Society of Environmental Journalists

Who founded the Society of Environmental Journalists?

SEJ: The Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) was founded in 1990 by a small group of award-winning journalists, including reporters, editors and producers working for The Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, Turner Broadcasting, Minnesota Public Radio and National Geographic.

What is your mission?

SEJ: Our mission is to strengthen the quality, reach and viability of journalism that advances public understanding of environmental issues.

Who is the Executive Director and how long have they been in the job?

SEJ: The Executive Director of the SEJ, for the last 4 years, has been Meaghan Parker.

Who is the SEJs audience?

SEJ: The SEJ serves professional journalists and academics working in every type of news media in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and 46 other countries.

What is url of the SEJ?

SEJ: www.sej.org

What is the street address of the main office?

SEJ: 1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006.

What is the email address for press of media inquiries?

SEJ: sej@sej.org

Can you describe the business or fundraising model?

SEJ: Diversifying funding sources, increasing capacity for financial and grant management, fostering fundraising skills among board members, staff, and members, and creating an active legacy giving campaign.

What are the significant moments in the history of the Society?

SEJ: The SEJ has hosted three decades of annual conferences, scores of regional forums, unique publications, online services, workshops and training sessions, and an extensive membership network.

What are the SEJs plans for the future?

SEJ: Our plan prioritizes the organization's goals and strategies, including strengthening the quality, reach, and viability of environmental journalism, diversifying funding sources, increasing capacity for financial and grant management, fostering fundraising skills among board members, staff, and members, creating an active legacy giving campaign, and addressing challenges faced by member-journalists, such as the collapse of the advertising revenue model and the COVID-19 pandemic. We also acknowledge potential risks and challenges, such as political conditions, demographic changes, and erosion of trust in journalism, and outlines a monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework to guide the implementation of the plan.

What are the challenges face the SEJ?

SEJ: Several challenges face the Society of Environmental Journalists, including the collapse of the advertising revenue model that kept many traditional news outlets afloat, the COVID-19 pandemic that has further magnified the financial pressures and accelerated the transformation of the industry, and the erosion of trust in journalism. Their plan also acknowledges potential risks and challenges, such as political conditions and demographic changes.

Society of Environmental Journalists