Environmental Journalism in the Age of Idiocracy

Jeff Bezos’ murder of the Washington Post is a major hit, but there are hundreds of great environmental reporters out there in new media who deserve our support — and subscriptions.

By now we have all heard and read about Jeff Bezos’ decision to destroy The Washington Post. Make no mistake: that is what he decided: hundreds of reporters have gotten fired, including several foreign correspondents in dangerous areas with no means of support and no ability to get home. And spare me any questions concerning “what was he supposed to do with a paper that was losing money?” Bezos spent $500 million on a yacht. He spent $50 million on his own wedding. He is worth $250 billion. Even if it continued to lose money hand over fist, that would be a rounding error for a man of his means. Charles Foster Kane got that more than eight decades ago, and Bezos had a lot more money than Kane (and even less character):

No: this is a catch-and-kill operation designed to curry favor with the maniac in the Oval Office, nothing more, nothing less.

And for Legal Planet readers, this has a particular impact. As Evan detailed a few days ago, Bezos has fired all but a small handful of the paper’s climate reporters (who at least for now are continuing to do great work), and we can expect editorials from the new right-wing editorial board questioning the science on climate change.

So what do we do now?

Obviously, none of us has anything close to Bezos’ money, but we do have some, and it should go not to the WaPo, but to independent environmental journalists who are reporting the stories. Note the key phrase: “reporting the stories.” There are lots of opinions out there, but what we need is actual reporting showing what is actually occurring. In the words of the founder of the Manchester Guardian, CP Scott: “Comment is Free, But Facts Are Sacred.”

So who are they? I suspect that over the next few months, we will see many of the laid-off WaPo journalists start their own Substacks, but these are the sites that I like. Not all of them are Substacks – some are independent outlets that have been operating for years. But on a shoestring. They depend upon donations, and as the Bezos example shows, billionaires are not coming to the rescue (in the case of folks like Tom Steyer, they are more interested in vanity projects). Some of the Substacks require paying subscriptions to see all their content, but Breaking News Flash: Journalists Need To Eat And Pay Rent.

So subscribe to at least some of them. They deserve your support. Others are nonprofit media sources that do not require subscriptions but gladly accept donations. You can see the breadth of the coverage, from natural resources to energy to climate to water to public lands to politics. Here they are, in no particular order:

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Invisible Waters – Daniel Rothberg. Rothberg is the former environment reporter for the invaluable Nevada Independent who has gone out on his own. This Substack used to be called Western Water Notes. Rothberg writes:

“This newsletter is dedicated to making invisible systems more visible. So much of the physical and social infrastructure built around water in the past century is hidden from the public. Yet, it is so ingrained in our cultures, economies, and environments.

The goal of this newsletter is to make connections and help readers understand how water moves in a region where aridity and scarcity are defining features. In doing so, this newsletter aims to provide transparency and accountability over decisions about how water is managed, as well as historical context about how we got to where we are today, with the hope of informing future policies and solutions.”

Evergreen – Miranda Green:  “Evergreen is my space to share what I can’t always squeeze into a traditional article—personal reflections from the field, behind-the-scenes context on my investigations, thoughts on media distortion, changes to democracy, stories of fraud and links to the work I’m producing across platforms. That includes long-form narratives and podcast projects currently in the works, plus videos and explainer content I’ll be posting to my YouTube channel.

“Think of this as a home base for thoughtful, unvarnished storytelling—always grounded in facts, and often informed by what I uncover in public records and interviews long before headlines catch on. Evergreen is where I’ll be sharing the stories behind the stories including field reporting, FOIA fights to the narratives that don’t always make it into print.”

The Land Desk – Jonathan P. Thompson: “This newsletter is dedicated to making invisible systems more visible. So much of the physical and social infrastructure built around water in the past century is hidden from the public. Yet, it is so ingrained in our cultures, economies, and environments.

The goal of this newsletter is to make connections and help readers understand how water moves in a region where aridity and scarcity are defining features. In doing so, this newsletter aims to provide transparency and accountability over decisions about how water is managed, as well as historical context about how we got to where we are today, with the hope of informing future policies and solutions.”

E/lectrify News: “Your electric bill is going up, and Trump is doing everything he can — legal and otherwise — to derail clean energy and promote fossil fuels. E/lectrify tracks the stories flying under the radar, explains the jargon and debunks the Trumpian, fossil fuel narrative.”

Public Domain — “Public Domain is an independent environmental news desk that uses public records law, litigation and deep reporting experience to bring scoops, investigations and analysis to your inbox. Our subscribers can count on outstanding coverage of this country’s major environmental agencies and the public lands, wildlife and natural resources they manage. These are public resources, part of the public domain, and our reporting is done in the public interest.

We practice non-partisan adversarial journalism — providing hard-hitting reporting on a critical beat that is too often ignored by mainstream news outlets. We aggressively cover threats to America’s great conservation tradition. We push hard for government transparency and shine light on the inner workings of environmental agencies. We dig into the powerful interests that influence policy from the shadows. And we strive to earn and keep the trust of our readers.”

Climate-Colored Goggles – Sammy Roth. If you are from California, you probably recognize Roth’s name: he invented and then for two years wrote “Boiling Point,” featuring the news roundup about climate and the environment for the Los Angeles Times (now taken up by Evan with The Drain), and as well as gobs of original reporting. Roth has now left the Times to go out on his own and do more reporting (and given the LAT’s new pro-Trump, Bezos-like direction, he left not a moment too soon). This is his new shop. It’s a shame he can’t take the “Boiling Point” name with him: I am not thrilled with this one. But the reporting is first-rate.

Field Notes – Alexander Kaufman: “FIELD NOTES from Alexander C. Kaufman is a scoop-driven newsletter devoted to original reporting and analysis about the deals, geopolitics, policies, and technologies fueling the fast-changing world of energy. Subscribe today to join an influential global audience of business leaders, policymakers, advocates, experts, and everyday readers who recognize the importance of understanding how energy systems work.”

By the Numbers – Hannah Ritchie. Ritchie is Head of Research at Our World in Data, and a Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford. She does not just do environmental stuff: rather, she casts her net widely and brings a relentless data-driven approach to everything, often coming up with unconventional but always rigorous conclusions.

High Country News – HCN has been around since 1970, but has some of the best coverage of the West anywhere. We need it more than ever now.

Inside Climate News – “Founded in 2007, Inside Climate News is the oldest and largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation. We are nonprofit and non-partisan and exist to publish essential reporting, investigation, and analysis about the biggest crisis facing our planet. We watchdog government, industry and advocates and hold them accountable for their policies and actions. We counter misinformation, hold polluters responsible, expose environmental injustice and scrutinize solutions. We have earned many of the most prestigious awards in journalism, including the Pulitzer Prize.

“Our newsroom maintains a focus on environmental injustice, consistently examining how climate change disproportionately burdens communities of color and vulnerable populations. Through our fellowship program, we also provide hands-on newsroom experience for emerging reporters wanting to specialize in climate, environment and justice reporting.”

Canary Media – “Canary Media is an independent, nonprofit newsroom covering the transition to clean energy and solutions to the climate crisis. We report on how the world is decarbonizing — in electricity, transportation, buildings, and industry — with a critical focus on finding out what works and what doesn’t. Through uncompromising reporting, our journalists dig into the ways policymakers, businesses, investors, and communities are moving toward a clean and equitable energy future.”

The Slick – Capital and Main: “‘The Slick’ reports on how the fossil fuel industry is driving climate change and influencing climate policy in some of the nation’s most important oil- and gas-producing states. Capital & Main’s team of veteran climate journalists will investigate the outsized and often hidden role of petroleum companies in shaping state politics — and the impact on both people and the planet.

[JZ: The Slick includes veteran Los Angeles journalists Tony Barboza and Erin Aubry Kaplan, whose I have admired for a long time].

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Go and read. And pay.

C P Scott, Citizen Kane, environmental journalism, Idiocracy, Jeff Bezos