist. As a fellow, Thakore plans to study and report the federal government’s approach to coastal resiliency, with a close look at a plan to protect New York from storm surges. His work has appeared in “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” Al Jazeera, the BBC and National Geographic, among other outlets.
Clifton Wiens, writer and filmmaker. Wiens previously worked at National Geographic in various capacities, including as a senior script researcher and a development producer on documentaries and series on a wide range of topics. He plans to develop a documentary film during his fellowship that will explore apocalyptic beliefs and their impact on attitudes and policy related to climate change and other environmental issues.

The incoming Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism at ��Ƶ Boulder bring experience from the world’s most prestigious media outlets and include reporters, producers, documentary filmmakers and more.

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Apply now for a Ted Scripps Fellowship

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 00:12:57 +0000

Apply now for a Ted Scripps Fellowship Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/04/2019 - 17:12

Each year, five exceptional journalists are awarded a Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism. Over a nine-month period, fellows attend classes at the University of Colorado Boulder, participate in weekly seminars and field trips, and pursue their own journalistic projects on a wide range of environmental topics.

Former fellows have gone on to collect Pulitzer Prizes for their work, authored best-selling books, and headed up some of the nation's most respected news organizations. Apply by March 1!

Learn more

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