Covering The Green Economy June 28-30
Seriously. The good people at the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism have asked me to come out to their place at the Walter Cronkite School at ASU to speak at a the “Covering the Green Economy” Seminar on June 28.
I’ll be talking about green energy and stimulus and the challenges of covering the biggest piece of pro-green legislation. I’m up first thing Monday morning, but the conference goes for two more days and they’re lining up a stellar cast of journalists to speak.
While there are lots of seminars and conferences for journalists, the Reynolds Center is putting this one together armed with a very generous grant and will be awarding all-expense paid fellowships to 20 local journalists. The intention is to send them back home with, “ information to help them recognize ‘greenwashing,’ track federal stimulus dollars designed to create green jobs and answer consumers’ most frequently asked questions about leading environmentally sustainable lives.”
Since I’ve started writing about green issues I’ve been shocked at how reporters (even at the highest levels of journalism) miss the boat on key issues. I’ve talked to a lot of other reporters and I’d say 90 percent of the time it’s not their fault if they don’t get it right – there’s an overwhelming combination of hype, scientific information and complexity involved in many green stories. Sorting out the truth – what really is working and what isn’t – and discerning the motives of the people who deluge your inbox with pro and anti press releases, isn’t easy.
I certainly don’t have all the answers but I’ve hit a fair number of brick walls and I’m happy to share my experiences – and the various story ideas that people email me on a fairly regular basis that I just don’t have the time or outlet to chase after.
More info on how to apply for a fellowship can be found at the Reynolds Center Web site.
how a combination of deluge of press releases in the average reporter’s inbox and general hype that swirls around
and there’s still time to apply for a fellowship to attend.
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