Veteran Environmental Journalists Offer Tips on Covering the Second Trump Administration

Environmental journalists who reported on Trump between 2016 and 2020 can offer perspective.

Focus on what specifically matters to your state, advises Craig Pittman , a columnist at the Florida Phoenix and former reporter at the Tampa Bay Times .

Federal employees who remain in place may be reluctant to speak to journalists for fear of losing their jobs.

Journalists should also have legal experts on their source lists.

Public interest groups that track federal actions are also valuable resources.

The new administration already faces dozens of lawsuits on issues ranging from civil liberties to immigration policy.

Protecting the identity of sources, including potential whistleblowers, is also essential.

These days for Wheeler , what’s ahead means journalists will have to concentrate on doing what they do best. It’s a reminder, he reflects, that “Change calls on us to do our jobs.” Jennifer Weeks , contributing editor to SEJournal , is a freelance editor and writer and a former board member of the Society of Environmental Journalists . She recently served as senior environment and energy editor at The Conversation US from 2015 to 2024 ..